Football and soccer are often confused with one another. What people in the United States know as soccer is called football in other countries. But beyond the confusion of the name, they have little in common.
Objective
In both football and soccer, your goal is to score more points than your opponents. Teams try to move the ball forward toward the opponent's goal. However, the methods of moving the ball and of scoring are vastly different.
Logistics
Football is played on a field 100 yards long and 53 yards wide. The field has two end zones, each 10 yards long. Soccer fields are slightly larger. Professional soccer matches are played on fields 120 yards long and 70 yards wide. The goals are 8 yards wide and 2.66 yards high.
Football and soccer balls are different. A soccer ball is round and smooth. A football is oval, made of leather and has laces running along one side, which is used to grip the ball while passing the ball.
Soccer Game Rules
Soccer games are played with 11 players on each team. The 11 players consist of defenders, midfielders, forwards and a goalkeeper, all of who are on the field together.
The main rule that separates soccer from football, and from other sports, is that it is played with your feet and head. Players use their feet to control, pass and kick the ball. You are allowed to use any part of your body except your arms and hands. The only player who can use their hands is the goalkeeper.
Football Game Rules
Football is also played with 11 players on the field for each team. However, in football, a team only has offensive or defensive players on the field at a particular time.
In soccer, play goes back and forth and the clock does not stop. However, in football, play is stopped after every play. To start, the ball is snapped to the quarterback. Once the quarterback has the ball, he can hand the ball off to a running back, who can run with the ball, or he can throw to a receiver or run the ball himself. Once a player with the ball is tackled or runs out of bounds, the ball is marked down at that spot and the play is over.
Scoring Rules
In soccer, you can score one way: Score a goal. This is done when a player hits the ball into the opponent's goal.
In football, scoring can be accomplished in several ways. A touchdown is scored by running into the end zone with possession of the ball or throwing the ball to a teammate in the end zone. Touchdowns are worth six points. After a successful touchdown, a team can attempt an extra point, worth one point, by kicking the ball through the goalposts. They can also choose to try a two-point conversion by getting the ball into the end zone again, this time from 2 yards away. You can score in football without getting a touchdown. This is done by kicking the ball through the goalposts, known as a field goal, and is worth three points. The final way of scoring is called a safety, worth two points, in which you tackle an opposing player who has possession of the ball in your own end zone.
The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
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