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World Cup 2014: Terminology guide

By Mike Dyce

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ADVANTAGE RULE: This is similar to something done in other American sports like hockey or lacrosse and even football. When there is a foul, sometimes play is allowed to continue as long as the team that committed the foul hasn’t gained possession or an advantage, and when that does occur the referee will blow the play dead. Blowing the play dead immediately might penalize the team that didn’t cause the foul.

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ASSIST: Self explanatory to sports fans, the act of another player creating a scoring opportunity for a teammate.

BALL IN AND OUT OF PLAY: The out of bounds rule in soccer is a little bit less strict than in American sports. A player can be out of bounds and can control the ball in-bounds. Equally the ball is not out of bounds till it is entirely past the line, meaning if any part of the ball is on the line it is still in play. The ball theoretically could be touching the ground outside the line, and part of it hanging over the line would keep it in-bounds.

BICYCLE KICK: When a player jumps in the air and kicks the ball out of mid-air overhead. Watch Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney score on a bicycle kick in this video below:

BOX: It is the area at the end of the field that surrounds the goal, also referred to as the penalty area or 18-yard box. There is a smaller version that is near the goal.

CLEAN SHEET: The soccer version of a shut out, no goals were conceded.

CLEAR: Similar to hockey, when the ball is in front of the goal and a threat and a defender gets it out of harms way.

DEAD BALL: When play is stopped and the ball is not moving, it is a dead ball. All free kicks, including penalty kicks, have to be taken from a dead — i.e., stationary — ball.

FIELD: Probably an obvious term, but all fields aren’t the same. The length (from 100 to 130 yards) must always be greater than the width (50 to 100 yards). In the United States, narrow fields are a problem because they’re usually on fields built for football which plays on a narrower field with a width of 53 yards. Ideally the minimum width would be 70 yards.

FIFTY-FIFTY BALL: Another term used in other sports regarding a loose ball, or a badly placed pass, that is as near to a player of one team as it is to a player of the opposing team, and both have an equal chance of controlling it.

GOAL: I think you know this one.

GOALKEEPER: Another easy term, but sometimes shortened to just keeper as opposed to “goalie” in hockey.

HAND BALL: When a player uses their hand to touch the ball, whether to knock down a pass or block a shot. Oddly the ball touching the arm anywhere below the armpit is considered a hand ball.

HEAD: To use your head to advance the ball, whether it be a pass or shooting. Sometimes referred to as a “header.”

LINESMAN: Term for the assistant referee on the touchline who determines offsides and out-of-bounds balls.

MARK: The act of one player specifically defending another player, similar to the idea in basketball of one player guarding another.

NATIONAL TEAM: Important because it is the World Cup after all, the national team is a collection of the best players from that country in an international competition such as this one.

OFFSIDE: When an offensive player gets behind the last defensive player before a ball was last touched or passed. A player is also offside, not offsides.

OWN GOAL: The biggest mistake of any defense, when a goal is scored against a team by a member of said team.

PENALTY: The correct term for what is more commonly called a penalty kick. When a player is awarded a free kick it is a “foul” but when it occurs inside the box, or penalty box, it is a penalty. Makes sense right? The player is awarded a penalty kick from a spot in the box with just the goalkeeper to beat. Remember, it is only a penalty in the box.

PITCH: An English word for the sports field.

PROMOTION and RELEGATION: Similar to baseball in America, there are different levels of professional soccer in other countries. If you’re in the second-tier in England and you finish at the top of the certain spots of the standings you get bumped up to the top-flight, the Premier League. If you finish in the bottom three spots in the rankings in the Premier League in England you get bumped down to the second-tier to make room for those promoted teams.

PUNT: Not really an effective measure in soccer like football, but it is similar. A punt is when a goalkeeper boots the ball down field but it is hard to be effective and get it to a teammate for various reasons.

REFEREE: You know this answer, but it is the guy on the field in a uniform that doesn’t match the others. They don’t wear stripes.

SCISSOR KICK: Like a bicycle kick, but it isn’t over the head and more sideways.

SIDELINES: Also called touchlines. A ball that goes out of play over the sidelines is said to have gone into touch.

SPOT-KICK: Another name for a penalty kick, a shot taken when the ball is placed on the spot in front of the goal.

TACKLE: Not like an American tackle, there are too different versions. The slide tackle is when a player slides at a ball at the feet of an opponent, but can only make contact with the ball. The other is more of a shoulder bump to jockey for position with an opponent and knock them off the ball and off their run.

TOUCHLINE: The sideline.

TRANSFER FEE: This doesn’t really apply in the World Cup but you might hear them use it when referring to players during the tournament.

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