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.

Learn the basics

Soccer is played by two teams of 11 players each. The object of the game is to control the ball using everything but your hands and arms, and boot it into the opposing team's goal. Only the goalkeeper, a team's last line of defense, is allowed to pick up the ball. All other players move the ball toward their opponent's goal using their feet (mainly), torsos, and heads. The action centers around the player in control of the ball and the different options he or she has to pass, shoot, or continue moving the ball.

The entire ball must cross the goal line and travel into the goal to count as a score. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins, although many games finish tied or scoreless. If that happens, teams play an overtime period ranging from 5 to 15 minutes, and then a second period of equal duration if the score still remains even. If the game is still tied following a second overtime period, the match may be ruled a draw, or tie. When a winner must be determined (to decide a league or World Cup champion, for instance), the two sides conduct a shootout.

In a shootout, teams alternate five penalty kicks and the side with the most goals wins. A penalty kick is taken from 12 yards (11 meters) in front of the goal, with only the goalkeeper defending. If the teams are tied after five, then additional kicks are taken until one side has more goals after an equal number of attempts. Note: In some leagues, overtime is played in a sudden death format, in which the first team to score is declared the winner, ending the game.

Know the field

There are scores of professional soccer leagues around the globe, playing indoors as well as out, and the field of play differs accordingly. International outdoor matches are played on a rectangular field (also called a pitch) that can vary slightly but is usually about 120 yards (110 meters) long and 80 yards (75 meters) wide. The indoor game is played on a space about half as big, roughly the size of an ice hockey rink.

Lines on the field mark the boundaries as well as goal and penalty areas. Touchlines (or sidelines) border the field lengthwise and goal lines (or end lines) mark either end. The inside edge of the field near the touchlines is known as the flank or wing.

On an outdoor field, a goal (with a net) measuring 8 yards wide and 8 feet high (7 by 2 meters) is centered on each end line. Two marked-off rectangles, one inside the other, are also centered on the end line. The larger box (44 by 18 yards, or 40.3 by 16.5 meters) is called the penalty area; inside this limited space, the goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands to control the ball. Within the penalty area, 12 yards (11 meters) from the center of the goal, a short line called the penalty mark is drawn on the field. The smaller box (20 by 6 yards, or 18.3 meters by 5.5 meters) centered inside the penalty area is called the goal area. A short flagpost stands at each corner of the field.

When the entire ball crosses a touchline, it's out of bounds and play is halted. If it crosses the end line and doesn't land inside the goal, play also stops temporarily. The method for restarting play varies, depending on where the ball left the field and which team sent it outside the boundaries. (See Step 4 for more details.)

Midway between both goals, a line divides the field into two equal sections. The midpoint of this line, the center mark, is surrounded by a circle 20 yards (18.3 meters) in diameter. Called the center circle, this is where the game begins.

Know the players

Each team has a maximum of 11 players on the field at once. In addition to a goalkeeper, each team designates players to concentrate on either offensive or defensive strategies. Those on offense (trying to score) are called forwards or strikers, and those playing defense (preventing goals) are known as fullbacks. There are also players that do a little of both--and a lot of running--during a game; they're called midfielders or halfbacks. The sweeper, who plays behind the line of defenders and in front of the goalkeeper, roams to stop offensive threats.

The number of players a team decides to have at each position may change during a game, depending on strategy. Team formations are described by the number of players at each position, starting with the fullbacks and excluding the goalkeeper. The most common formations are:

• Four fullbacks, four midfielders, and two forwards (4-4-2)

• Three fullbacks, five midfielders, and two forwards (3-5-2)

A team is only allowed to make a certain number of player substitutions per game, depending on league rules. In international competition, substitutions are limited to three, and once a player is replaced, he or she may not return to the game. In some cases, injured players won't be immediately removed from the game, in case they can shake off their injury and continue playing. A team is said to be playing "a man down" during these times.

Also on the field is the referee, who enforces the rules and keeps track of the official time during matches, and two assistant referees. The referee may extend a half for a few minutes as an allowance for time lost through substitution and player injuries. Assistant referees monitor the touchlines and signal:

• When a ball is out of play

• Which side should return the ball to play

• If a player is offside

• When a team would like to make a substitution

Let the game begin

During a soccer match the ball never stops moving, and the players (except the goalkeeper, who rarely moves outside the penalty area) run almost continuously. From the moment a match is underway, the action doesn't stop until halftime.

The winner of a pre-game coin toss selects the goal it would like to attack in the first half, and the other team takes the kickoff from the center mark to begin play. All players must be in their team's half of the field at kickoff, and all players for the team without control of the ball must be 10 yards (9 meters) away from the center mark, outside the center circle. Once the referee gives a signal, a player kicks the ball forward and must wait for a teammate or opposing player to touch it before he or she may kick the ball again.

A kickoff is also used to restart play:

• After halftime, when the teams switch sides and the coin toss winner takes the kickoff

• After a goal has been scored. The team that allowed the goal takes possession.

• At the beginning of each overtime period

During a match, play stops temporarily when the ball is kicked out of bounds, a goal is scored, or the referee calls a foul. In addition to a kickoff, other ways to restart play include:

• A throw-in. If a player knocks the entire ball across a touchline either in the air or on the ground, a member of the opposing team can use his hands to toss the ball to one of his teammates. He must stand outside the touchline at the spot the ball crossed, holding it in both hands behind his head before throwing it over his head onto the field. A team may not score on a throw-in without another player touching the ball before it lands in the goal.

• A goal kick. Taken by a member of the defensive team after the opposite team moves the ball over the goal line, usually on an errant pass or scoring attempt. The goal kick is taken from inside the goal area. Opponents must stand outside the penalty area, 12 yards (11 meters) away.

• A corner kick. If a player on defense knocks the ball over the goal line, the attacking team is awarded a kick from the closest corner of the field. The defense must stand 10 yards (9 meters) away. A corner kick is a valuable scoring opportunity. Watch for exciting finishes as one player sends a long pass in the air to a teammate in the penalty area who uses his head or foot to direct the ball into the goal.

Move the ball

Regardless of their position on the field, all players try to control the ball, retain possession for their team, and work the ball upfield. There are many different ways to direct the ball:

• Dribble. Successive slight taps of the ball with the feet, usually keeping the ball close to the body.

• Clear. A long kick, usually by a fullback, intended to send the ball far upfield away from the penalty area.

• Trap. When they receive a pass, players try to control it using their feet and other body parts before dribbling or passing to a teammate. "Trapping" the ball stops its motion and allows a player to redirect it.

• Volley. Instead of trapping the ball, a player may kick a passed ball in the air before it reaches the ground. A half-volley is a shot or pass that connects just as the ball bounces on the ground.

• Cross. A team attacking the goal will attempt to pass the ball into the penalty area from the wing. Also known as centering the ball, this "cross" is a common setup for a scoring attempt.

• Chip. An easy, looping pass or shot designed to carry the ball over a defender's head, sometimes into the goal.

• Header. Passing or shooting the ball by making contact with the forehead. Headers are often used to score off of corner kicks.

Understand fouls and penalties

Sometimes during a game, a forward will receive a pass and sprint to the goal with a great chance to score, only to be stopped by the referee's whistle. Most likely, the player has committed a foul by being offside. This means he or she was nearer to the opposing goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent when a teammate touched the ball.

The rule is designed to prevent forwards from standing close to the goal and waiting for the ball to come to them. So, a player must have two opponents between him or her and the goal, usually one defender and the goalkeeper. He or she can be even with the two players and not be called offside.

After an offside is called, play is stopped and the defending team is awarded an indirect free kick. There are two types of free kicks, direct and indirect. For both types, members of the opposing team must stand 10 feet (9 meters) from the ball until the kick is taken at the spot of the foul. A free kick is considered a valuable scoring opportunity.

For an indirect free kick, another player besides the kicker must touch the ball before a goal can be scored. It is awarded if an athlete plays in a dangerous manner, interferes with an opponent's progress, or blocks the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands. An indirect free kick is also awarded if the goalkeeper touches the ball with his or her hands:

• And takes more than four steps;

• After it is kicked to him or her by a teammate; or

• After receiving the ball from a throw-in by a teammate.

A direct free kick, in which a goal can be scored by the kicker, is awarded by the referee for more serious fouls, including:

• Excessive force against an opponent, such as tripping, pushing, or holding

• Tackling an opponent and touching the player before the ball

• Deliberately handling the ball

A direct free kick close to the goal is an exciting chance for a score. Often, defenders will stand close together to form a human wall between the goal and the kicker, who may not touch the ball a second time until another player has made contact.

If the defensive team commits a foul inside its own penalty area that warrants a direct free kick, a penalty kick is awarded. The ball is placed at the penalty mark and everyone except the kicker and the goalkeeper must stand outside the penalty area. The small arc drawn from the top of the penalty area marks the 10 yard (9.2 meter) distance defensive players must yield to the kicker. If a goalkeeper stops a penalty kick, it's considered an outstanding save.

Sometimes, a foul is so severe that the referee decides to eject a player from the match by issuing a red card in addition to awarding a penalty kick. He pulls it out of his pocket and dramatically shows it to the guilty player for the following offenses:

• Preventing a goal by handling the ball or committing a foul that results in a penalty kick or free kick

• Violent or serious foul play

Lesser infractions, such as delaying the game, unsportsmanlike conduct, or refusing to stand the proper distance from a corner kick, goal kick, or free kick, result in a caution, also known as a yellow card. A player who receives two yellow cards in a match must leave the field for the rest of the game. Players who are sent off can't be replaced.

Score!

Scoring a goal is the most exciting play in a soccer match--but also one of the most rare.

Offensive strategies in soccer are similar to those in basketball: Players try to get open and then receive a pass from a teammate. They may run to an open space in anticipation of receiving a pass, or make an offensive run in an attempt to steal the ball from an opposing player. Teams use set plays with choreographed runs during the game and also for corner kicks and free kicks, which often lead to goals.

A goal can set off mass pandemonium. Particularly at professional and international matches, the jubilant scorer may run around the field in circles, join teammates in a strange celebratory dance, and maybe even throw his or her jersey into the crowd. On TV, some announcers launch into prolonged shouts of "GOOOAALL!" at the top of their lungs. Now that you understand the game, pick a team and join in the excitement.

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