Watching the World Cup….

Item 1: Have you heard that they are going to alter the dreaded offsides rule?

The way the rule is stated now, there must be two defenders (one is usually the goalie) between the offensive player receiving a pass and the goal.

If the potential recipient of the pass and the last defender in front of the goalie are exactly parallel to each other when the pass is made, offsides is called and the defending team is awarded an indirect free kick.

Beginning at the end of this month, if the potential recipient of the pass and the last defender are exactly parallel, it will not

be offsides and play will continue.

“I think the rule change will be exciting,” said University of Maine Coach Jim Dyer. “There will be the potential for more offense, more goals. The American public will like that.”

Dyer pointed out that the current World Cup in Italy may go down as one of the lowest scoring, if not the lowest scoring, in the 60-year history of the World Cup.

Dyer said the lowest-scoring World Cup had occurred in Mexico in 1986 where an average of just 2.58 goals per game were scored.

According to a magazine report, midway through the current World Cup, the average was just 2.27 goals per game.

For those of you who watched the semifinal between Argentina and Italy, there were well over 20 offsides calls.

I have always favored an alteration in the offsides rule in order to generate more goals.

Now, if FIFA, the governing body in world soccer, would only stress to the referees and linesmen that if there is a very close call involving a potential offsides, they give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team, maybe the 1-0 games will turn into 3-2 games which would be much more exciting.

Item 2: For those of you who have been wondering, as I have, if a yellow card can be handed out to some of these Louganisian (as in U.S. Olympic diver Greg Louganis) soccer players, the answer is yes.

A referee can give a card to a player who takes a dive in order to earn a foul call.

That has been one of the negative aspects of the World Cup for me.

Granted, I’m used to seeing the occasional Academy Award swan dive in hockey, but soccer is ridiculous.

The referees usually wave play on if they feel a player is taking a dive.

If they would occasionally give a yellow card to some of these repeat divers, maybe they could reduce this type of tactic.

It’s bush league and takes away from a wonderful sport.

To go along with the diving, have you ever seen so many players who lay on the ground for minutes after being fouled?

Either soccer players have the lowest pain tolerance in the history of athletics or they are all frustrated actors.

It hurts like the devil to get kicked in the shins or the back of the calves. But why can’t these guys slowly get up and walk off the pain?

Hockey players lose teeth, take dozens of stitches, and never miss a shift.

Item 3: What should the next avenue be for the Americans as they prepare to host the 1994 World Cup?

“We’ve got to get our players in the proper environment (in order to develop),” said Dyer. “We’ve got to get as many as we can to play abroad (in some of the top leagues in the world).”

Striker Peter Vermes and midfielder Paul Caliguri are among only a handful of Americans who have played professional soccer in Europe.

Dyer said he feels the exposure the Americans received by playing in the World Cup will open some doors for the Americans in the European leagues.

“Those big clubs are always looking for good players,” said Dyer.

He would like to see a top-quality outdoor soccer league in North America, but doesn’t think it would be as competitive as the European leagues and, subsequently, it wouldn’t be as beneficial for the Americans.

“I would also like to see our ’94 World Cup team play as many difficult matches as we can before the Cup,” added Dyer.

Since they will be the host team, the Americans will automatically be included in the 24-team field for the ’94 World Cup. They will not have to qualify like they did this year.