The World Cup is using a new a ball which is making things difficult for goalies because they behave more like baseballs than traditional soccer balls. The new Adidas Teamgeist football has 14 panels instead of the traditional 26 or 32 which means fewer seams. The fewer seams affect the trajectory of the balls when they're not spinning and make for unpredictable movements which goalies are having trouble dealing with.
I guess my plan of making a four sided soccer ball isn't going to be well received either. Mostly because it's just a triangle, and kicking it pretty much guarantees the player breaks or punctures their foot. But isn't that what soccer is really about? Breaking your foot on the ball?
Source
