The sport that we call soccer in the United States goes by the name football in most of the rest of the world. The Federation International Football Association, or FIFA, functions as the governing body for the sport and hosts the World Cup. FIFA rules set the standard for all competitive soccer. Learning common soccer terms will help you understand the sport and its rules more thoroughly.
Positions
Each soccer team has 11 players on the field at a time. Each team can have one goalkeeper, or keeper, on the field. The remaining players occupy one of three primary positions--defender, midfielder and forward. The term sweeper describes the defender who plays closest to his team’s goal. Midfielders often fall into two categories--defensive midfielder and attacking or offensive midfielders. Common terms for forwards include strikers and attackers.
Offside
The term offside describes the position of an offensive player nearer to the opponent's goal line than the ball and the last defender, other than the goalkeeper. The referee can charge an offensive player with an offside violation if the player receives the ball while in an offside position, unless the player received the ball after a goal kick, throw-in or corner kick.
Free Kicks
If a player commits a foul or other violation, the referee often awards a free kick to the opposing team. Player fouls and violations often result in a direct free kick, while goalkeeper violations within the penalty area result in indirect free kicks. In both types of free kicks, the kicker’s opponents must remain at least 10 yards away from the ball. They must also stand outside the penalty area until the ball is in play. A kicker can score immediately from a direct free kick. On an indirect free kick, however, one of the kicker’s teammates must touch the ball after the kicker to score. Penalty kicks are awarded for fouls or hand balls in the 18-yard box in front of the goal. On a penalty kick, a player gets to take an undefended free kick. No opponents of the kicker can stand between the ball and the goal except for the goalkeeper. Players can score immediately from a penalty kick.
Yellow and Red Cards
The referee uses yellow and red cards to maintain order and discipline on the field. The referee can show these cards to players who act in an unsportsmanlike or violent manner, or who speak with profanity. The yellow card serves as a first warning and the red card signals a player’s ejection from the game.
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