Soccer Rules and Positions In A Day For Dummies

By Michael Lewis and United States Soccer Federation, Inc.

Soccer basics in a day? Easy.

Do you get a kick out of soccer, but need to brush up your knowledge on the key elements of the game? Look no further!

Soccer Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies quickly brings you up to speed on one of the most popular sports in the world. From essential information on the sport to expert coverage of the game's rules, regulations, and players, this book provides invaluable insight to new and veteran fans alike.

• The essential information you need to understand and enjoy soccer
• Expert coverage of the game's rules and regulations
• Helpful breakdowns of soccer positions and their roles in offense and defense
• Online component takes readers beyond the book with bonus content and features

Get set to impress your friends with your newfound knowledge in no time!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Jun 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781118376669

Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis is the host of the podcast Against the Rules. He has published many New York Times bestselling books, including Liar's Poker, The Fifth Risk, Flash Boys, and The Big Short. Movie versions of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Blind Side were all nominated for Academy Awards. He grew up in New Orleans and remains deeply interested and involved in the city but now lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Tabitha Soren, and their children.

Book preview

Introduction

Soccer is a universal sport. People all over the world play it (and in some countries they call the game football or futbol). Soccer Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies introduces you to the basic skills and concepts of the game. Here, you can find out all about the different positions, the rules, and the skills it takes to play — or simply watch! — this oh-so-exciting game.

In this book, we explain all of this information without getting too technical and with the aid of photos and illustrations so you can understand the game better. We also provide links to online content that can enrich your understanding of soccer. We want you to be in the know so you can love this game, whether it’s being played on your neighborhood soccer fields or in one of the huge professional arenas filled with die-hard fans.

What You Can Do In A Day

The goal (no pun intended) of Soccer Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies is to help you understand the basics of soccer. And you can do so in about a day’s time, whether you fill a free afternoon or you dip in and out whenever you find a few spare minutes. We explain the rules of the game; introduce the different player positions; and cover the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, and other essential soccer moves. We wrap it all up with a look at how goalkeepers prevent the other team from scoring.

You can read the chapters straight through and get an overview of the rules and the skills soccer players need, or you can dip in and out, focusing on one aspect of the game — say, working together as a team — and then moving on to the next topic. How you use this book is up to you!

Foolish Assumptions

When creating this book, we assumed that you fall into one of the following categories:

check.png You want to understand the ins and outs of soccer so you can be a better spectator, whether you’re watching a pro or peewee game.

check.png You want to play the game with confidence, whether at the community or school level.

check.png You don’t have a lot of time to gain the knowledge you need to understand the game or boost your skills.

Icons Used in This Book

To help you navigate through this book more clearly, we placed icons — little pictures that point to a particular tip — in the margins. Here are the icons we’ve used:

tip_4c.eps Look for this icon when you want some wise advice, insight, or a shortcut.

remember_4c.eps When you see this icon, you know you’re reading a piece of information that’s especially important to remember.

5minuteexercise.eps Take a break from the text for a quick exercise designed to help you get a better grasp of soccer — this icon shows you what to do.

exploresomemore.eps When you see this icon, head to this book’s companion website at www.dummies.com/inaday/soccerrulesandpositions. Online, you’ll find more-detailed information about topics that we cover in the book.

Chapter 1

Getting Started with Soccer

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding field markings

arrow Getting the lowdown on soccer balls and uniforms

arrow Looking at the all-important World Cup

Soccer — or football as most of the rest of the world calls it — is the most popular sport in the world. It has been around in some shape or form for thousands of years. In fact, there have been times when the number of countries playing this sport has exceeded the number of countries in the United Nations.

Just about every country in the world has a National Team, essentially an all-star team or a group of the best players who represent their nation in various competitions, including the World Cup. These players perform for their club teams and then get together several times during the year to play in international friendlies — exhibition matches — and qualifying games for the World Cup and Olympics. Players are allowed to play for only one country, either the country they were born in or one in which they are a naturalized citizen.

Of course, you don’t need to be a star to play or appreciate soccer. The sport offers something for everyone, whether you’re age 5 or 40. Players compete at several different levels, including youth, amateur, pro, and international levels.

In this chapter, we give you an overview of the game and explain the field markings, the soccer ball, and uniforms.

Soccer: The Basics

Soccer is a relatively simple and easy game to understand and follow (especially if you have this book). The game is comprised of two opposing teams consisting of 11 players each (see Chapter 2 for more about the players and positions). It is officiated by one referee and two assistant referees. The object of the game is for your team to score more goals than the opposition by putting the ball past the opposing team’s goalkeeper and into an 8-foot-x-8-yard (2.4-meter-x-7.3-meter) goal. Each goal counts as one point.

The game kicks off when the referee whistles. A player of the team who won the coin toss has the option of kicking off or picking which end of the field the team wants to defend in the opening half. One team kicks the ball from the center mark — preferably to a