Some people find watching soccer boring at times since it naturally is a low-scoring sport. However, depending on what you focus on during a game, you may find the game a lot more entertaining. Here are three different ways to watch soccer that can enhance your viewing experience and appreciation for the sport.

The average viewer just "watches" the game and focuses on exciting attacking plays, the moment a goal is scored, or when a player beats a defender 1v1—essentially, all the plays that make it onto the post-game highlight reel. But there is so much more to the game that goes underappreciated because we just aren't informed about what to focus on when watching a game and why.

The majority of highlights focus solely on attacking plays—goals, shots on target, cool trick plays, 1v1 moments, etc. However, that is such a small part of the overarching game. So what else can we focus on and find entertainment in besides goals and goal-scoring opportunities?

One of the easiest shifts in perspective is to learn to focus on what's going on off the ball. As novice viewers, we are prone to focusing only on where the ball is and the player with the ball. While the main objective is to score, there is a constant battle off the ball between attack and defense. Attackers are probing and moving off the ball to find space, make space, exploit space, and move as a unit to get the ball closer to the opponent's goal. Meanwhile, the defense is blocking out space, marking players without the ball, and constantly shifting to prevent attackers from scoring and to set themselves up to regain possession and attack themselves. So instead of only focusing on what's happening directly on the ball, zoom out and watch players when they don't physically have the ball at their feet, both in attack and defense.

Tip: Don't get caught ball watching.

Another fun way to watch soccer is to choose one player to follow throughout the entire game. This focal point allows the viewer to understand the game from the perspective of one player. Focus on the player's movement, what they do when they have the ball at their feet, what they do when they don't, the spaces they take up, and where they position themselves in attack and defense. Observe when the player seems comfortable and confident and when they don't. Identify the player's strengths and weaknesses.

Pep Guardiola, one of the most successful managers in football history, once said of Sergio Busquets, who is regarded as one of the best midfielders of this generation, "If you watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. But if you watch Busquets, you see the whole game." Sometimes a player will rarely have the ball at their feet, but even then, you will see that they can be just as involved or vital to a team's overall performance without being on the ball.

The last way to watch soccer differently is to focus on the team as a whole, seeing it as one organism. Instead of viewing players separately, try to watch the entire team organized and operating as a single unit. How does the organism move in attack and in defense? How does the opposing team respond to this movement?

Watching soccer this way reveals the intricacies of team dynamics, strategies, and the flow of the game. It helps you appreciate the tactical battles between teams and the collective effort required to execute game plans.

Many people lose interest in watching soccer for the full 90 minutes because they haven't been informed about the different ways to watch the game. They only know to watch goals and flashy plays. However, there's so much more depth to the sport than what makes it onto the highlight reel.

The next time you watch a soccer game, try watching it through these different lenses: focus on off-the-ball movement, follow one player, and observe the team as one organism. This way, you may find a soccer game more enjoyable to watch, even if it ends up being low-scoring.