Soccer 101: Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Soccer

This post is for those of you who may enjoy soccer casually but have forgotten the ins and outs of the game ... mainly the rules. In the next seven days leading up to the World Cup, I will be examining and explaining the finer points of the Beautiful Game so you may find yourself respectably prepared for the world's biggest sporting event: the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

RULES AND OVERVIEW

Soccer (or Association Football) is played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field. The object of the game is to put the ball in the opponent's goal without the use of your arms.

The field: What are all these lines?

The field (or pitch) is typically between 110-120 yards long and 70-80 yards wide. It is divided in half by a white chalk line. The length of the field is denoted by two touch lines. Two goals are centered on the opposite goal lines, running the width of the field. Each goal is bounded by a six yard and an eighteen yard box (known as the goal and penalty boxes, respectively). The rest of the lines are recognized only during specific situations and typically denote the minimum distance players must stand during a particular event (eg. The arc at the top of each penalty box denotes the closest players not involved in taking a penalty kick may stand while the kick is being taken, the center circle denotes the closest players on the team not partaking in a kick off may stand to the kick off).


The Goal and Scoring: Ok, so how do you win this game?

Each team defends a goal 8 yards wide and 8 feet high. A goal is scored when the ball has completely crossed the imaginary plane created by the goal line, two vertical goal posts and the horizontal cross bar. Each team receives one point for each goal scored.


Time Keeping: The clock is counting UP?! When does this game end?
A soccer match consists of two, 45 minute halves. The clock starts at the beginning of each half with the referee's whistle and does not stop for anything until the end of the half. If, during the course of a half, events such as injuries, substitutions, goal celebrations or outside factors have stopped or delayed play, the referee may add, at his or her discretion, more playing time on to the original 45 minutes. This is known as stoppage time.

Each half begins with a kick-off at the center point of the half-way line.


Out of bounds: The ball crossed those white lines, now what?
A ball is considered out of bounds when the entirety of the ball has crossed the entirety of the imaginary plane created by the touch or goal lines. When a ball goes out of bounds, the team who touched it last gives up possession to the other team. If the ball crosses one of the touch lines (or side lines), a throw in is given. If the ball crosses a goal line (but does not count as a goal) and is touched last by the attacking team, a goal kick is given to the defending team and taken from the edge of the six yard goal box. If the ball crosses the goal line and is touched last by the defending team, a corner kick is given to the attacking team.

Tomorrow on Soccer 101: The players