Soccer makes me crazy

[MD Longhorn]

First ... the clock. WTH is with the clock going up? Instead of stoppage time, why not actually STOP the clock? Why does the end of the game or half HAVE to remain a mystery? Most of the most exciting moments in football or basketball come from KNOWING when the end is - the excitement building to that point, hoping your team can get the job done before it runs out. And why does "stoppage time" aka "the referee's guess" always get rounded to the nearest minute?

Put a freaking real clock on the game - stop it on injuries. (Heck, a vastly superior solution would be shortening the halves a bit, and stopping it when play is stopped - a goal, corner kick, goal kick, throw in, prior to a free kick, etc... it's ASININE that players can waste time by simply NOT playing after these situations)

Second, HTH can you expect ONE referee, and 2-4 junior level helpers that aren't even allowed on the field, to officiate a game that's played on a MUCH larger surface than football and features constantly changing location of play - when it takes SEVEN to do football - and several of those on the field. Create positions, responsibilities, and put several people on the field - PLUS a goal official on both sides.

Third, WTH is this "we don't even have to tell you what the foul was" nonsense. Screw-ups are inevitable - happens in every sport at every level --- but at least the referees have to tell you what you're being penalized for.

Lastly - I'm not yet in the "instant replay" crowd for soccer - especially if they fix the not-enough-referees situation... but there should DEFINITELY be an after-game review of every card handed out. How many yellow cards have we seen so far that were either minimal contact, legal contact, or in some cases no contact at all?

This great big stage they are on has done nothing for me but highlight the reasons I wasn't watching in the first place!