Soccer question on players rotating

[markstanco 12570]

I was curious on something with you soccer gurus, I know nothing about soccer except I am a bandwagon fan in the women’s World Cup and do enjoy it.

 

What if soccer changed the rules similar to hockey to where you can sub in/out while in play live? Would that raise scoring 2x? 3x? Not at all?

 

No I don’t want it to change nor will it. I was just genuinely curious on how it would affect the game and scoring.

[HornOnTheBayou 8904]

I'm not a soccer expert at all, but my back of the envelope math says it would decrease scoring. Aren't there more goals in the second half of games since the defenses are tired? That's the case in football and basketball. If defenders get to rest in the middle of the game, I would imagine they would be fresher at the end of the games and that would mean less scoring.

[Braff Zacklin 13552]

It would ruin the game, imo.

One of the appeals of soccer is that substitutions are restricted and permanent. That prohibits mass monsters because most players have to go the full 90, plus stoppages, instead of a handful of possessions or plays. That's why field players in excess of 200 pounds are rare and usually limited to strikers and central defenders. This translates to "normal" athletes being able to play at a relatively high level if they've got the skill.

[Jerry Callo 8694]

Not sure that it would have any effect on scoring.

My daughter plays indoor soccer and there are live substitutions.  The indoor game doesn't stop like the regular game and even the best players have to take a breather for that reason.

[ztejas 43411]

Yeah I imagine it would decrease scoring. Playmakers and forwards sometimes need time to settle in and feel out the game before creating their best chances. And like @HornOnTheBayou said it takes time to tire out and break down a good defense. 

It would be hugely beneficial for playing defense as you could play your full backs and cbs in shifts and they wouldn't worry as much about overexerting or having to pace themselves.

[Pato del Muerto 52484]

Yeah indoor soccer has those sub rules, because like hockey the walls prevent most out of bounds and the playing field is so small that everyone is engaged.  It’s basically a different sport. 
 

go sidekicks. 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10226]

I think would just change the game, maybe slightly less goals as defense has the edge when all rested., just different game. Yes you can swap defenders more often, but you can also swap attack too. Speed would be more valuable than endurance.

[Ted Lange 16082]

It would also depend on how players are swapped in and out.   Do they have to tag in at midfield like a wrestling tag-team match?   If so, I doubt it affects anything more than having fresher legs.

Now if you could just run on anywhere, well that could get interesting.   RB steps off the pitch and an attacker jumps in at the point of attack for a break.   3 v 2 turns into 4 v 2.

 

 

[Firemans4Horn 18034]

The best clubs with the most money would just put in 10 new players with 30-40 minutes left and beat down clubs with less depth. 

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

Subbing 7-footers in for corner kicks would be kind of awesome though. 

[Foosters 17820]

what if you gave them all skates and played it on ice? 

[Pato del Muerto 52484]

5 hours ago, Foosters said:

what if you gave them all skates and played it on ice? 

Roller skates?  That would be interesting. 

[Captain Ron 12862]

I think it would decrease scoring because the defense would be fresh a lot more frequently. 

I think you would also risk more injuries. Players might just rotate in for yellow card fouls and then rotate out once they have their card. Enough of that and the injuries might follow.

 

Cute thought experiment - but it's really hard to know how it goes given so many questions about implementation.