Soccer Fundamentals
Because soccer is a worldwide sport, it has a lexicon that may be unfamiliar to American fans and players. Why do the British refer to outfits as “kits” and cleats as “boots”? What is a 4-4-2 formation and how does it work? Why are people so concerned about being relegated? To give you a guide to understanding soccer, we’ll cover all of those terminology as simply as possible. The first one is the simplest. To avoid misunderstanding, it is not commonly referred to as football in this country. Soccer, rugby, and American football are all derivatives of the same sport. They’re instructions on how to play the game. Prior to the 1970s, even the national governing body of soccer in this country had the word “football” in its official name, whereas “soccer” was the prevalent term in England. Soccer lingo
It’s worth thinking about if you want to gain a quick handle on how the game is played. A few fundamentals. To begin with, unlike other sports where the regulations alter seasonally, soccer has a highly conservative set of rules. The Laws are the game’s laws, and only a gathering of representatives from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland can change them. As a result, modifications are uncommon and the regulations are simple. FIFA has a copy of the Laws of the Game available. What exactly is FIFA? The World Cup is organised by FIFA, the worldwide soccer regulatory organisation. What is the World Cup, exactly? This is soccer’s biggest competition, with 32 national teams qualifying by region. We’ll get into the details later. Let us now proceed to the field.
The Football Field
There are no predetermined field dimensions, similar to baseball. Soccer, on the other hand, employs minimum and maximum dimensions, allowing fields to fit inside specified parameters. The length should be between 100 and 130 yards, and the breadth should be between 50 and 100 yards. Because of this significant variance, international games have stricter rules. These top-tier games require fields that are between 110 and 120 yards long and 70 to 80 yards broad. The goal (8 feet high by 8 yards wide), the six-yard box immediately in front of the goal, and the 18-yard box must all be the same size, regardless of the overall size.
Fortunately, most NFL and college football stadiums in the United States can accommodate a regulation soccer pitch that meets international standards. Some can’t, because modern NFL stadiums aren’t designed for soccer. Why? Hosting soccer games in NFL stadiums is extremely profitable. Finally, the field is referred to as the ‘pitch’ in soccer lingo.
The Timepiece
The game lasts 90 minutes plus stoppage time at the highest level. There are two 45-minute halves, each ending after stoppage time. When does the game come to a halt? Because the clock in soccer does not stop, the referee puts time back at the end of each half to compensate for breaks in play. The referee gives an estimate of how much time will be added, but it isn’t exact. A 90-minute game will usually take 94 minutes or longer, depending on the referee’s discretion. Players in soccer compete until the referee blows the whistle.
The Arbiter
On the field, there is usually only one referee who controls the whistle and the cards. Cards? Cards, to be precise. The referee in soccer administers punishment by raising a yellow or red card. A yellow card is given to a player who has broken the rules. The referee can issue a red card if the incident is significant. That implies the player must retire from the game permanently, with his team unable to replace him. This is known as ‘playing a man down,’ because it implies the team only has 10 players instead of 11. Two yellow cards for the same player equates to a red card and a dismissal. A team must have at least 7 players on the pitch to play. If a foul occurs inside the 18-yard box, the referee has the option of awarding a penalty. That means the fouled side gets to kick the goalkeeper directly from the penalty spot, which is 12 yards from the goal line.
The Party
Soccer balls are available in a variety of sizes. A young player might start with a size 3, progressing to a size 4 as she or he grows bigger, and finally to the adult size 5 ball. Balls used to be made of leather and have laces. They weren’t waterproof. Imagine kicking that around on a muddy field. Modern soccer balls are mostly constructed of plastic and are remarkably light.
