JJ Says: Times change: I choose soccer over football

<p>I did something last Friday night I wouldn't have dreamed of doing three years ago.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>I chose to go to a girls soccer match rather than attend a football game. Admittedly, it was one of the biggest girls soccer matches of the regular season, and it wasn't a real football game, but a scrimmage.</p><p>Still, I made a conscious choice to watch soccer instead of football. It was a good decision. I always have a great time at Petaluma High's four-way football scrimmage. It is very close to a real game, with very real hitting and it is a first chance to get a good look at the players I will be following closely all year.</p><p>By all accounts, the football scrimmage was very good, but the soccer match was great. Montgomery and Casa Grande, perhaps the two best programs and teams in Redwood Empire soccer, played to a 2-2 tie in double overtime. </p><p>Casa Grande pulled a tie out of the jaws of defeat on an almost last-second goal by Cierra Iribarne.</p><p>Thank goodness, it didn't go to penalty kicks. There are two things I find unfathomable about soccer. One is how a game can be decided by penalty kicks. Kids play their hearts out for four periods (two regulation and two overtime), and then the match is essentially decided by two players — the opposing goalies. It is like playing two extra innings in a baseball game and, if it is still tied, deciding the outcome with a home run-hitting contest.</p><p>The other thing I can't understand is why players, coaches and fans can't know how much time is left. Even when a clock is used, it stops at two minutes to go, and the exact end of the game is a closely guarded secret known only to the officials. It certainly adds mystery to the game, but it detracts from the excitement. </p><p>Can you imagine a football team lining up to kick what everyone thinks will be a game-winning field goal only to find out there are still two minutes to play or that they had only 1.5 seconds to line up and no one bothered to tell them?</p><p>These are not so much flaws as irritations to someone who is still learning the game.</p><p>One thing I have learned is how to appreciate the ebb and flow of the game. Like so many sports fans who grew up on the basics — baseball, football and basketball — I was initially put off by the lack of scoring in soccer.</p><p>No more.</p><p>There is more action in one surge down field in soccer than there are in most entire baseball games. You don't need a goal to appreciate the continuity of the game. It is fun to watch.</p><p>I've said it before, and I'll doubtless say it again. The soccer game, especially the high school game, needs to be promoted more. Games should be big-time productions just like football and basketball, with a scoreboard, announcers and, most of all, programs. </p><p>Unless you're a parent or closely involved with the team, it is impossible to tell who is who, although standout players quickly become obvious.</p><p>The success of the Casa Grande and Petaluma girls teams in recent seasons has helped renew interest in high school soccer, but thr game still deserves more attention. Soccer is fun to watch. I've come a long way, but you will still find me on the football sidelines on Friday nights — unless the Casa Grande girls are playing Montgomery.</p><p>Casa dedication</p><p>The Casa Grande girls are dedicating their season to “Yato.”</p><p>“Yato” is coach Chris Carniato, who assisted Vinnie Cortezzo for two seasons before spending last year coaching at USF. He was due to come back to help at Casa this season, but died this summer of a heart attack. He was 49, and is greatly missed by the Lady Gauchos, who will wear black wristbands in his memory.</p><p>(Contact John Jackson at acsports@arguscourier.com)</p>