Descriptionary

curling the ball see banana pass.

cut down the angle the goalie's defensive tactic of running out to meet an opponent with the ball to cut down the opponent's visible shooting area to the goal.

defender a fullback or halfback.

direct free kick a direct free kick awarded to a team that has been seriously fouled by the opposing team.

dribble to propel the ball forward with light taps of the feet.

drop ball in a nonpenalty stoppage, a method of restarting play in which the referee drops the ball between two opposing players.

dropkick to drop the ball and kick it as it bounces, a kick made by the goalie.

drop pass stopping the ball while on the move and then leaving it or passing it backward to a player moving up from behind.

face off two opposing players facing each other during a drop ball.

feinting faking a move to elude an opponent.

flick to crisply pass or jab the ball with the outside of the foot. Also, to bounce the ball off the head for a pass or an attempted goal.

football another name for soccer. Also, the soccer ball.

forward a front line offensive player, responsible for moving the ball close to an opponent's goal and taking shots.

fullback a defender in the last line of defense in front of a goal.

ghost to face into the background or play casually in the hope of being left undefended at a later, more critical time.

give-and-go to pass to a player, break away from a defender, and then receive a quick return pass.

goalie the goalkeeper.

goalkeeper the player who guards the goal to pre­vent shots from entering the net and scoring. The goalie.

goal line the boundary line at either end of the field.

goals against average the statistic indicating the average number of goals a goalie allows per game.

hack to kick an opponent, a foul.

hacker a dirty player who frequently commits fouls against opponents.

halfback one of several midfield players involved in offense and defense.

half-volley kick kicking the ball the instant it bounces up from the ground.

handballing illegally touching the ball with the hands.

hat trick three goals scored by the same player in a single game.

heading propelling the ball with the head.

head trap stopping an in-flight ball with the head.

heavy pitch a slow playing field, such as one that is wet or has long grass.

heel pass kicking a pass with the back of the foot. hitch kick see bicycle kick.

indoor soccer soccer played on a smaller field with fewer players (six per team instead of the standard 11) and slightly different rules.

inside left, inside right the inside forwards on the left or right sides of the field.

jockeying maneuvering or shepherding an oppo­nent with the ball into a more tightly defended area.

juggling keeping the ball in the air by bouncing it continuously on the knees, feet, or head.

kill the ball to stop or trap a moving ball.

linesman one of two officials who assist the referee in making calls.

linkman a midfielder or halfback. lob a high, arcing pass or shot.

major penalty a penalty in which the offending team must play short a player for five minutes.

marking guarding an opponent.

midfielders the offensive and defensive positions in the middle of the field.

MISL Major Indoor Soccer League.

NASL North American Soccer League.

nutmeg to kick the ball between a defender's legs and continue on down the field.

offside being in an illegal position on the opponent's side of the field, specifically between the goal line and the ball, the instant the ball is played with less than two opponents nearer the goal.

offside trap a strategic play to lure an opponent into an offside position in order to gain possession of the ball.

off the ball away from the ball.

outside left, outside right the forwards on the out­side right or outside left of the field. Also known as wings or wingers.

penalty arc outside each penalty area in front of the goal, a half radius from which penalty kicks are made.

penalty area in front of and around the goal, the 44-yard by 18-yard marked rectangular area from within which a goalie may handle the ball. A foul committed in this area results in a penalty kick being awarded to the offended team.

penalty kick a direct free kick taken from the pen­alty arc or penalty spot.

pitch the traditional name for a soccer field.

placekick to kick a ball that has been set motionless on the ground.

policeman a center back; the central backfield defender.

power play in indoor soccer, the man advantage of one team when the other team has temporarily lost a player due to a time penalty.