(This article is a replay of a longer Twitter thread in German).
This short clip shows … yes, what? Training scenes? Not at all. It’s about determining a winner after a draw.
Small thread on this and other decision variations. I like touchdown/rouge the best.
How MLS penalties were taken in the 90s…. pic.twitter.com/Pnzuf0E3eI
– 90s Football (@90sfootball) September 22, 2021
35-yard shootout in 5 seconds
„On 27/06/1970, 25 men met […] [in] Inverness. The decision they made that day terrified millions […] of people.“
So attention-grabbing began a thread about the introduction of the penalty shootout in 1970. And the type of game in the clip is also a penalty shootout (KFPM). This variant was introduced in the North American Soccer League in 1977 and continued until its end in 1982. The newly founded Major League Soccer (MLS) adopted the variant until 1999.
And how did it work?
A player stood 35 yards (32 metres) in front of the opponent’s goal and had to get the ball into the goal within five seconds. Another difficulty: goalkeepers were allowed to go towards the ball.
There are several components that are astonishing.
1) The extension of the distance and the limitation to a certain period of time. This decision game variation served less to stop time play than to entertain the spectators*. Under time pressure, more surprising turns happen.
2) The repeated touching of the ball by the player („self-pass“). In tests in recent years, it was always tested at free kicks and kick-ins (instead of throw-ins).
Read more here:
Ich hab zwei Links zu Aufnahmen vergessen, die insbesondere den Selfpass und den Dribble-In zeigen:
1) https://t.co/wIVIjyagNn
2) https://t.co/G5idufJjVm— Petra (@ClioMZ) July 12, 2019
3) Goalkeepers* who can shorten the run-up distance. This is nothing new, but was also true for penalty kicks until 1902.
Both penalty area line and goal area line were only distance markers in 1891 to 1902
The penalty area line (18 yd) held back all the uninvolved players. The goal-area line or semicircle (6 yd) indicated the distance to which goalkeepers were allowed to approach. This link helps those who would like to have it visualised or know more (but it is in German).
Also, by the way, in the beginning there was a penalty line, not a point. Since 1902, however, almost nothing has changed about the field marking.
Back to the penalty shootout and other variants
Most of you know how games were decided before 1970: With the coin toss. Or Golden Goal (FIFA, 1994-2004), Silver Goal (UEFA, 2002-2004) and Away Goal Rule (UEFA, 1965-2021). Before that, there was touchdown/rouge.
However, this was in England in the late 19th century in different rules and only for a short time. More on what the principle was in a moment. The number of touchdowns/rouges was only decisive in the event of a draw.
The principle, described in simplified terms: There were additional flags at the side of the goal. If the ball went out of bounds between them, the deciding factor was who touched the ball first. More details are described here.
Which game-determining variation do you like best?