I went to a lot of Dodger games growing up but never thought twice about watching soccer and/or the LA Galaxy (I was never a good soccer player even with my big feet and am too afraid of getting kicked in the shins so playing soccer never interested me either). This was until I went to my first LA Galaxy game this past weekend where I discovered watching live soccer games can be pretty fun! Not only that, but I learned a lot of interesting facts about soccer that I recommend most people be aware of before going to a game. This will ensure that you don’t have to ask questions that make people wonder why you are there in the first place.
First, I was puzzled by why so many fans were wearing soccer jerseys with the words “Herbalife” on the front. Wasn’t the name of the team the LA Galaxy?? After being a bit bewildered, I soon learned that Herbalife is Galaxy’s sponsor. In professional soccer, the team sponsor’s name goes on the front of the jerseys, not the team name. This explained why so many girls were wearing green shirts with Herbalife on the front and Beckham on the back.
Another lesson: red flags are more exciting than yellow flags! Fans got excited when a yellow flag was pulled against the other team because this meant that we got to have a penalty kick. Yellow flags occurred occasionally throughout the game. When a red flag got pulled though, the crowd went into an uproar. What makes red flags more exciting? A red flag means that the player actually gets kicked out and cannot be replaced for the remainder of the game. This means that the other team is down one player for whatever time is left. You also get to sing the “na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, hey, hey, good-byeee” song.
90 minutes: A regular professional soccer game is 90 minutes with two forty-five minute halves. The clock does not refresh during halftime. Know this fact so you don’t have to keeping asking how much time is left for play in the game.
There are definitely a lot rules and regulations to learn to fully understand what is going on when watching soccer, but it can still be fun just knowing that the ball is supposed to go in the net to score a goooooaaaaal.
Action on the field
I always thought goalies had the most boring position and would just wait around most of the game
But they have to be on top of the game the entire time- no zoning out or daydreaming allowed
A packed stadium with high-energy fans
Home of the Galaxy
Final score: LA Galaxy 2, San Jose 0
First, I was puzzled by why so many fans were wearing soccer jerseys with the words “Herbalife” on the front. Wasn’t the name of the team the LA Galaxy?? After being a bit bewildered, I soon learned that Herbalife is Galaxy’s sponsor. In professional soccer, the team sponsor’s name goes on the front of the jerseys, not the team name. This explained why so many girls were wearing green shirts with Herbalife on the front and Beckham on the back.
Another lesson: red flags are more exciting than yellow flags! Fans got excited when a yellow flag was pulled against the other team because this meant that we got to have a penalty kick. Yellow flags occurred occasionally throughout the game. When a red flag got pulled though, the crowd went into an uproar. What makes red flags more exciting? A red flag means that the player actually gets kicked out and cannot be replaced for the remainder of the game. This means that the other team is down one player for whatever time is left. You also get to sing the “na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, hey, hey, good-byeee” song.
90 minutes: A regular professional soccer game is 90 minutes with two forty-five minute halves. The clock does not refresh during halftime. Know this fact so you don’t have to keeping asking how much time is left for play in the game.
There are definitely a lot rules and regulations to learn to fully understand what is going on when watching soccer, but it can still be fun just knowing that the ball is supposed to go in the net to score a goooooaaaaal.
Action on the field
I always thought goalies had the most boring position and would just wait around most of the game
But they have to be on top of the game the entire time- no zoning out or daydreaming allowed
A packed stadium with high-energy fans
Home of the Galaxy
Final score: LA Galaxy 2, San Jose 0
its cards...not flags...yellow card...red card...cards
ReplyDelete