Sally Cook - How to Speak Soccer: From Assist to Woodwork: an Illustrated Guide to Pitch-Perfect Jargon

HOW to SPEAK

SALLY COOK and ROSS MACDONALD

From Assist to Woodwork:
An Illustrated Guide to
Pitch-Perfect Jargon

In memory of
Cindy and Charlie Crockett

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Soccer has been a favorite sport all over the world for many years, and its popularity in America has been rapidly growing for decades. For soccer, as with any sport, getting acquainted with the lingo greatly increases the enjoyment of the game.

For example, you may be confused when you hear fans go on and on about cards. Are they talking poker or soccer? How about when a reporter refers to group of death, striker, booking, or sudden death? You might possibly think youre listening to a homicide investigation. When an announcer speaks of a nutmeg or a banana kick, is he offering up some ingredients for dessert? Nope, the announcers, reporters, and fans are most likely just speaking a little soccer.

In this book weve pulled together the most commonly used vernacular and paired some of these terms with zany illustrations that are as intriguing as the language. Weve also included various players nicknames and teams nicknames. Here youll find amusing stories plus some history of the sport. We hope that after reading How to Speak Soccer, youll be able to converse with your fellow soccer devotees in no time.

Minutes tacked on before halftime or at the end of the game, at the referees discretion, due to excessive flopping, fouling, or injuries during the course of play, which causes play to stop although the clock does not. Added time makes up for the time that is lost while the play was stopped. It is unavoidable, which explains why you will usually see play continue after the clock has reached ninety minutes. Also called stoppage time or injury time.

ADDED TIME

The combined score of two games. Many of soccers most important club competitions are played on a knockout basis or in an elimination tournament. To decide which teams will play against each other, a draw is conducted. The two clubs drawn as a pair play each other twice, a home and an away game. The winner is then decided by simply adding together the scores from the two games. That is the aggregate score. For example, if the score in one Manchester United vs. Arsenal game was Manchester 2, Arsenal 1, and the second game was Manchester 5, Arsenal 0, the aggregate score would be Manchester 7, Arsenal 1.

If the aggregate score is tied, then the winner is the club that scored more goals on its opponents field, usually referred to as the aggregate away-goals rule. If the score is still tied under the away-goals rule, then thirty minutes of overtime are played (usually not sudden death). If that doesnt produce a result, then a penalty shoot-out is used to decide the tie.

A freestyle juggling trick. When a player kicks the ball in the air and then swings his leg in a circular motion before kicking it again while in midair.

AROUND THE WORLD

A pass that leads to a goal scored.

The third portion of the field that contains the other teams goal. The offensive team takes greater risks in this zone. Also called defensive third.