Soccer Slang

advantage - A situation in which an attacking player has been fouled, but still has an obvious advantage over the other team. Play is allowed to continue to allow the attacker an attempt to score.

attacking - The movement of the ball into the opponent's end in an attempt to score a goal.

back-heeling - A pass to a teammate made with the heel of the foot.

ball control - The ability to keep possession of the ball through the use of fancy moves, trapping, etc.

banana kick - A long ball that swerves to the left or to the right of its intended target.

bicycle kick - An extremely difficult aerial move in which a player jumps from the ground from the foot that will kick the ball and begins a backflip-like movement. The opposite foot gains momentum to propel the planting foot into the air. If the timing is just right, the player's foot will connect with the ball as it is directly over his head. The ball then travels parallel to the ground in the opposite direction the player was originally facing. This move is most commonly used by strikers attempting to score off crosses.

booking - The process in which the referee takes a player's name and number, usually after receiving a red or yellow card.

breakaway - A situation where an attacking player has broken through the defensive line and is now entering a one-on-one challenge with the goal keeper.

challenging - Making movements and/or actions towards an opponent that force him/her to make a mistake or to pass the ball.

chip pass - A pass intended to go over a defender's head where the ball is snapped up with a quick ankle motion.

come to - A signal to a teammate that you want him/her to run towards the ball in order to receive a pass.

corner - A free-kick awarded to an attacking team when a defender plays the ball across the goal line (not between the goal posts).

cross - A ball played in the air from a location near the touch line into the middle of the field. The target is usually somewhere in or around the 18-yard box.

cross-over - An attacking technique where two players begin by making runs parallel to one another. They then switch their direction and begin moving in the direction of the other player in an attempt to lose their defenders.

3D's of defense - delay the attack, destroy the attack, develop the counter-attack.

decoy runs - Runs made by attackers for the pure purpose of drawing a defender and opening up space for a teammate.

deflection - Sometimes on a shot on the goal the ball may touch a defender or another attacker. This will make the ball travel in a new direction, making it more difficult for the goalie to save.

direct free-kick - A free kick that a goal may be scored directly off of.

diving header - When a player jumps parallel to the ground in order to strike the ball with his head. It is mostly used to score goals by attacking players.

diving save - A spectacular scene where a goalie leaps towards the ball, grabs it, and then lands on his side in the grass.

dribbling - The process of running and making small, controlled passes to oneself.

drop ball - A method of restarting play after a technical foul (ex. injuries, ball contact with a foreign agent, etc.)

drop kick - A goalie's method of returning a ball into play. He drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground, much like a volley.

dummy - A pass made to a player who then allows the ball to roll through his legs (without him ever touching it) to another player.

execution - This is what the game of soccer boils down to. The team that can execute its passes and shots the quickest and most efficiently will win the game.

far post / near post - A signal to your teammate that you want him/her to cross the ball near the far goal post or the near goal post.

F.I.F.A. - Federation International Football Association. The world-wide governing body on soccer laws, tournaments, etc. They can be reached on the web at http://www.fifa.com.

flick - A quick snapping movement of the ankle that propels the ball just over a defenders' head. This usually passes the ball to another player, but it can be flicked on to oneself. It is possible to flick the ball with your head as well.

follow-through - The continued forward movement of the leg after the ball has been released. It is very important to carry this out in the direction of the target when taking a shot on goal.

formations - The different methods of arranging a team of players on the field. It includes specifying how many defenders, midfielders, and strikers there will be.

foul - Any infringement on the laws of the game.

get back - A signal to your teammates that you need them to run back and help out the defensive line, usually because they are outnumbered or an opportunity for the opponents is developing.

give and go - This is an effective tactic in which Player 1 passes the ball to nearby Player 2. Player 1 then makes a run into space, and Player 2 will pass the ball back to Player 1.

goal difference - The number of goals separating one team's score from another.

goal - Given the value of one point in a match. A goal is awarded to the attacking team when the ball has completely crossed the goal line between the goal posts and beneath the crossbar of the defending team.

half-volley - Playing the ball after it has bounced once with one touch after receiving it.

header - A goal scored by an attacking player that used his head to propel the ball into the net.

hold - A signal to your teammate with the ball to let him know that help is on its way from an overlapping player.

I'm in - A signal to your teammate that you have entered the 18-yard box and are awaiting a cross.

indirect free-kick - A free kick that a goal may not be directly scored off of. The ball must be played by another player before a goal will be allowed.

instep - The inside part of your foot, commonly used for precision passing.

intercepting - The act of getting in between an opponent and the ball, and then taking the ball from your opponent.

jockeying - The movements associated with defending against your opponent. It is necessary to slow their actions down, or wait until they make a mistake with their dribbling, in order to give your team time to get back to offer support.

juggling - The act of keeping a ball off the ground by a single person or a group of people. All body parts may be used except the limbs (just like in a game). A 15 year old friend of mine has a record of more than 500 consecutive juggles!

kick-off - The method of starting play at the beginning of the match. The referee and the two team captains decide on who gets first ball and who gets choice of side.

laces - The part of the foot covered by the shoe's laces. This area of the foot is most commonly used for power shooting or for sending long balls.

laying the ball off - A pass from a player into open space for another player to gain control of.

let it go - If the ball is rolling to the touch line or the goal line, it can be a signal to your teammate to allow the ball to exit the field of play. This should only be called when an opponent was the last player to touch the ball, so that you will have possession for the throw-in or goal kick.

lifting the ball - Any shot or pass that causes the ball to go into the air. This may be accomplished by leaning back when you are in contact with the ball.

man on - A signal yelled out to a teammate indicating that an opponent is about to challenge him/her for the ball.

man-to-man guarding - A system of play where each player is assigned a check, and it is his job to stay on that player when the opponents have control of the ball. When his team regains possession, he must lose his check and move into open space.

narrowing the angle - A goal keeper will try to make a player on breakaway play the ball to one side by moving out from his goal area.

officials - The referee, linespersons, and fourth official make up the officials for a soccer match.

offside - A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage by being in that position. You cannot be offside on a goal-kick, corner kick, or throw-in.

offside position - A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.

offside trap - A defensive tactic used to catch the opposing strikers off guard. As soon as the ball is cleared by the defense, the entire defensive line rushes towards the center line, leaving the strikers in an off-side position.

one-touch pass - A pass where the player must play the ball with only touching the ball once. There is no room for a control touch.

overlapping - If an attacker on the wing cannot cross the ball because an opponent prevents him, the attack can be kept moving by a pass to an overlapping player who runs up on his outside. The overlapper may then be able to find space to cross.

passing - The movement of the ball from one player to another.

practice - A training session where a team may run through drills, learn about set plays, scrimmage, etc.

penalty kick - It is awarded against a team which commits one of the ten offences for which a direct free kick is awarded, inside its own penalty area and while the ball is in play. A goal may be scored directly off a penalty kick. The ball is placed on the penalty mark, and everybody is removed from the 18-yard box except the shooter and the goal keeper.

positions - All of the different locations a player may play. Some of the more common positions include striker, midfielder, defender, sweeper, rover, and goal keeper.

punching - A goal keeper may use a clenched fist to hit a ball away from the goal mouth.

red card - An ejection from the game. A player may be thrown out of a game for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting at an opponent or any other person, deliberately handling the ball in an attempt to prevent an obvious goal scoring opportunity, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick, using offensive, insulting or abusive language, or if he receives a second caution in the same match.

restarts - All of the different methods that the ball may be brought into play.

riding pine - A term used by players that are seeing very little game time. The bench is their friend.

scoring - To have the ball pass completely across the goal line, between the two goal posts and beneath the crossbar of the opponent.

screening the ball - Stand in the way of the goal keeper's view of the ball, preventing him from seeing where the shot is coming from.

send me - A signal to your teammates that you want one of them to kick the ball down the field. This is most commonly used down the sides of the fields, but can also be used in the middle to create a breakaway. It helps if your strikers are faster than the opponent's defenders for this tactic to work.

set play - A series of pre-planned movements and actions that are used to trick the defense on any number of restarts.

shoot-out - Teams take alternating penalty shots in order to decide the winner of a tie game (only after overtime has been played).

short goal-kick - A tactic used when one of the defenders is left uncovered on a goal-kick. The ball is passed to the uncovered player on the ground just outside the 18-yard box, who is then able to turn and setup a play. The player with the ball should pass the ball quickly to reduce the chances of possible scoring opportunities.

slide tackle - A 'last resort' method of checking an opponent. The defender bends one leg and extends the other as he slides along the ground towards the attacking player and the ball. The bent leg is the leg that is slid on, and the extended leg is used to regain possession of the ball and 'trip up' the attacker.

square ball - A ball passed on the ground that is parallel to the touch lines on the field.

substitutions - Players that are put in the game in order to give the other players a rest, to put fresh legs on the field, to start to make something happen, etc.

support - A signal to a teammate in front of you that you are behind them and are open. If they cannot beat their opponent or cannot find a place to pass the ball, they will turn around and pass the ball back.

sweeper - The last line of defense for a team. This player hangs back behind the defensive line, "sweeping" up any loose balls and eliminating any attack threats.

tackling - The entire process of challenging and beating opponent for a ball.

target man - A stationary player that stands near the top of the 18-yard box of the opponent's half of the field. When the ball is passed to him, he lays it off to either side for another attacker to have a crack on net.

throw-in - The method used to restart play when the ball has been played across one of the touchlines.

time - A signal to your teammate with the ball that there are no opponents challenging him.

time-wasting - A deliberate attempt to keep the ball out of play longer than is necessary. For example, a player may hammer a ball across the touchline when only a small touch is necessary to play it out.

training -The entire process of keeping in shape, practicing fine ball skills, and keeping motivated in the off-season.

trapping - The process of bringing a ball in the air under control with your head, chest, thighs, instep, laces, etc.

turning - If a midfielder or a striker receives a pass from a defender, he must rotate his body 180 degrees. If there aren't any opponents covering him, the player's teammates may call "Turn" to let him know that it is safe to control the ball turn.

two-touch pass - A pass that allows the player to touch the ball once to control it, and then a second time to play it to a teammate.

volley - Playing the ball as it is in the air directly with the feet.

wall of players - A defensive tactic used when the opponent has been awarded a free-kick near the goal. A group of players (usually 3 or 4), guided by their goal keeper, will line up between the ball and the goal. Their job is to prevent a direct shot on goal.

warming up - The running, stretching, and passing that gets a player prepared for the practice or game.

wingers - The players that play the closest to the touchlines. Their job is to take the ball down the wing and then play it into the goal area.

yellow card - A caution issued by the referee to a player. It may be given to a player who is guilty of unsporting behavior, shows dissent by word or action, persistently infringes the Laws of the Game, delays the restart of play, fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or a free-kick, enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee's permission, or deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee's permission.

zonal marking system - A system of play where each player is assigned a zone on the field. Each player is then responsible for covering any opponents that may enter his zone.