Soccer

V

Equipment

Soccer is played with a round leather ball. It is between 68 and 71 cm (27 and 28 in) in circumference and weighs between 396 to 453 g (14 and 16 oz). Balls come in various designs and colors. Players prefer balls with stripes or other patterns so they can better gauge the spin of the ball during play.

Soccer uniforms consist of jerseys, shorts, socks, and shoes with cleats (short knobs on the bottom of the shoe). The jerseys must include a number on the back so that game officials (and fans) can identify players quickly. Goalkeepers must wear a color that distinguishes them from the rest of the players on the same team. This way, the referee can easily know which player is allowed to use the hands within the penalty area. Goalkeepers’ jerseys and shorts often have extra padding stitched into the arm and hip areas to protect them when they dive to make saves. Most goalkeepers also wear special gloves that help them grip the ball.

Players wear cleated shoes for better traction while they are running. Cleats give them increased speed and maneuverability. Soccer shoes are usually made of durable leather, and the soles come in three basic varieties: with molded cleats, removable cleats, or molded rubber soles. Shoes with molded cleats usually have 14 of them, about 1.3 cm (.5 in) long. Players generally use molded cleats on dry fields. Shoes with removable cleats usually have six plastic or metal studs that are 1.3 to 1.9 cm (.5 to .75 in) long. Players generally wear these longer cleats on soft or wet fields. Molded rubber-sole shoes have 25 to 35 small nubs and are designed for use on hard fields or fields made of artificial turf.

Soccer rules require players to wear only one piece of protective equipment, shin guards. Shin guards are small shields worn on the front of the leg between the knee and top of the foot. They protect the lower leg against kicks. Shin guards are made of cloth-covered plastic.

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VI

Play

Informal soccer games can be of any length, but most regulation games last 90 minutes and are divided into two 45-minute halves. (Official youth games may be shorter.) There is a 15-minute break between the halves, called halftime. Before each game the referee tosses a coin to determine which team will kick off. The team that wins the toss chooses to begin the game either by kicking off the ball or by defending. The kickoff is taken at the center point of the field, and all players must be positioned on their own side of the field before play can begin. The team kicking off must kick the ball forward before any other team member can touch it, but once it moves forward, the ball can be kicked in any direction. Once play begins, the movement of the ball and the players is constant. The team in possession of the ball—the attacking team—tries to advance the ball by dribbling or passing (see the Skills section). The defending team tries to take possession by intercepting passes or by taking the ball away from opponents while they are dribbling. Changes of possession occur frequently.

During a game, the ball remains in play as long as it stays within the end lines and the sidelines. If the ball leaves the field it is returned to play by throw-in, goal kick, or corner kick, depending on where the ball left play and who knocked it out of play. The only time that play stops is when a player commits a foul, a player is injured, or a goal is scored.

The referee calls fouls on players who commit one of ten major infractions: intentionally kicking, tripping, or jumping at an opponent; violently charging, striking, holding, pushing, or spitting at an opponent; tackling an opponent without the ball; or touching the ball with the hands. If a player commits any of these fouls, the opposing team is awarded a free kick. If a player commits any of these offenses inside his own penalty area, the opposing team is awarded a penalty kick.

Players take penalty kicks from a spot 11 m (12 yd) from the goal, and only the goalkeeper may attempt to block the kick. Because there is no defender, the shooter has a decided advantage over the goalkeeper in a penalty kick and almost always scores. A penalty kick is one of soccer's most exciting plays, but because it so often results in a goal, a referee’s decision to award one is usually controversial.

When a major infraction occurs outside the penalty area, free kicks are taken at the spot of the infraction. Players from the defending team must remain at least 9 m (10 yd) away from the ball until the kick is taken. These fouls are broken into two categories: direct kicks and indirect kicks. A direct free kick is awarded for major infractions, such as pulling an opponent to the ground by grabbing the jersey. The ball may be kicked directly into the goal from the spot of the foul. An indirect free kick is awarded for lesser infractions, such as obstructing an opponent while pursuing the ball. The ball must touch one other person (a teammate, opponent, or goalie) before a goal can be scored.

Another major rule in soccer, in addition to the prohibitions against striking the opponent and touching the ball with the hands, is offsides. An attacking player is offsides if, when receiving a forward pass from a teammate, there are not at least two opponents (usually one defender and the goalkeeper) ahead of the receiver—that is, between the attacking player and the opponents' goal line. A player cannot be ruled offside when receiving the ball from a throw-in or if the player is in his or her own half of the field. The referee or the referee's assistants determine offsides infractions and signal them by waving their flags and pointing to the spot where the infraction occurred. An indirect free kick from the point of infraction is then awarded to the defending team.

In most youth, amateur, and professional leagues, games tied at the end of regulation play are recorded as ties (or draws, as they are known in many parts of the world). Ties can be broken with an overtime period, which usually consists of 30 extra minutes of play. The first team to score wins the game. If neither team scores during overtime, teams can use a penalty-kick tiebreaker to determine the winner. In a tiebreaker, five players from each team alternate penalty shots (one by one) against the opposing goalkeeper. The team that scores the most goals is the winner. If the teams remain tied after five shots, both teams continue to alternate single penalty shots until one team misses and the other scores. Tiebreakers are common in tournament play.

VII

Skills

Soccer players use five basic skills: kicking, dribbling, passing, heading, and trapping. Kicking is the most basic skill. Players who wish to kick the ball powerfully do so with the top of the foot, the area just above the toes, generating power from the upper leg and torso. A powerful kick may propel the ball up to 120 km/h (75 mph). Many players cannot kick the ball equally well with both feet, and favor the stronger foot when making a shot at the goal or kicking the ball a long distance.

Players move the ball small distances by dribbling. Dribbling entails tapping, dragging, or rolling the ball in front of the body while running. The objective—to advance the ball while keeping it in control and protecting it from defensive players—is similar to that of dribbling in basketball, using the feet instead of the hands. A player with good dribbling skills can make quick stops, change direction, and move the ball from one foot to another with ease. Advanced players can also fake one way with the ball, only to turn and move in the opposite direction.

Players use passes to move the ball around the field more quickly than they can by dribbling. Passes are like kicks, but they require less power and more control. Players usually pass by using the inside of the foot to push the ball in a certain direction, though sometimes the outside of the foot is used. Talented players can pass with both feet in all directions, including behind them.

Players use headers to make plays on balls that are in the air, either to pass or to make a shot on goal. To make a header, they knock the ball with the forehead, using power generated from the neck muscles. When a ball is high in the air, members of both teams will jockey for position on the ground in order to control the header. Tall players and those who can jump high have a distinct advantage in these situations.

Players use trapping to gain control of loose balls that may be rolling, bouncing, or flying through the air. To bring the motion of the ball to a momentary stop, players absorb the ball’s force with a part of their body. Most traps are made with the inside of the foot or the sole of the foot, but balls may also be brought under control with the leg, chest, head, or top of the foot. Good trapping allows players to control the tempo of the game by maintaining control of the ball for long periods of time. It also enables them to pass the ball with pinpoint accuracy, because they have control of the ball at the moment they pass.

A sixth skill, called tackling, is the primary tool of defense. Tackling in soccer is not like tackling in American football. A tackle in soccer is a means of taking away the ball from an opponent, not bringing the opponent down. Blocking the advance of the ball with the foot or lower leg is the most common form of tackling in soccer. Some players also slide in front of attacking players to steal the ball, a move known as a slide tackle.

A goalkeeper must learn all the skills that other players do, but because the goalkeeper can use the hands, he or she must also master an entirely different set of skills. The goalkeeper must be able to catch balls in the air and trap them with the hands and body when the ball is bouncing along the ground. Goalkeepers must also know how to punch away balls that are kicked towards the top or corners of the goal, as attempting a catch in these difficult situations is often more dangerous than simply knocking the ball away.

The best teams use not only individual skills, but teamwork as well. Players trap the ball, bringing it under control, then advance it toward the goal through a series of short, medium, and long passes. Once attacking players move close to the opposing goal, they try to gain position to shoot the ball toward the goal. While one player has the ball, teammates are constantly shifting and running into other slots on the field, attempting to create openings or distract defensive players. When on defense, players organize themselves so that they can repel attacks as a group as well as one on one. Generally, defensive players spread themselves out evenly across the field to prevent long, easy passes between members of the opposing team.

Weather and field conditions sometimes dictate what strategies teams use. For instance, in Britain and other parts of Europe the game is played in fall, winter, and spring, when fields are wet and soggy. Therefore, British playing style uses long passes and direct sprints toward the opponent’s goal, because short passes and fancy dribbling can be difficult in poor field conditions.

Fields in South America and Africa are usually drier and thus in better shape than European fields. One result is that the South American and African styles of play focus more on individual skills and a certain dramatic flair. There are fewer long passes but more dribbling and short, intricate passes. Because the weather is usually hot, the game is also often played at a slower pace than it is in Europe.

VIII

Amateur Competition

FIFA governs soccer competition on youth and amateur levels worldwide by registering players and overseeing national soccer federations. The FIFA U-17 World Championship for players under the age of 17 and the FIFA Youth World Championship for players under 20 are the most important international soccer events for youths. At local levels, amateur clubs for all age and skill levels are extremely popular across Europe, Africa, and Central and South America.

In the United States about 20 million people play soccer. Almost every urban community has at least one amateur association, and many rural communities do as well. Local leagues are governed by their state’s soccer association. The 50 state associations fall under the control of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the governing body for all U.S. soccer. The USSF in turn falls under FIFA.

Soccer is one of the most popular high school sports in the United States. Separate youth leagues also operate independently of school athletic programs, with some beginning play as young as five years of age. Extremely talented young players may move up to play with older players in higher leagues.

Many American colleges and universities sponsor soccer teams. These institutions provide teams with uniforms, coaches, training facilities, and transportation to matches, and some grant scholarships for talented players. Annually, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctions national championships for both men’s and women’s teams in several different divisions.

IX

Professional Soccer

Almost every country in Europe, North America, and South America has prominent professional leagues, and many countries in Africa and Asia have them as well. These leagues are usually divided by skill level, with teams moving up or down from league to league depending on performance from year to year. In most countries the best teams also attempt to qualify for a berth in a major regional tournament such as the European Cup or South America’s Copa Libertadores (Spanish for Liberator’s Cup).

Many teams evoke loyal support from fans well beyond their own region. A.C. Milan of Italy, Ajax Amsterdam of The Netherlands, Manchester United of England, Real Madrid of Spain, Boca Juniors of Argentina, São Paulo of Brazil, and Colo Colo of Chile are a few of the world’s most famous teams.

In 1996 a new professional league known as Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in the United States. Beginning with ten teams, MLS added two more franchises in 1998 and is divided into three four-team divisions—Western, Central, and Eastern. The MLS regular season runs from April to September, followed by an eight-team playoff. The top two teams to emerge square off in the championship match, called the MLS Cup. The majority of MLS players are American, but the league also attracts stars from many South and Central American countries, as well as from Africa and Europe.

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