<p>Soccer was a fascinating part of the Olympics. The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics/swansons-solo-goal-propels-uswnt-to-olympic-gold-medal/">US women won the gold medal</a>, and the United States men’s team reached the quarterfinals. Internationally, field hockey captured audiences. That is pretty much what happened in Paris, as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s21BofkrsQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Netherlands triumphed</a> in the men’s edition and the women’s edition.</p>



<p>As always though, what was often more fascinating than just the results was the penalty shootouts. Towards the end of the competitions, India beat Great Britain in the quarter-finals and the Dutch men’s side beat the Germans in the final via penalties.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In a way, the shootouts add an incredible amount of tension to hockey games. The restriction of time, the allowance of keepers to come out of their lines and the smaller goals add a sense of drama to the situation that soccer perhaps doesn’t have. There is a lingering feeling in the mind of the watchers that the player attempting the penalty might just run out of time before he takes a shot. It adds to the uncertainty, testing players and their ability to operate at the highest level.</p>



<p>Penalty shootouts in soccer are different. It isn’t to say they are inferior. Yet, with the direction in which the game has gone, this might be the time to potentially consider some changes.</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="Shootout Thrill: India vs Great Britain | #FIHProLeague | #Hockey" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L1nWssPVUxo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<h2>Soccer’s becoming increasingly structured</h2>



<p>The quality of soccer on offer isn’t necessarily going down but there is a big amount of focus on structure, control, and organization. Advancement in data has made sure that everything can be measured and controlled in an attempt to make teams better-oiled machines.</p>



<p>The emphasis on control and organization has led to a diminished focus on instinctive footballers being their true selves. Managers like Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti are largely rare, as they form systems around the strengths of players instead of the other way around.</p>



<p>Raw skill and long-range shots are now increasingly less common, as attempting shots from close by gives a higher chance of scoring to teams. The entire system is devised to do just that.</p>



<p>Penalties themselves are studied acutely. Goalkeepers are generally aware of where the taker would place his spot-kick based on his previous data. The idea that they are simply a single kick and not an entire phase makes it easier to figure out the data, as there is a lesser amount of instinct involved.</p>



<h2>Stakeholders seeking more audiences?</h2>



<p>Not too long ago, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had been public about how soccer is losing out on younger audiences, who don’t watch full games anymore. They generally consume highlights of the key moments of the games and make judgments from those.</p>



<p>Their answers to the questions revolve more around what helps them earn more, adding more entertaining aspects to it can attract younger audiences more often.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240818_WST_522952_Hockey-penalties-1200x675_ba65d5b1.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-523084" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Hockey-penalties-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Hockey-penalties-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Hockey-penalties-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Hockey-penalties-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Hockey-penalties.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>Penalty shootouts like the ones in hockey are drastically more multi-dimensional. The addition of the clock adds higher tension to the situation. Hockey shootouts are a combination of many different facets. Players are time-bound, taking the ball forward, beating a charging keeper and then putting it into the net. There is considerably more to do in it, as compared to how things are in soccer.</p>



<p>As a result, there is also more uncertainty about those shootouts. In other words, there is a lesser chance of data-nailing stats for every player. That uncertainty would most definitely make the result random and difficult to predict.</p>



<h2>Soccer is no stranger to new ideas</h2>



<p>This is the sort of era in soccer where changes are being accepted more readily than before. Offside rules and handball regulations to the new Champions League format, newer ideas aren’t as looked down upon as they used to be many years ago.</p>



<p>The goal, in essence, is to make soccer attractive to newer audiences through which stakeholders earn more. A drastic change in how penalties are taken would raise eyebrows and considering how a similar penalty shootout method was used in the MLS in the 1990s, the American audience would most definitely be attentive to the modification.</p>



<p>It isn’t as if soccer has never derived inspiration from other sports. The VAR is quite similar to how the Decision Review System (DRS) is used in cricket. Many of Pep Guardiola’s ideas have been drawn from ice hockey and basketball. These have helped soccer evolve and move from being a traditional sport to a modern sport. That transition needed to happen eventually.</p>



<h2>Change to soccer penalty shootouts can satisfy all parties</h2>



<p>Those fans who believe that the game has become over-structured and that is removing individual art from soccer would definitely be appeased by a modification of the penalty shootouts.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The stakeholders, or those who run the game, would realize that the rule change would attract more audiences. Consequently, it could seek more success in the increasing Americanization of the sport. More audiences mean more money for them and that is what stakeholders generally want.</p>



<p>But the uncertainty these hockey-like shootouts would add is an exciting element. The regular fan would enjoy something like this with the randomness and the time aspect.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It would be an experiment for the game to incorporate but soccer has seen much worse. And perhaps, this idea won’t at all be the worst.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Soccer and penalty shootouts: How hockey offers a new template

Penalty shootouts in soccer are always the subject of controversy. Is there a way to revolutionize them in the modern game?

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<p>For years, the Copa America has ignored extra time, instead heading straight to penalties if games in the quarterfinals or semifinals are tied after 90 minutes. </p>



<p>On one hand, it is exciting. Ecuador’s late equalizer against Argentina on Thursday provided great drama. Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates had not conceded in their three group-stage games. Yet, Kevin Rodriguez made the game rife with parity with his stoppage-time header. At the same time, the game had a different feel. Avoiding the 30 minutes of play after the tied game took out what was likely to be drama.</p>



<p>Argentina advanced, which some will say would have happened in extra time anyway. That is by far a guarantee, though. Ecuador’s attempt to push for a game-tying goal for much of the second half yielded several great chances. A penalty miss from Enner Valencia should have tied the game. Then, Jordy Caicedo should have scored in the game’s dying minutes. The game was remarkably even in every meaningful statistic. It deserved 30 more minutes of that drama, not a penalty shootout where it comes down to goalkeepers. </p>



<p>Without extra time, the Copa America picks up another reason to feel amateurish. The pitch conditions, lack of atmosphere and ticket prices have made the Copa America pale in comparison to the Euros, for example. Jumping from action in regular time to penalties is a disjointed effort to provide more ‘action’ in the Copa America. In truth, it makes the game feel like a friendly, not a quarterfinals of an international competition.</p>



<p>For reference, friendly games often use penalties to decide a victor. Those games mean nothing, and the penalties are a way for fans to see some concluding excitement instead of the game fizzling out. Bringing that feeling to the Copa America, which wants to be on the same level as the European Championship, does no favors.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240706_WST_514801_Argentina-Ecuador-4-1200x675_d2a7c10f.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-514930" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Argentina-Ecuador-4-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Argentina-Ecuador-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Argentina-Ecuador-4-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Argentina-Ecuador-4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Argentina-Ecuador-4.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Copa America penalties take away the competitive side of the game</h2>



<p>Certainly, there were storylines to be had. Emiliano Martinez making two saves after Lionel Messi missed the opening attempt of the penalty shootout gets people talking about the Copa America. From a sporting perspective, though, penalties come down to luck. Emiliano Martinez may be able to control that luck better than any goalkeeper in the world, but there is parity. In the long run, penalties do not often demonstrate the team that is on top. </p>



<p>There are consequences for not using extra time that the Copa America suffers from. For example, it is easier for a team to hold on for 90 minutes than it is for 120. Part of what made <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-euro/does-wasteful-cristiano-ronaldo-hold-back-portugal-at-euros/">Slovevnia’s performance against Portugal</a> impressive was that it held out Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and the rest of a potent Portugal side was that it did so for two hours of game time. Ecuador had one shot on target before Kevin Rodriguez scored. Yet, the game came down to the unpredictable nature of the penalties. </p>



<p>There is already discourse about penalties being the best way to decide a tie in soccer. In fairness, there is no other alternative to penalties that do not risk injuries to exhausted players. Yet, bringing them about earlier than necessary is not a great look for Copa America.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>



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<h3>Copa América 2024</h3>
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Copa America penalties without extra time feels wrong

The Copa America ignores extra time, instead heading to penalties if games in the quarterfinals or semifinals are tied after 90 minutes.

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Soccer and penalty shootouts: How hockey offers a new template

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Copa America penalties without extra time feels wrong