It's a good time to be a soccer fan. Champions League is down to the last 16 teams, league play is entering its final stretch, Europa League has been fun to this point, and we have two quality soccer games this season in PES 2015 and FIFA 15.

And while I like PES a lot, I'll be focusing on just FIFA 15 this week in a group of features that will focus on the attacking and defensive play in the game.

With that being said, today's feature is all about looking at some of the most common scoring chances I've come across this year in FIFA 15 -- and the good, bad and ugly that come with them.
 

Before going any further, I need to make two points:

• I don't believe FIFA is trying to mimic real life soccer every step of the way (this isn't a bad thing).
• Soccer video games, unlike football/basketball/hockey/baseball games, do not and would not translate well to playing out in real-time unless the game drastically changed.

Now, when I say I don't think FIFA is trying to mimic real-life soccer, that's not a dig at the game because I don't think any sports video game is trying to mimic the real sport one to one. And of course this is all purely speculation, but I feel like the folks who create FIFA want people to experience all the amazing and crazy "highlight reel" moments of a 90-minute game in the span of 12 minutes. To get that type of experience, it means there's a rather wide open midfield, a ton of counters, hard tackles, fast-paced action and a focus on living in the final third on either end of the pitch.

As for the second point, soccer video games continue to be unique because there's really no way to play a "true" 90-minute game, nor is there really a large market of people asking for it to exist. The time commitment is too tall a hurdle to overcome, and the stats that would crop up based on the way the games play out would probably lead to 10-9 final scores more than "realistic" stats. Baseball games don't have this same issue. Basketball games don't have this same issue. Hockey and football video games can sort of have this issue at times, but it's still not comparable to pursuing "realistic" stats in a soccer game.

In addition, it's also important to point out my own personal biases and feelings. I have to be upfront and say I think a good build up or imaginative cross is far more interesting than a boomed long ball or quick counter. Both have their place -- and both are an integral part of soccer -- but I just generally appreciate a slow burn or creative pass more than raw individual speed or a shocking turn of events.

To explain my bias in GIF form:

I love this...



More than this...



So now that I've cleared that up, let's talk about scoring chances in FIFA 15.
 

Take note, I'm not here to analyze every type of scoring chance you'll find in FIFA 15, rather I'm just showing off some of the ones that have really stood out to me this season.

Short-Side Goals



I think it's a bummer near-post goals are as prevalent as they are in FIFA 15. There's a fine line between making goalies too good and making them too terrible. It gets doubly hard once you consider individual goalie ratings, but short-side goals are the most inexcusable type of goal to give up to me. If there's one thing a goalkeeper should probably try to do it's make it hard on the attacking player by forcing him to aim for the back post.

FIFA is already a game of pick your poison, especially when playing online, because you have to give up certain opportunities to try and prevent others. In other words, if you're trying to wall off crosses and passes into the middle of the box while guiding attacking players to the end line, it can still lead to near-post goals you're helpless to defend unless you overcompensate by being overly aggressive.

Goalies have improved in FIFA 15, but this is one area where they could still get another boost.

Low Crosses And Passes From The End-Line Area

Low crosses and passes that emerge from the end-line area go hand in hand with the short-side goals talked about above. I would even go as far to say that the end-line extended area that encompasses the edge of the box on either side is the most "money" area in the game this year. It's hard to keep people out of this area, and you'll also see plenty of fake-shot cutbacks to the middle of the box if the short-side shot or low cross is not available.

Here is an example of a low cross from this area of the pitch...



Here is an example of a pass from this area of the pitch...



In a vacuum, these are pretty goals. On top of that, I love seeing these goals far more than the short-side goals. However, it does feel like the low cross can be exploited to a degree. Marking has never been the strongest aspect of the AI in FIFA, and so sometimes it can feel like it doesn't really matter if it's Vincent Kompany or an average BPL defender marking along the back line.

In addition, the prices you see on the Ultimate Team marketplace prove out to a degree that users still don't have a very strong belief that elite creators are worth investing in unless they have other physical qualities to go along with elite-level passing. To me, that's a shame because there should be a premium on all high-level skills in a soccer game. Plus, it also shows to a degree that there's a feeling that any skill player can make these sorts of pinpoint passes in the final third.

Raw Speed



This is nothing new for FIFA. Lots of FIFA players out there even have nasty names for people they think are just out to exploit the advantage speed has in the game. I don't think it's fair to hate on people for using all-speed squads, but it can't be denied that the Ibarbos of the virtual footie world are generally preferred over the Huntelaars of the world in FIFA 15. The same isn't necessarily true in real life.

Be that as it may, speed has always and probably always will dominate in every sports video game out there. Still, perhaps more can still be done to balance things out in FIFA in a couple ways:

• Dial back the effectiveness of quickly pressing and releasing L2 (PS4) and then quickly tapping R2 to change directions and initiate a quick speed burst.
• Perhaps take a look at better separating a player's pace with the ball and without the ball -- maybe factoring in dribbling in a bigger way for example.

Again, speed is always going to play a role in this game, and it should. Pace puts immense pressure on defenses, and you can watch any game of soccer and immediately appreciate that fact (NSFW if you're a Bayern Munich fan). Nevertheless, there will always be a need to be vigilant about trying to make users use speed in a skillful fashion rather than just a quick and easy fashion.

Lofted Through Balls



This is another sore subject, but lofted through balls go hand in hand with killer speed so I have to talk about them at this point.

Make no mistake about it, lofted through balls are the cross-crease goals of NHL; they're the Four Verticals of Madden. Many folks use lofted through balls a lot and swear by them, and other people think they're complete cheese and boring to watch all game.

I am one of those people that gets tired of watching users go to this tactic nonstop to try and create chances. However, it's sort of been ingrained in the psyche of FIFA players that this is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get high-quality chances and goals.

Lofted through balls are a very real part of soccer, especially on the counter, but I would like to see a couple things taken into more consideration:

• Dial back the effectiveness of flick-ons when the pass is completed. Right now it can allow the attacking player to get even more steps on defenders.
• Continue to make the elite-level passers the ones who best make this pass, especially in the final third when they need to be much more precise.
• Make all lofted through balls in the attacking half unassisted (this is extreme and I don't think the developers would do it, but it would be an interesting experiment to me).

At the end of the day, people like lofted through balls because they work. On another level, when most users have been defending in their own final third, they're usually going to think about the quickest way to go and try and score a goal once they get the ball back. And if they're not going to try and build up going the other direction, the quickest and simplest way to try and go on attack is do a lifted through ball up to the attacker(s). On top of that, sometimes it's their best chance at getting a goal when they're outclassed.

Again, lofted through balls are a real and very tangible part of soccer, so again it's something I always hope is just balanced correctly rather than removed from the game.

Skill Moves



Lastly, here we have the catch-all for individual skill moves. They're fun to see, and they create singular moments of brilliance that can come to define why we love to watch and play soccer.

From a personal taste perspective, it's hard not to appreciate somebody who has mastered a ton of skill moves. It's also hard not to appreciate those who have only mastered a couple skill moves but know when to use them.

It's much harder to appreciate somebody who just does fake shots nonstop in order to quickly change directions in an effort to try and exploit AI defenders.

Fake shots have a purpose outside the final third, but really in that context it's more to cancel an action when you're receiving the ball. I'm not sure I want to go as far as saying you shouldn't be allowed to do fake shots until you're near the box, but since the move is so simple to do and allows users to make cuts that defenders generally struggle to keep up with, it does lead to some questions of game balance.
 

So that's all for me today. I'll wrap this by asking three questions:

1. What do you think are the most frustrating scoring chances to give up?
2. What is your go-to strategy for getting goals?
3. What scoring opportunities would you like to see more of in the game?

And be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll be looking at the defensive side of the ball next, specifically examining the jostling mechanic.

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