Soccer experts, whats up with the unders?

[myboymagic]

Is this unusual for all these matches to be this low scoring? Is this going to change in the upcoming rounds? Is the ball impacting the scoring? Here is what i have for the results so far:

13 matches-
20 total goals or 1.54 goals per match
2 matches had 0 total goals
4 matches had 1 total goal
6 matches had 2 total goals
0 matches had 3 goals
1 match had 4 total goals

 

[cocktailsnlongshots+]

not at all...the more 'total futbol' squads like brazil, spain, germany, holland..will get u goals...but most don't want to crap out after game 1 of this tourney...keeping themselves alive til the 3rd game..where u will most likely see the most open games played...

 

[roundrobin11]

not at all...the more 'total futbol' squads like brazil, spain, germany, holland..will get u goals...but most don't want to crap out after game 1 of this tourney...keeping themselves alive til the 3rd game..where u will most likely see the most open games played...

exactly. its pretty simple. teams know that if you lose game 1 you significantly hurt your chances of going through. just get points in game 1 and keep your hope and chances alive and well

 

[mclosin]

i agree with what these guys are saying HOWEVER this is even lower scoring then usual, no way we should be at only 23 goals in 14 games. it will pick up, but its at quite a lower pace then italy was in 1990. its such an honor to make the event (even though most of the giants are regulars) but i do think they need to spruce the games up some.

 

[TheSaint]

and the fact that the mediocre teams are playing very, very defensively is making it hard to score, even for the 'superteams'

but the first round is always somewhat tricky, 2nd and 3rd is where the fireworks are at. really looking forward to a couple of matchups, especially Brazil - IC

 

[canabiz]

Not an expert but I will offer my opinions

1. New ball that is quite light and hard to control

2. Colder weather = passing game not as crisp

3. Higher altitude = players tiring earlier

4. First game in each group = feelers and working out the kinks

I think the 2nd games will pick up and we may see opportunities for the overs.

 

[Martinga]

I don't think it has anything to do with that.

In my opinion, over the years teams have become more and more even. Its not like 20 years ago where you had your 4 clear candidates and the rest were just extra teams.... now you play a World Cup and you have excellent teams like Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany..... revelations like Ivory Coast, Chile, Paraguay, Ghana, etc. Therefore games are just getting harder because the level is getting more and more even.....
First round is more often than not the most important one. Why? because this sets a team not only up a table (a first game win means that you can potentially get through the group with a tie on either of the two games you have left) but it also sets a team MENTALLY. A loss on the first game brings really brings a team down, because they realize they must win one or both next games.
Therefore we see many great teams playing more conservative. As an example, if you watched the game between Argentina and Nigeria, you could see how a much better team, in this case Argentina, decided to just hold on to the ball once they got that goal. The first 10 minutes of the game were quick and you could see Argentina pushing hard. After the header (which turned into a goal), you could see the pace of the game slow down A LOT. Argentina wasn't really trying anymore, and the ball would constantly end up back in Argentina's side with the defenders just passing it between them.
Its a strange strategy imo, because one goal from the opposite team could make things different....
Once again, expect to see teams on the second round score more goals.
Teams that need the win will push forward and therefore will either score more goals, or leave the defense wide open for counters...

 

[born2gamble]

I don't think it has anything to do with that.

In my opinion, over the years teams have become more and more even. Its not like 20 years ago where you had your 4 clear candidates and the rest were just extra teams....

Agree, just like the NCAA College basketball tournament.