Advantage rule:

a clause in the rules that directs the referee to refrain from stopping play for a foul if a stoppage would benefit the team that committed the violation.

Advantages:

situations where a team has possession of the ball and outnumbers the opposition near the opposing goal.

American football:

a term used by non-Americans to distinguish the popular U.S. sport of football from soccer which they also call football.

Assist:

the pass or passes which immediately precede a goal; a maximum of two assists can be credited for one goal.

Attacker:

any player on the team that has possession of the ball.

Attacking team:

the team that has possession of the ball.

Back:

a defender.

Ball carrier:

a player that has possession of the ball.

Beat:

to get the ball through or around an opponent by dribbling or shooting.

Break:

when a team quickly advances the ball down the field in an attempt to get its players near the opponent's goal before the defenders have a chance to retreat; also called an advantage.

Breakaway:

when an attacker with the ball approaches the goal undefended; this exciting play pits a sole attacker against the goalkeeper in a one-on-one showdown.

Carrying the ball:

a foul called on a goalkeeper when he takes more than 4 steps while holding or bouncing the ball.

Caution:

see Yellow card.

Charge:

to run into an opponent; legal if done from the front or side of the ball carrier; illegal against a player without the ball or from behind.

Clear:

to kick the ball away from one's goal.

Club:

a team that plays in a league.

Consolation match:

a tournament game played between the losers of the 2 semifinal matches to determine the third-place team.

Counterattack:

an attack launched by a defending team soon after it regains possession of the ball.

Creating space:

when a player from the attacking team moves without the ball to draw defenders away from the ball carrier and give him space.

Cut off:

when a defensive player keeps his body between an attacker and the defender'sgoal, forcing the attacker out towards the sidelines.

Dangerous play:

when a player attempts a play that the referee considers dangerous to that player or others, such as trying to kick the ball out of the goalie's hands, even if no contact is made.

Defenders:

Defending team:

the players on the team that does not have possession of the ball.

the team that does not have possession of the ball.

Defense:

a team's function of preventing the opposition from scoring.

Draw:

a game that ends with a tied score.

The Draw:

the selection of World Cup teams to place them into playing groups for the tournament and the event surrounding this selection.

Dribbler:

a player who advances the ball while controlling it with his feet.

Dribbling:

the basic skill of advancing the ball with the feet while controlling it.

Drop ball:

a method of restarting a game where the referee drops the ball between 2 players facing each other.

Drop kick:

when a goalie drops the ball from his hands and kicks it just after it hits the ground.

Fake or feint:

a move by a player meant to deceive an opposing player; used by a ball carrier to make a defender think the ball carrier is going to dribble, pass or shoot in a certain direction when he is not.

Field:

the rectangular area where soccer matches are played.

 FIFA:

Federation Internationale de Football Association — the official governing body of international soccer since 1904 which established the World Cup tournament; helps set and revise rules of the game, called the 17 Laws.

Football:

name for soccer everywhere except in the U.S.; also, what American's call their popular team sport which evolved from soccer and rugby.

Formation:

the arrangement into positions of players on the field; for example, a 4-3-3 formation places 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards on the field.

Foul:

a violation of the rules for which an official assesses a free kick.

Free kick:

a kick awarded to a player for a foul committed by the opposition; the player kicks a stationary ball without any opposing players within 10 yards of him.

Goal:

a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar for which a point is awarded; also, the 8-foot high, 24-foot wide structure consisting of two posts, a crossbar and a net into which all goals are scored.

Goalie or Goalkeeper:

the player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from getting into the net behind him; the only player allowed to use his hands and arms, though only within the penalty area.

Goal line:

the field boundary running along its width at each end; also called the end line; runs right across the front of the goal; the line which a ball must completely cross for a goal to be scored.

Goalmouth:

the front opening to each goal.

Goalposts:

the two vertical beams located 24 feet apart which extend 8 feet high to form the sides of a goal and support the crossbar.

Hand ball:

a foul where a player touches the ball with his hand or arm; the opposing team is awarded a direct free kick.

Header:

the striking of a ball in the air by a player's head.

In bounds:

when a ball is within the boundaries of the field, having not completely crossed a sideline or goal line.

In play:

when a ball is within the boundaries of the field and play has not been stopped by the referee.

Kickoff:

the method of starting a game or restarting it after each goal; a player passes the ball forward to a teammate from the center spot.

Laws of the Game:

the 17 main rules for soccer established by FIFA.

League:

an alliance of teams that organizes sporting competition.

Man-to-man:

a type of defense where each defender is assigned to mark a different forward from the other team; the most common type of defense for national-level teams.

Marking:

guarding a player to prevent him from advancing the ball towards the net, making an easy pass or getting the ball from a teammate.

Match:

a soccer game.

Mismatch:

when a particular offensive player is far superior to the defendermarking him.

National team:

a team consisting of the best players in a country chosen to represent it in international competitions such as the World Cup.

Net:

hemp, jute or nylon cord draped over the frame of the goal and extending behind it; also used to refer to the goal itself.

Obstruction:

when a defensive player, instead of going after the ball, uses his body to prevent an offensive player from playing it.

Offense:

the function of trying to score goals.

Offensive player:

see Attacker.

Officials:

the referee and 2 linesmen who work together to make sure the game is played according to the rules of soccer; responsible for stopping and restarting play, keeping track of the score and the time remaining and citing violations of the rules, called fouls; they wear uniforms that distinguish them from the players on both teams.

Offside:

a violation called when a player in an offside position receives a pass from a teammate; an indirect free kick is awarded to the non-offending team.

Open:

describes an attacking player who does not have anyone marking him.

Out of bounds:

when a ball is outside the boundaries of the field, having completely crossed a sideline or goal line.

Out of play:

when a ball is outside the boundaries of the field or play has been stopped by the referee.

Passing:

when a player kicks the ball to his teammate; used to move the ball closer to the opposing goal, to keep the ball away from an opponent or to give the ball to a player who is in a better position to score.

Penalty:

short for penalty kick; also, a punishment given by the referee for a violation of the rules.

Penetrate:

to advance the ball behind opposing defenders (between them and their goal).

Periods:

the segments of time into which a game is divided; a regulation game played by adults consists of two 45-minutes halves.

Points:

a team statistic indicating its degree of success, calculated as follows: 2 points for a win (3 in the 1994 World Cup), 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss; also, an individual statistic for a player, calculated by totaling 2 points for each goal and 1 point for each assist.

Possession:

control of the ball.

Receiver:

a player who gets a pass from a teammate.

Referee:

the chief official; he makes all final decisions, acts as timekeeper, calls all fouls and starts and stops play.

Save:

the act of a goalkeeper in blocking or stopping a shot that would have gone into the goal without his intervention.

Score:

to put the ball into the net for a goal; also, the tally of goals for each team playing in a game.

Scorers:

players who score goals.

Scoring opportunity:

a situation where a team stands a good chance of scoring a goal.

Shielding:

a technique used by a ball carrier to protect the ball from a defender closely marking him; the ball carrier keeps his body between the ball and the defender.

Shooting:

when a player kicks the ball at the opponent's net in an attempt to score a goal.

Shorthanded:

a team playing with less than its full complement of 11 players.

Shot:

a ball kicked or headed by a player at the opponent's net in an attempt to score a goal.

Shutout:

preventing the opposition from scoring any goals in a game; for example, a score of 2-0 or 4-0; goalies are often credited with shutouts because they did not allow any goals to get past them.

Sideline or touchline:

a line that runs along the length of the field on each side.

Steal:

when a player takes the ball away from an opposing player.

Striker:

a team's most powerful and best-scoring forward who plays towards the center of the field; also, the name of the mascot for the 1994 World Cup.

Substitution:

replacement of one player on the field with another player not on the field; FIFA rules allow only 3 substitutions per game.

Sudden death:

a type of overtime where the first goal scored by a team ends the game and gives that team the victory; most overtime in soccer is not sudden death.

Tackling:

the act of taking the ball away from a player by kicking or stopping it with one's feet; only a minimal amount of shoulder-to-shoulder contact, called a charge, is permitted to knock the ball carrier off balance.

Territory:

the half of the field which a team defends.

Throw-in:

a type of restart where a player throws the ball from behind his head with two hands while standing with both feet on the ground behind a sideline; taken by a player opposite the team that last touched the ball before it went out of bounds across a sideline.

Tie game:

when two teams have scored the same number of goals in a match; if the game ends tied, it is a draw.

Tiebreaker:

a way to choose the winner of a match when teams are tied after overtime; in FIFA tournament play, a series of penalty kicks are taken by players from both teams, and the team that scores on more of them is declared the winner.

Timekeeper:

the job of the referee, who keeps track of the official time to notify teams and fans when each period is completed.

Timeout:

an official break in the action of a sport; the rules of soccer do not allow for any timeouts.

Trap:

when a player uses his body to slow down and control a moving ball, most often using his chest, thighs or feet.

Turnover:

the loss of possession of the ball.

Unsportsmanlike conduct:

rude behavior.

World Cup:

the international soccer competition held by FIFA every 4 years between the top professional teams in the world, pitting nation against nation; the most watched event in the world, attracting a television audience of over 3 billion viewers.

Yellow card:

a playing card-sized card that a referee holds up to warn a player for dangerous or unsportsmanlike behavior; also called a caution; 2 yellow cards in one game earns a player an automatic red card, signaling his removal from the game.

Zone:

a type of defense that assigns each defender to a particular area in front of or around his team's goal in which he is responsible for marking any attacker that enters; often used in youth league games but rarely in professional competition.