Should the size of the soccer field be reduced?

That's the question we asked in this week's “Sez You”.

A smaller field may produce higher scores and increase the game's popularity in the United States.

The Majority of us here at your Lee Central Coast Newspapers Sports Department said to leave the game alone.

Dan Watson likes the smaller field but the rest of us - Kenny Cress, Brad Memberto, Mike McKean and me - all said to leave the size of the field alone.

And what do you think?

We received several excellent responses from local soccer fans.

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As promised, here's what our readers have to say on the subject - it's your turn so we call this segment “Sez You.”

Sez Bob Frias:

“A smaller field with fewer players has been done in various forms (indoor, arena, beach, futsal) and the results are a little like Major Leaguers playing whiffle ball: Fun for the players but a little goofy to watch. Eliminating offsides, as Brad suggests (I'm assuming that he was serious!), would also eliminate counter-attacks, offside traps and other tactics.

If one's idea of improving soccer is to create more scoring, just double the size of the goal, or better yet, get rid of that pesky goalie altogether! If you equate a good game with a high score, I suppose Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan pitched a lot of stinker games.

There is much wrong with the high school game, but field size is not one of them. To best appreciate soccer, don't watch high school, nor even Major League Soccer WITH Beckham. Tune in to the Fox Soccer Channel and watch a team like Manchester United of the English Premier League. Players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo will amaze you.

If you didn't invent it, leave it alone!”

Sez Joe Hope:

“The size of the soccer field is not the cause of low scoring soccer games.

Unfortunately the “Laws of the Game” are interpreted and applied in a way that gives the defensive side of the game a dominating role in the outcome (low scores) of the game.

I am a USSF referee and have refereed soccer since 1966.

The United States is the only country in the world where there is a concern or dislike for the low scores in soccer games.

This is understandable because of the US sports culture conditions fans to enjoy sports with high scores.

I personally would like to see some of the soccer “Laws of the Game” changed to diminish the defensive dominance and promote the attacking, offensive (goal scoring) side .

Here are some suggestions which if implemented will increase goal scoring in soccer.

1) The Offside Rule should be dropped or only enforced from the edge of the penalty box to the goal line.

2) Passing the ball to your goalkeeper's hands with any part of your body should not be allowed.

3) It should be a Direct Free Kick, from the point of the infraction, when a defensive player neutralizes an attacking play by kicking the ball out of bounds.

4) Corner kicks should only be awarded when the ball deflects off a defender and goes over the defender's goal line but not in the goal.

Games on the whole are played for the entertainment of the soccer fan.

The most entertaining part of soccer is when goals are scored by talented creative attacking players.

Too often attacking creative soccer is neutralized by low skilled defensive players booting the ball out of bounds.

I believe my suggestions would increase goal scoring and greatly improve the soccer fan's entertainment.”

Sez L. Berber:

“As a former soccer player of 25 years, I don't think the size of the field should be made smaller.

There are 22 players on the field at once. Look how often they run into each other already.

Reducing the size of the field AND the number of players would not be acceptable either. The various configurations of offensive and defensive schemes need the full 11.

Eliminating the offsides rule - NO WAY! The offsides rule is what keeps the game flowing. Without the offsides rule, there would basically be two sets of players at each end of the field - the defense, and the offense who would be cherry-picking in front of the opposing goal. It would become a kickball game with each team trying to bomb the ball to their cherry-pickers rather than trying to work the ball down the field with a series of passes.

So I have shot down all of your ideas but would like to propose one of my own. With so few goals scored in any given game, the person who knows nothing about soccer would reason that it must be difficult to get the ball into the goal. So why not make the goal itself larger? Not impossibly larger, maybe three feet higher and six feet wider. This obviously would not be popular with goalkeepers or the purist soccer fan, but it could provide for a much more interesting game. More shots would occur from longer distances, and have a greater chance of going in, rather than having to get so close to the goal. Corner kicks and indirect free kicks would maintain the up close shots. This could produce a higher scoring game with the same power and finesse needed to score.”

April 09, 2008