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Count Me In!
Lisa Greathouse
Image Credits
Cover Jupiterimages/Getty Images; p.3 kaarsten/Shutterstock; p.4 top: Susan Leggett/
Dreamstime; p.4 bottom: aabejon/iStockphoto; p.5 top: poco_bw/iStockphoto; p.5 inset:
zentilia/Shutterstock; p.6 monkeybusinessimages/iStockphoto; p.7 top: toda pasion/
todapasion.tn.com.ar p.7 bottom: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock p.8 aabejon/
iStockphoto; p.9 top: mountainpix/Shutterstock; p.9 bottom: fstockfoto/Shutterstock; p.10
bowdenimages/iStockphoto; p.11 top: Cal Sport Media/Newscom; p.11 bottom: sonya
etchison/Shutterstock; p.12 Cal Sport Media/Newscom; p.13 Ronald Sumners/Shutterstock:
p.14 top: Monkey Business Images/iStockphoto; p.14 bottom: Nikola Bilic/Shutterstock; p.15
JLBarranco/iStockphoto; p.16 top: Lovattpics/iStockphoto; p.16 bottom: Stephanie Swartz/
Shutterstock; p.16 inset: Kellis/Shutterstock; p.17 bonniej/iStockphoto; p.17 inset: Ljupco
Smokovski/Shutterstock; p.18 ColorBlind LLC/Photolibrary; p.19 bonniej/iStockphoto; p.20
top: Cade Martin/Photolibrary; p.20 inset: Peshkov Daniil/Shutterstock; p.21 top: strickke/
iStockphoto, p.21 inset: Le Do/Shutterstock; p.22 bonniej/iStockphoto; p.23 creativedoxfoto/
Shutterstock; p.24 bonniej/iStockphoto; p.25 sjlocke/iStockphoto; p.26 top: bowdenimages/
iStockphoto; p.26 inset: kaarsten/Shutterstock; p.27 sjlocke/iStockphoto; back cover Le Do/
ShutterstockBased on writing from TIME For Kids.
TIME For Kids and the TIME For Kids logo are registered trademarks of TIME Inc.
Used under license.
Teacher Created Materials
5301 Oceanus Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030
http://www.tcmpub.com
ISBN 978-1-4333-3638-6
2012 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Reprinted 2013
Consultant
Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Publishing Credits
Dona Herweck Rice, Editor-in-Chief
Lee Aucoin, Creative Director
Conni Medina, M.A.Ed., Editorial Director
Jamey Acosta, Editor
Robin Erickson, Designer
Stephanie Reid, Photo Editor
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed., Publisher
Synched Read-Along Version by:
Triangle Interactive LLC
PO Box 573
Prior Lake, MN 55372
ISBN-13: 978-1-68444-815-9 (e-book)
Table of Contents
Going for the Goal! ........................
Championship Dreams ..................
The Best Teams Around ..............
Game Day .......................................
Close Call! ......................................
New Team, New Challenge ..........
Glossary ......................................... 28
Going for the Goal!
Run, pass, and kick the ball into the
goal! Soccer is so much fun! But it takes
a lot of hard work.
Soccer is a very simple game. To
play, all you need is a field, two goals, and
a ball. Players try to get the ball into the
other teams goal. Your hands cant touch
the ball. The team that scores the most
goals wins.
Did You Know?
More people play soccer than
any other sport. Its called
football all over the world
except in North America.
Championship Dreams
If your team works hard, you may
even get to play in the big tournament .
That means you get to keep playing after
the regular season is over.
It is a big honor to play in the
tournament. But it also means you and
your team must get ready to play the best
teams around. That means more practice.
History of Soccer
The game of
soccer dates back
about 4,000 years.
The Chinese
played a game
called Tsu Chu .
It means kicking
the ball with feet.
Your coach may set a new practice
schedule (SKEJ-ool). During the regular
season, you may have practiced once a
week for one hour. Now, the coach may
want your team to practice three times a
week for a total of four hours a week.
Tournament Practice Schedule
Monday Wednesday Friday
4:00 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 4:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M.
Based on this tournament practice schedule,
how long do players practice every week?
The tournament games are on the
weekend. That means you may be on the
soccer field five times in one week. Its a
good thing your team loves to play!
World Cup
The World Cup is the worlds
biggest soccer tournament.
This international contest is
held every four years.
The Best Teams Around
The best teams from all over the
region come to play at the tournament.
If your team beats the first opponent, you
get to move on to the second round. If
you lose, you are out of the tournament.