
<p>The most dubious scoreline in soccer, at least when it comes to pleasing traditional American sports fans, is the 0-0 draw.</p>



<p>No goals must mean no action, right? It must be a boring game, yes? </p>



<p>It’s no wonder Americans haven’t fully adopted a sport where it’s possible for nobody to score, and nobody to win.</p>



<p>These are familiar talking points from the soccer-dismissive sports fan and pundit. Every four years when the entire planet fixates on the World Cup, they are often amplified. And I myself could have been caught echoing those sentiments many moons ago, before I fell in love with the sport of soccer (which would quickly become my favorite, and go on to change my life – but that’s another story).</p>



<p>So I – a full-blooded, born-and-raised American sports fan – am here to tell you how and why you can absolutely still love a 0-0 draw in soccer.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Open wide for some Soccer!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HV0UGXYwQh0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div><figcaption>It’s all here! Fast kickin’! Low scorin’! And ties? You bet!</figcaption></figure>



<h3>A culture accustomed to scoring</h3>



<p>We Americans tend to love high scoring action in our sports. A 32-35 NFL game or a 52-14 college football blowout. The Warriors edging out the Lakers 141-139. That kind of thing. </p>



<p>Soccer, by its nature, is a different animal. Soccer goals are only worth one point. American football offers high scores, but the number of actual *scoring plays* in a game is not so different. The most <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/scorigami-origins-and-how-it-works-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">common final score in NFL history is 20-17</a>. If you divide those scores by the number of points a touchdown is worth (let’s assume they make the extra point), it works out to 2.8-2.4. Not so different from soccer, is it? </p>



<p>Funnily enough, the NFL is the only American pro sport where a 0-0 tie is a possible result (since the NHL got rid of ties in the mid-2000s). But that hasn’t actually happened since 1943. Baseball might seem to be a slightly higher-scoring game, but in 2022 the average runs scored per game ranged from about 3.5, for the worst teams, to just over 5 for the best. </p>



<p>Soccer is a sport that pretty much demands you pay attention to it the entire time. A game is 90 minutes long. </p>



<p>It can easily be a blink-and-you-miss-it proposition. </p>



<p>There are no commercial interruptions, no breaks between each pitch, nothing like that. There really aren’t many opportunities to ignore and tune out what you might think is a “boring” game. So much of the joy in “the beautiful game” comes from, and is built-up, in between the goals.</p>



<h3>Many things to love</h3>



<p>While a single basket in an NBA game is routine, and a touchdown or home run is expected, a goal in soccer is not a given. The near-misses, corners and free kicks, shots hitting the woodwork – they all contribute to the experience. A brilliant play featuring seven passes that link-up to create a scoring chance – but doesn’t deliver one – can be more satisfying than a run of the mill touchdown in the NFL.</p>



<p>The escalating tension, atmosphere, anxiety, nervousness – these are the things that can make a low-scoring soccer game an experience unlike any other. Envision the drama of a last minute game winning field goal, or a buzzer beating 3-pointer. Now extend that nail-biting, butterflies-in-your-gut feeling over an entire game. That’s what a 0-0 soccer game can be like.<br><br>That feeling is why even a crummy goal, one that pinballs around the box before going in off the goalkeeper’s backside, can be just as thrilling as a perfectly hit golazo from 35 yards out. Just one moment of brilliance – or luck – can result in a release of excitement and passion that is unrivaled in the sports world.</p>



<h2>Nil-nil</h2>



<p>But sometimes, that release never comes for either side. Sometimes, nobody really deserves to win a match. By the same token, oftentimes nobody really deserves to lose. So a draw and sharing of the points is usually a fair result. And that doesn’t necessarily mean that that particular game wasn’t exciting.</p>



<p>A 0-0 draw, in let’s say a World Cup group stage match where you need just one point in the standings to advance (such as World Cup 2022’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/lukaku-dismayed-as-belgium-crash-out-of-world-cup-20221201-WST-410738.html">Croatia-Belgium</a> game), can be just as satisfying as a 5-0 victory. Even in a mundane early season league match, not conceding a goal and escaping with a draw can mean the difference between glory and failure later on in the season when the table is added up.</p>



<p>A scoreless draw can make it easier to appreciate the nuances of the game. Terrific saves and defensive plays, displays of dribbling and passing skill, mere inches deciding the fate of a match. It can amplify bad (or good) officiating. </p>



<p>A 0-0 result may seem like the worst of the game on the surface. But it can very easily deliver the best soccer has to offer. Are there 0-0 snooze-fests occasionally? Of course. But more often than not, these matches are full of intrigue and drama. Rather than being a negative aspect of the sport, the low scoring or scoreless game is one of the things that give soccer it’s unique flavor. </p>


An American sports fan's guide to how you can still be greatly entertained and love a 0-0 draw in the sport of soccer.

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Why you can love a 0-0 draw