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Andy Tulin (Subscribe to The Post Presence version)

Offside in soccer, like having a maximum of 5 eligible receivers on offense in American football, is genuinely a good and load-bearing rule, despite being infuriating as a fan. Both games would be entirely different and worse off without them.

Denny Carter@dennycarter.bsky.social

I'm sure there are a dozen valid reasons pro soccer could not function if players were allowed to have one toenail offsides. I don't think I'll ever really understand those reasons.

4/7/26, 2:57 am5 reposts79 likes

Andy Tulin (Subscribe to The Post Presence version)

@andytulin.net

4 July

They serve a fairly similar function, too, when you really boil them down, which is “making it plausible to play defense.”

Andy Tulin (Subscribe to The Post Presence version)

@andytulin.net

4 July

Btw ineligible receivers should be allowed to go wherever they want. I HATE the ineligible receiver downfield penalty. The point of having ineligible receivers is to allow the defense to identify who it has to cover. Should be on them to know to ignore the left guard who releases downfield.