2torial #0413:
Learn2 Understand Soccer

Just for kicks

No sport is more popular around the world than soccer. In fact, more countries belong to the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, than to the United Nations!

Yes, in most places they call it football, which makes sense: When players aren't using their feet to kick the ball, they're running tirelessly up and down the field. Once you understand the rules and basic strategies of the sport, you'll see even more subtleties in the game, and you might even decide to become a player.

Soccer is only a distant relative of the kind of football played primarily in the United States. It's more similar to such sports as hockey, lacrosse, and rugby, because the ball and most of the players are constantly in motion, and the field positions are roughly the same.

Though origins of the game can be traced to the ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Romans, modern soccer was born in 19th-century England before quickly spreading throughout Europe. The quadrennial World Cup, begun in 1930, has boosted the sport's popularity internationally. Every four years, the top teams on the planet meet in a championship tournament, where passions and patriotism run high. In many countries, soccer devotion is so intense that everyday life seems to stop when the national team is playing.

Many soccer fans, especially those at professional and international matches, work themselves into a raucous frenzy while in the stands. The most fanatic boosters will paint their faces in team colors and bring along drums, noisemakers, confetti, and all sorts of props. If you go to a game, whether a World Cup match or a friendly competition at the local park, be prepared--if nothing else, bring a healthy set of lungs to shout your support.