Soccer Terms

			attack	to make a forceful attempt to score a goal
			attacker	a player that has possession of the ball
			away game	a game played at the opponent's ground
			away team	the team that is visiting the opponent's ground
			ball	the hollow sphere that players kick in soccer
			beat	to defeat
			bench	a long seat for several people
			captain	the player who leads and directs the other players on the field
			centre circle	a circular marking in the centre of the field from which kickoffs are taken
			champions	a team that has beaten all other teams in a sporting contest
			changing rooms	the rooms where players dress to play
			cheer	to shout in encouragement and give support
			coach	a person who trains a team
			corner kick	a restart of the game where the ball is kicked from one of the four corners of the field
			cross	a pass from an attacking player near the sideline to a team player in the middle or on the opposite side of the field (also a verb) crossbar the horizontal beam across the top of a goal
			crossbar	the horizontal beam across the top of a goal
			defend	to resist an attack
			defenders	the players that do not have possession of the ball
			draw	a game that ends with both teams having the same number of goals
			dropped ball	a way of restarting the game where the referee drops the ball between two players
			equalizer	a goal that makes the score even (the same for both teams)
			extra time	a further period of play added on to the game if the scores are equal
			field	the rectangular, grass area where a game is played
			field markings	the straight and curved white lines painted onto the field
			FIFA	Federation Internationale de Football Association; the official body of international football
			FIFA World Cup	a solid gold statue given to the champion of each World Cup tournament to keep for the next 4 years
			first half	the first 45 minutes of the game, before half-time
			fit	in form, in good health
			fixture	a game played on a particular date
			fixture list	a programme of games
			forward	one of the three or four players on a team who play at the front and are responsible for most of the scoring
			foul	an unfair or invalid piece of play, against the rules
			free kick	a kick given to a player for a foul by the opposition; the player kicks the ball without any opposing players within ten feet of him
			friendly game	a game that is not part of a serious contest
			goal	1. a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar, winning one point 2. the structure consisting of two posts linked by a crossbar into which all goals are scored
			goal area	the rectangular area 18 meters wide by 5 meters deep in front of each goal
			goal kick	a way of restarting the game where the ball is kicked from inside the goal area away from the goal
			goal line	the boundary or line at each end of the field
			goalkeeper, goalie	the player in front of the goal who tries to stop the other team scoring
			goalpost	one of the two upright posts of the goal, 8 feet high
			goal scorer	a player who puts the ball into the goal and so "scores a goal"
			ground	the place where a game is played
			half-time	the 5-minute rest period between the first half and second half
			hand ball	a foul, when a player touches the ball with his arm or hand
			header	the striking of the ball by a player with his head
			home	a team's own ground
			hooligan	a violent troublemaker
			injury	a wound suffered by a player (for example: broken leg, sprained ankle)
			injured player	a player who has been hurt or wounded
			injury time	time added to the end of the first or second half to compensate for time lost because of player injuries
			kick	the start of a game, or restart after a goal, when a player kicks the ball forwards
			kick-off	the start of a game, or restart after a goal, when a player kicks the ball forwards
			Laws of the Game	the 17 main rules for football established by FIFA
			league	a group of teams that play each other for competition
			linesman	the 2 officials who help the referee; they watch the sidelines and goal lines
			match	a game of football
			midfield	a region of the field near the midfield line
			midfield line	a line that runs across the centre of the field; centre line; halfway line
			midfield player	the players that play behind the forwards
			national team	the team representing a particular country or nation
			net	the mesh of cord hung over and behind the goal; can also mean the goal itself
			opposing team	a team playing against another team
			own goal	a mistake, when a team places the ball inside its own goal
			pass	when a player kicks the ball to a teammate
			penalty area	a rectangular area in front of the goal, 40 meters wide 16 meters by deep
			penalty kick, penalty shot	a kick from the penalty spot by a player against the opposing goal keeper; awarded for the most serious violations of the rules or used in the event of a draw
			penalty spot	the small circle 11 meters in front of the goal
			pitch	the football field
			possession	control of the ball
			red card	a small card, red in colour, that the referee holds up to show that a player must leave the game for very bad behaviour
			referee	the chief official; he starts and stops play, makes all decisions about the rules, and acts as timekeeper
			score (verb)	to put the ball into the goal and gain a point
			score (noun)	the amount of goals for each team
			score a hat trick	when one player gets three goals in the same game
			scorer	a player who scores or gets a goal
			scoreboard	a large panel or other display that shows the current score or number of goals for each side
			second half	the second 45 minutes of the game, after half-time
			send a player off	when the referee tells a player to leave the field for bad behaviour
			side	one of the two teams playing a game
			sideline	the line that runs along the length of the field on each side; touchline
			spectator	a person who watches a game (or other performance)
			stadium	a special sports ground with seats for spectators where football (or another game) is played
			striker	a team's best forward who plays near the centre of the field
			studs	small points on the underneath of a player's boots to help prevent slipping
			substitute	a player who replaces another player on the field
			tackle	to try to take the ball away from another player by kicking or stopping it with the feet
			team	the members of one side
			tie	when two teams have scored the same number of goals in a game; a draw
			ticket tout	a person who tries to sell tickets at a price higher than the official price
			tiebreaker	a way of choosing the winner of a game when both teams have the same number of goals, for example by a series of penalty kicks
			to keep goal	to be the goal keeper or goalie
			to score a goal	to put the ball into the goal or net
			to shoot at goal	to kick the ball towards the goal
			touch line	the line that runs along the length of the field on each side; sideline
			underdog	a team that is not expected to win
			unsporting behaviour	rude or bad conduct
			whistle	the instrument that the referee blows to create a loud, high-pitched sound
			winger	a forward who plays to the side of the striker or strikers
			World Cup	the international soccer competition between nations, organized by FIFA every 4 years
			yellow card	a small card, yellow in colour, that the referee holds up to warn a player for bad behavior