Soccer is played by two teams, each with 11 players. Both teams try to score goals by getting a soccer ball past the opposing goalkeeper and into the goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins.
The Soccer Ball
A traditional soccer ball is made from 32 leather panels, 20 of which are hexagons and 12 of which are pentagons. Soccer balls come in three main sizes, each of which is used by a different age group of players: size 5, size 4, and size 3. A ball in a particular size must meet the specifications set by FIFA, the world governing body of soccer.
Size
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Weight
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Circumference
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Age group
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5
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14–16 oz.
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27–28″
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12+
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4
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12–13 oz.
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25–26″
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8–12
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3
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11–12 oz.
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23–24″
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under 8
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Touching the Ball
The distinguishing feature of soccer is that, other than the lone goaltender on each team, soccer players are not allowed to use their hands, arms, or even the outsides of their shoulders to touch the ball when it’s in bounds (for more on goaltenders and other positions, see Soccer Positions). Instead, players must use their feet, legs, torso, or head to move the ball.
Scoring Goals
A soccer player scores a goal when the entire ball completely crosses the goal line beneath the crossbar and between the goalposts. When the ball touches even the slightest edge of the goal line, it’s not a goal. When a player kicks the ball and it bounces off the goalpost, it’s not a goal. When a ball hits the crossbar and bounces straight down onto the goal line, it’s also not a goal.
Structure of a Soccer Game
A soccer game lasts about 90 minutes. It’s impossible to specify a more exact timeframe than that because of the game clock rules.
Soccer Time vs. Other Sports
Sports such as football, basketball, and hockey use an official game clock to keep track of the time. This game clock stops and starts depending on what’s going on in the game. Soccer also has a game clock, but it differs from the game clocks used in other sports in two ways:
- It’s continuous: The soccer game clock starts ticking the moment the game begins and continues for the entire half (see “Halves,” below), no matter what happens on the field.
- It’s up to the referee: After the clock has counted off 45 minutes, it stops, but the game itself does not stop. This is because the referee, the official who oversees the game, has the power to make allowances for lost time—due to player substitutions, injuries, and time wasting—and add time to the game. This period of additional time is called stoppage time or injury time. Stoppage time typically lasts 1–5 minutes, and the referee alone decides when it ends.
Halves
A soccer game has two halves. Each half is 45 minutes long on the game clock, and both halves end with some period of stoppage time. Between the two halves there is a break, called halftime, which lasts for 15 minutes. After the half, the two teams switch sides of the field, so that each team is trying to score on the goal it had been defending in the previous half.
Extra Time
If the score is even at the end of the second half, soccer games generally end in a tie, or draw. In some tournaments, however, a game must have a winner in order for one team to move on to the next round. In these games, if a game is tied at the end of the second half, the game continues into extra time. Extra time is made up of two 15-minute periods. The entire 30 minutes of extra time is played, and even if one team scores, the game continues until the clock runs out. If both teams score before time runs out, then the game is once again tied.
Penalty Kicks
If a game is still tied after extra time, the game goes into penalty kicks to decide the winner (see “Penalty Kicks” in Soccer Set Plays).
Soccer Game Play
Unlike football or baseball, in which one team is on offense while the other is on defense, soccer is much more fluid. Whichever team has possession of the ball and is driving toward its opponent’s goal becomes the attacking team. But when the other team steals the ball or intercepts a pass, the two teams shift roles instantly. There are also many times during a soccer game when neither team can be said to have the ball. At these times, the ball is called a 50-50 ball, because each team has the same chance of winning it.
Kick-Off
Each half (and each extra time period, if extra time is needed) begins with a kick-off. Kick-offs also restart the game following a goal—the team that was scored on gets to kick off. In a kick-off:
- The ball is placed at the center of the center circle.
- The players on each team must line up on their own side of the field—the side of the field that they’re defending.
- Players on the team that’s kicking off stand near the ball. Players on the opposing team must stand outside the center circle until a player on the team kicking off touches the ball.
- The referee signals that play can begin.
- The ball is considered in play once a player on the team kicking off kicks the ball and the ball moves forward. The player who kicks the ball first can take a shot on the opposing team’s goal, pass the ball a few inches forward or to the side to a teammate, or anything in between. Most teams just tap the ball a few inches to make sure they maintain possession of the ball.
- The player who kicks the ball first can’t touch the ball again until another member of his team touches it.
Ball in Play and Out of Play
After the game begins, the ball can be in one of two states: in play or out of play.
- Ball in play: The ball is in play as long as it stays in bounds and is not stopped by the referee for some reason, such as an injury or a foul. A ball is still in play if it rebounds off the goal frame, the corner flagpost, or the referee, as long as the rebounded ball stays in bounds.
- Ball out of play: The ball is out of play when it goes out of bounds or a goal is scored. Play also stops when the referee calls a foul on a player who breaks the rules of the game. The referee might not call a foul, instead allowing play to continue, when doing so benefits the team that was fouled. When a referee makes this choice it is called giving advantage. When the ball goes out of play, it is returned to play through a set play.
Set Plays
A set play is a play that restarts the action of a soccer game when the ball goes out of play. The type of set play used to restart the action depends on how the ball went out of play. The most common set plays are throw-ins, corner kicks, goal kicks, free kicks, and drop balls (for more on each of these set plays, see Soccer Set Plays).
The Thirds of a Soccer Field
Though the center line divides a soccer field in two, soccer players generally think of the field in terms of thirds:
- The offensive third
- The middle third
- The defensive third
Offensive Third
The offensive third, or front third, is the third of the field closest to the goal in which a team is trying to score. One team’s offensive third of the field is the other team’s defensive third. When a team has the ball in its offensive third, it takes chances in trying to score goals, because losing the ball won’t immediately result in dangerous situations when the other team has an opportunity to score.
Middle Third
The middle third is the middle part of the field. It’s generally in this third of the field that a team builds up its attack on the opposing team’s goal, attempting to move forward into the offensive third of the field.
Defensive Third
The defensive third, or back third, is the part of the field closest to the goal that a team is trying to defend. Because mistakes made in the defensive third can result in a goal for the opposition, a team tends to be careful with the ball when it has possession of it in its defensive third of the field.