Soccer

What Are The Rules? • The 17 Laws of Soccer Explained

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SOCCER FIELD

Basic Soccer Position Terms

Backs – Refers to defenders.

Defender – A player who works mainly in the defensive third of the field. They are primarily focused on stopping the opposition’s attackers from scoring.

Forward – A player who is responsible for most of a team's scoring. They play in front of the rest of their team (or in the attaching third of the field) where they can take most of the shots.

Fullback – a rear defender.

Goalie – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.

Goalkeeper – The player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from crossing the goalline; the only player allowed to use their hands and arms, though only within the 18-yard penalty area.

Keeper – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.

Midfielder – A player generally positioned in the middle third of the field between the forwards and defenders. Their job is to link the defense and the offense through ball control and passing. They play both an attacking role and a defensive role.

Striker – Generally the same as a forward, though it sometimes refers to a forward that is the team’s primary scoring threat.

Sweeper – In some formations, a single defender that plays closest to their own goal behind the rest of the defenders; a team's last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper.

Basic Soccer Action Terms

Center – another word for Cross.

Charging – a method of running at and unbalancing the player who has possession, or is attempting to gain possession of the ball; the act of using a "shoulder" against an opponent’s shoulder to gain an advantage, allowed only when the ball is playable (i.e. within 3 feet).

Clearing – the act of moving the ball out of the area of one’s own goal by throwing (goalkeeper only) or kicking it.

Cross – a pass from either side of the field towards the middle. It is used primarily to get the ball closer to the front of the goal. The words “center” and “cross” are used interchangeably.

Fake – a move by a player meant to deceive an opposing player. Used to gain an advantage, it is frequently used when dribbling to get past an opponent.

Feint – another word for a Fake.

Foot Trap – the use of the foot, usually the bottom, to control a rolling or low bouncing ball.

Header – when a player passes or shoots the ball with his head.

Save – the act of a goalkeeper stopping a shot that would have otherwise gone into the goal.

Screening – another word for Shielding.

Shielding –used by the person with the ball to protect the ball from a defender; the ball carrier keeps their body between the ball and the defender.

Slide Tackle – a move where a player attempts to win the ball by sliding towards the ball. If the tackling player touches the ball first, he is allowed to make contact with the player controlling the ball. If the tackling player strikes the player before the ball, a foul is assessed. A tackle from behind is always a foul regardless of whether the tackler managed to get to the ball first.

Tackle – the act of taking the ball away from a player by kicking or stopping it with one's feet.

Trap – the use of one’s body to slow down and control a moving ball, most often using the chest, thighs or feet.

Basic Soccer Rule Terms

Caution – a disciplinary action in which the referee shows a player the yellow card. A second caution in the same match results in the player being shown the red card (ejected from the game).

Corner kick – a direct free kick that is awarded when the defending team puts the ball over the end line. A corner kick is taken by the offensive team from next to the corner flag.

Dangerous Play – an action by a player that the referee considers dangerous to that player or others. Examples are high kicking, playing while lying on the ground, or playing the ball while it is in the possession of the goalkeeper.

Direct Free Kick – a free kick that is awarded at the spot of the infraction for a physical contact foul such as tripping, holding, pushing, tackles from behind, jumping into an opponent, or for hand balls. A direct free kick can score by going directly into the goal. It does not have to be touched by anyone other than the kicker.

Drop Ball – a method of restarting a game where the referee drops the ball between 2 players facing each other. A drop ball restarts the game after play is stopped for no penalty situation (e.g. after an injury). The ball is dropped where it was last in play or at the nearest point outside the penalty area.

Foul – when the referee judges a violation against an opposing player. The team that suffers the foul is awarded with a direct free kick unless the foul is committed by a defensive player inside his own penalty area, in which case the foul results in a penalty kick.

Goal Kick – a type of restart that is awarded when the attacking team puts the ball over the end line. The ball is kicked from anywhere inside the goal area away from the goal to restart play. After the kick is taken, the ball cannot be touched again by any player until it is outside of the penalty area.

Indirect Free Kick – a free kick that is awarded at the spot of the infraction for other fouls that are judged not to be serious such as obstruction, dangerous play or charging (non-contact fouls), as well as for offside. Indirect kicks must touch another player (either team) before the ball goes into the net in order to score.

Offside – A violation that occurs when an offensive player is closer to the opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second-to-last opposing player at the time that the ball is passed to the offensive player by his or her teammate. Players cannot be called offside if they are in their own half of the field or if they receive the ball from a throw in, corner kick, or goal kick. When a player is called offside, the opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick. A player does not have to have the ball or be part of the play to be considered offside. A player can be considered offside if he is in an offside position at the time of the pass and his position or movement pulls a defensive player away from the attack.

Obstruction – a foul in which a defensive player, instead of going after the ball, illegally uses their body to prevent an offensive player from playing it.

Penalty kick – A kick taken from 12 yards in front of the goal (on a full size 11v11 field) as a result of a contact foul or hand ball that takes place inside the penalty area.

Red card – a referee shows a player a red card to signal that the player has been banned from the rest of the match. A red card can be shown for a single serious offense or as the result of being shown a second yellow card in the same game. After a player is shown a red card, the player must leave the field of play and cannot be replaced by a substitute, meaning that his or her team must finish the match with one player fewer.

Sending off – an ejection resulting from a player being shown a red card.

Throw-in – a way to restart play when the ball goes out over the sidelines. The team that did not touch the ball last is allowed an overhead throw.

Yellow card – see Caution.