Women's vs. Men's Soccer: Is There a Difference?

Many people believe there is a big difference between women's and men' soccer. Typically, the men are way more aggressive when they play, and women tend to not be as aggressive on the field. It is not just the game of soccer that differs between them, but also social dynamics.

Women's Soccer: According to Wes Hart, a former MLS (Major League Soccer) player who is now Director of coaching at Colorado Rush Soccer Club says, "Girls typically need to like a player in order to accept her on the team. I've seen good players  not work out on teams, because she did not fit in socially." Women who are all connected off the field tend to connect better on the field. Josh Nishimoto a varsity boys and girls soccer coach does more off-field team-bonding with his girls team because it really makes a difference when they're on the field. " I personally believe they've won games because of the stuff we do outside of soccer together." Nishimoto says.

Men's Soccer: Boys typically don't care for a strong connection. Boys care more about ability and skill.  Boys are more likely to separate their personal relationships from their soccer performance (SoccerAmerica). Team-bonding for boys is different from girls. The boys do team-bonding on the field to gain connection and trust from one another. Boys typically dont need that strong personal connection with one another to play good. They usually all have one thing in common that makes them all connect on the field, wanting to win.

Question: Do you think there are more reasons to why women's and men's soccer could be different? Do you think they are more similar or different?

                                                                     USA vs. FRANCE (womens)

                                                                USA vs. COSTA RICA (mens)