Understanding Soccer Terms

Soccer is more commonly known as football throughout the world, and professional soccer requires two teams of 11 players in each team. The game of soccer is played between two teams, and each team has eleven players at any one time. Goal is the term used when whole ball crosses the goal line, between the cross bar and goal posts. Yellow card is given to the player as a stern warning of unfair or rough play and red card is given for a serious infraction such as violent act of some kind in the field.


Back tackle is the attempt made by defender to take away the ball from carrier of ball by swinging defender's leg from behind. Penalty box is the area where goalkeeper is allowed to use hands, and any foul in this box resulting in direct kick results in penalty kick. As soccer is often played between players who speak different languages, the card system was introduced as universal symbol of fouls. The playing field is known as the pitch, the area in front of the goal is called goal area, and line dividing the field along its width is called the center line.


Charging is a type of running against the ball carrier opponent, causing imbalance to get the ball. Cut is the move that the player advancing the ball makes to suddenly shift the direction using the foot to change the direction of the ball. Dead ball is the situation when ball is not being played on the field such as on corner kicks, free kicks, throw-ins and penalty kicks. Defender is a player who primarily functions in the defensive third of the field, and his main role is to repel the attacks of opposing team on the goal.


One touch is the pass where the player gets the ball and passes it with one stroke, hence touching the ball only once. In man-to-man defense, the players are responsible for any specific counterpart from the opponent team regardless of where they are placed on the field, but zone defense is defensive that makes the players responsible for any particular channel or area on the field. Dead ball refers to situation when the ball is not being played while on the field such as on corner kicks, free kicks, throw-ins and penalty kicks. The job of second defender is to cover or support the teammate who is putting pressure on the ball.


The ability to complete the move or play is called finish. The job of third defenders is to mark-up opponents who are threatening their goal or cover the obvious passing lanes. Channel is to purposively move the opponent player with the ball in a certain direction. Move to the outside edge of the field is called “go wide�.