Understanding soccer ball competition at any age or skill level requires a basic knowledge of the words and phrases commonly used that are specific to the sport. You will have to brush upon your soccer vocabulary if you want to make sense of the action on the soccer ball field. Here is a basic glossary to help you better understand all that soccer ball talk:
Advantage rule –
Play is not stopped for fouls if the action is detrimental to the fouled team.
Assist –
One of two passes preceding a goal allowed to be credited as assists.
Attacking Midfielder –
The mid-fielder closest to the opposing goal.
Attacker -
Any player with offensive possession of the soccer ball.
AYSO-
American Youth Soccer Organization. The largest youth soccer organization in the United States.
Back –
A defending player.
Banana Kick –
A kick with a curved or arcing trajectory.
Bicycle Kick –
When a player kicks the soccer ball backwards over his head.
Breakaway –
An attacking player without opposition.
Bundesliga -
The professional soccer ball league in Germany.
Carrying –
A goalkeeper foul for taking more than four steps with the soccer ball.
Center & Cross Kick –
A pass from the sideline to the center of the field.
Center Circle –
The kickoff circle in the center of the field.
Charge –
Legal contact with an opponent from the front or side.
Chip Pass & Chip Shot –
A short kick over the head of an opponent.
Corner Arc -
Quarter-circle located at each corner of the field.
Defender –
Any player without possession of the soccer ball.
Defensemen –
Also called defensive fullbacks. The last line of defense protecting the soccer ball goal.
Direct & Free Kick -
A kick awarded for foul using a stationary soccer ball with no opposition within 10 yards.
Dribbling –
Forward motion soccer ball control with the feet.
Drop Ball –
Referee restart droppingthe soccer ball between two facing players.
Drop Kick –
Legal goalie kick after dropping the soccer ball.
European Cup -
Annual European championship tournament.
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Far Post -
Goal post farthest from the soccer ball.
FIFA:
Federation Internationale de Football Association. The governing organization of international soccer and World Cup matches.
Foot Trap –
Using the feet to stop and control a moving soccer ball.
Forwards -
Four players in front of the rest of their team.
Foul -
Any violation of the rules.
Goal -
The 8-foot high, 24-foot wide structure with posts and a net where goals are scored.
Goal Kick -
Restart with the soccer ball kicked from inside the goal area away from the goal.
Goalkeeper -
The player in front of the goal who is allowed to use his hands and arms to defend.
Hacking -
Kicking an opponent.
Hand Ball -
A foul for touching the soccer ball with a hand or arm.
Hat Trick -
Three goals scored in a single game by one player.
Header -
Hitting a soccer ball in the air with the head.
Injury Time -
Time added to the match by the referee to make up for time lost to player injuries.
Instep Drive –
A kick with the instep of the foot.
Intermission -
A 5-minute rest between periods.
Juggling -
Keeping the soccer ball in the air with any part of the body except the hands or arms.
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Laws of the Game -
The 17 rules for soccer established by the FIFA.
Lead Pass:
A pass that arrives at a location at the same time a teammate does.
Linesmen –
Two officials assisting the referee at the sidelines.
Marking -
Preventing an opponent him from advancing the soccer ball.
Match -
A soccer ball game.
Midfield Line -
The line that divides the field in half.
Midfielders -
The four players behind the forwards.
MLS -
Major League Soccer. The United States outdoor soccer league.
MSL -
Major Soccer League. The United States indoor soccer league.
National Team -
A team of the best players in a country assembled for international World Cup competitions.
Obstruction -
Preventing an offensive player from playing the soccer ball.
Official Game Clock –
The clock carried by the referee on the field
Open -
An attacking player without opposition.
Out of Play -
A soccer ball outside the boundaries of the field.
Overtime –
Extra period of play after tie game.
Penalty Area –
The area where the goalkeeper can use his hands to block or control the soccer ball.
Penalty Shot & Kick -
A kick from the penalty spot against the opposing goalie without opposition within10 yards.
Penalty Spot -
A circular spot 12 yards in front of the goal line for penalty kicks
Periods –
The two 45-minute halves of a game.
Play On –
A referee’s Advantage Rule call for no game stoppage.
Receiver -
Any player getting a pass from a teammate.
Red Card -
The referee’s card used to indicate a player removed from the game.
Regulation Game –
A game that has completed two periods.
Save -
Stopping the soccer ball from scoring a goal.
Shielding –
Protecting the soccer ball from a defender.
Shorthanded -
A team playing with less than 11 players.
Sliding Tackle -
Sliding on the ground feet-first into the something ball.
Square Pass -
A pass to a teammate running alongside.
Starter -
Any player who is on the field to play at the start of a game.
Striker -
A team’s best forward at center field.
Substitution –
One of three permitted player exchanges per game.
Sweeper -
The defensive player in front of the goalkeeper.
Tackling -
Taking the soccer ball away from an opponent with your feet.
Thigh Trap -
Using the thigh to stop and control a soccer ball in the air.
Through Pass -
A pass that penetrates a line of defenders.
Throw-In -
A restart with the soccer ball thrown from behind the head with both hands while standing behind a sideline.
Tiebreaker –
A series of penalty kicks are taken by players from both teams to decide a tie game.
Trap –
Stopping and controlling a moving ball using chest, thighs or feet.
Volley -
A soccer ball kicked when it is off the ground.
Wall -
A line of shoulder-to-shoulder defending players protecting the goal against a close free kick.
Wings & Wingers -
The outside forward players.
World Cup -
The FIFA international soccer competition held every four years between the top national teams in the world.
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