Except that this would make a qualitative change to the game. This would be a version of that most hated of results - the shootout. People who truly understan

Except that this would make a qualitative change to the game. This would be a version of that most hated of results - the shootout. People who truly understand the game (I am not in that subset) speak in terms of flow and touches and the setup. The qualities which makes a Dutch or Brasilian or German or etc style distinctive. True fans do not watch for scoring alone. People who watch American football do not do so for the scoring alone. High scoring games are often very sloppy and boring. The classic defensive-minded battles of the Giants or Bears are the games I remember from youth (or more recently Pittsburg or Baltimore). The well played American football game is fought at the unglamorous point of the two lines each trying to wear the other down. The tension builds and one side cracks - a defensive lapse, a fumble, botched pass - and the game turns on a few such plays. There are versions of American football that emphasize scoring - Arena league etc. There have been indoor soccer leagues that have rules for higher scoring. But these are different games. A good soccer game is a game of flow and of concentrated effort. Multiple failed attempts - small adjustments - perhaps a lapse or two and a goal. One of the interesting graphics I noted in the online coverage of this world cup (in the NYTimes I think) is a slider bar showing the preponderance of the ball location over time. Things like this can get the casual or new fan to begin to understand what there is about the game - there than scoring - which is mesmerizing.