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AI's Impact on Soccer

VAR, What it does to affect soccer

Real life examples

Semi-auto VAR vs normal VAR

Pros v. Cons

Player Scouting

My Opinion

Team Scouting

Offsides

What is Offsides?

A player is offside if they are in the attacking half and closer to the opposing team's goal-line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

Player scouting

In the MLS, LA Galaxy employs AI for detailed performance tracking, helping reduce injury risks and optimize fitness. Additionally, AI significantly impacts recruitment, enabling clubs like Manchester United to identify global talent more efficiently. Using wearable tech, coaches and teams can gather detailed data on each player’s movement, speed, and stamina, allowing for personalized training plans and efficient tracking of in-game performance. This also helps with identifying players strengths and weaknesses.

In soccer, a player is offside if any part of their body is past the second to last player of the oppostion when the ball is played to them. This rule prevents players from "cherry picking" behind the other team for an easy opportunity to score. Offsides is one of the most frequently broken laws of soccer, and if called incorrectly, can often lead to major turning points in games.

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Semi-Automatic VAR

Semi-automatic VAR is a newer technology that uses Artificial Intelligence to make even faster and more accurate decisions than the manual VAR. This new VAR technology was implemented in the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and will be used in the Premiere League, largely considered the most competitive league in the world, in 2024.

VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is a group of referees located off site in a booth with a number of different screens displaying different camera angles. It is a technology that allows for plays to be reviewed in game. This 5th official can review plays and then advise the main official on what decisions to make, however, the final decision is always up to the center official.

Tactical Scouting

AI is changing soccer by enhancing tactical strategies The best clubs in the world like Liverpool and Barcelona utilize AI to analyze data, gaining insights into opponents' play styles and developing more effective tactics. In the MLS, LA Galaxy employs AI for detailed performance tracking. These AI tools can analyze film, use advanced analytics, read into statistics to form a scouting report on another team. The coaches can then present this information to their team to prepare for the upcoming match.

Players being smart vs Offsides trap

Mistake

Tottenham

Major offsides examples

Manchester City

Pros and Cons

• Pros

• Improved Decision-Making Accuracy
• Increased Fairness
• Reduction in Refereeing Errors
• Deterrent for Foul Play
• Enhanced Fan Experience
• Cons
• Interruptions and Game Flow
• Subjectivity Remains
• Focus on Marginal Decisions
• Fan Confusion
• Technology Dependency
• Inconsistency in Application
• Cost and Accessibility

My Opinion

I believe VAR is good for the sport of soccer. Spectators want correct calls being made, especially the important ones. If your favorite team were to lose a match because of a referee mistake you would feel frustrated. With VAR, the odds of that happening are much lower. VAR is relatively limited which is a positive as well. It allows for the head official to control 90% of the game, however, if he were to miss a call in one of the 4 categories it would be reviewed and corrected.