 Soccer Terms
While the world's most popular sport, soccer is relatively unfamiliar to many
Americans. To help you enjoy the matches, the following are brief explanations
of some common soccer terms:
Advantage Rule: At the referee's discretion, an infraction
may not he called if it gives the offending team and advantage. For instance,
play might not be stopped if the referee thought calling a foul gave the
defending team an advantage by killing an attack.
Association Football: The traditional term for the game in
England to distinguish it from rugby football. This was abbreviated "assoc".
Over time, the prefix was dropped and in English custom, "er" added to the end
to form the word soccer.
Back Door: The area on the opposite side of the goal mouth
from where a cross or comer kick was taken, extremely tough for goal keepers
to cover.
Banana Kick: A kick that curves.
Bicycle Kick: Also overhead or scissors kick, a
spectacular kick where, at contact, the player is literally upside down.
Center Kick: How play starts to begin each half or after
goals are scored.
Corner Kick: A free kick for the attackers taken from the
corner after a defender puts the ball out of play over the goal line.
Direct Free Kick: Awarded to a fouled team for more
serious infraction, can score a goal directly.
Goal: To score a goal the ball must go completely over the
goal line inside the posts.
Goal Kick: A free kick taken by the defending team after
the ball is put over the goal line by an attacker without scoring.
Half: A match is divided into two, continuously running
20-45 minute halves.
Hat Trick: Three goals scored by the same player in a
single match. Originated in cricket where a player was awarded a new hat for
taking three wickets with three balls.
Indirect Free Kick: Awarded to the fouled team for lesser
infractions, the ball must touch another player before scoring a goal.
Injury time: Time sometimes added to the end of either
half by the referee to allow for time lost due to injuries or other stoppages.
The referee decides how much time to add.
Inswinger : A pass or shot that curves toward the goal.
In Touch: Out of bounds on the sidelines.
Linesman: On-field official who assists the referee in
determining offsides and out-of-bounds possession. The Linesman always stays
outside field boundaries.
Mark: Close defense of an opposing player.
Nutmeg: Playing a ball through an opponent's legs.
Official FIFA Ball: 27-28 in. circumference, 14-16 oz.
Offside: Generally, an attacking player is in an offside
position when there are no opponents (other than goalkeeper) between the
attacker and the goal when the ball is played, unless:
- The attacker receives the ball direct from a goal-kick, a corner-kick or a
throw-in.
-
The player on the attacking team does not play any part in the attack.
Offside Trap: A defense tactic where a (defensive) player,
or players intentionally moves forward to put an attacking player offside.
Penalty Area: 16 meter (18 yard) area around the goal,
from the posts to the left and right and towards the center. The goalkeeper
may touch the ball with his hands within the penalty-area. Fouls within the
area (may) result in a penalty-kick.
Penalty Kick: Awarded for direct fouls in the penalty
area, a one-on-one kick with only the goalkeeper defending, taken from the
12-yd. penalty spot. Tie matches are broken with a penalty kick shoot-out.
Pitch: The playing field.
Red Card: Shown by the referee to eject a player from
game. Red carded players can't return to action or be substituted for.
Referee: The ultimate authority on the field to enforce
the rules of the game.
Shoulder Charge: Legal shoulder-to-shoulder body contact.
Square Ball: A lateral pass, not a specially shaped ball.
Sunday Shot: A long, wild, hopeless shot that results in a
goal. If tried a thousand times, it would only be effective "during a Sunday
league match".
Tackle: Taking a ball from an opponent.
Throw-in: How play is resumed after the ball goes into
touch.
Trap: Stopping the flight of the ball and gaining
possession with any legal part of the body.
Wall: A line of defenders to prevent a direct kick from
scoring.
Wall Pass: A give-and-go where a player uses a teammate to
redirect the ball to an open space while drawing defenders away.
Yellow card: Shown to a player by the referee to caution
against dangerous play. Two yellow cards in the same match earns the player a
red card and ejection (see Red Card).
Climate and culture influence how the game is played throughout the world.
The Equatorial game puts a premium on individual ball skills developed on
hard, dry fields. The European game, due to frequent inclement weather, is
played at a higher speed.
The Classic 2-3-5: Developed in the 1890's by the English,
featuring 2 fullbacks, 3 halfbacks and 5 forwards. This was the standard
soccer formation until the 1940's.
The Swiss Bolt: Developed in the 1930's in Geneva, called
for different attack and defense formations, creating an illusion the opponent
was out manned. A roving deep center back (bolt) evolved into today's sweeper.
The 4-2-4: Made famous by the lighting-quick World Cup
champion Brazilians in 1958, the two deep wing backs initiated attacks along
the touchlines, transforming into an awesome 2-4-4.
The Beckenbauer Sweeper: Because West Germany's Franz
Beckenbauer was one of the most complete players ever, he transformed the
sweeper into both an attack and defense position during the late 1960s' and
changed the game forever.
Total Football: More an attitude than a system, played by
the Dutch in the 1970's Allows any player to attack or defend, with others
rotating to cover vacated areas. Successful players must have well developed
all-around skills.
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