Soccer Terms

Posted: Jan 25, 2006

Jan. 25, 2006

1-2 - Essentially, a give-and-go

1V1 - 1V1

50/50 ball - A loose ball contested by players from each team.

A gong - to have a shot at goal

Advantage - When an official allows play to continue for the attacking team even though a foul occurred.

African - Passing the ball one way around a defender and running the other way and retrieving the ball.

Air-mail - A shot or chip sent way over the intended target.

Ambitious ball - An overly aggressive pass which had little chance of success.

Ambush - 2 or more players corner a player thus not allowing them to get the ball out.

Anchor - outside player who attacks from the flank

And-again - See wall pass, 1-2.

Assist - The pass which leads to a goal.

Assistant Referee - the referee's assistants; one each 2 of the touchlines lined up to the second to the last defender

'Ave It ! - shoot already!

Away - Tells a defender to get the ball out their end of the field.

Back - Pass ball straight behind you.

Back and Face - Following an attack, when midfield players are in advanced positions, this is an instruction to return to their positions and face the opponents ready for the counter attack.

Back Door - The furthest goalpost from the ball. (UK)

Back of Square - Player is just behind a square ball to allow space in case of a bad pass.

Backdoor Burglar - A player that comes from behind and steals the ball from the opponent

Balance - Used to describe the concurrent presence of coverage by a team in important areas on the pitch.

Ball Watching - defender loses site of his mark (ex. forward) because he is looking at just where the ball is.

Banana Kick - A kick that makes the ball bend or swerve in the air instead of going straight.

Bangoo - a crossed ball from the end line that is sent to the penalty spot

Beauty - Reference to anything beautiful. Example -nice goal , great play.

Bending Ball - See banana kick.

Bicycle Kick - A spectacular backwards kick that ends with the player on his back and the ball going the other direction.

Boodles - when your leg gives out and fall to the left side but still get the kick to your other teammate

Booking - When a player commits a foul and either receives a yellow or red card.

Boots - Term used for soccer cleats.

Box It - cross the ball into the 18 yard box

Brazilian Bunkup - A celebration performed by Brazilians after scoring.

Bump - When goal keeper uses fist to block a goal

Bunny-Ball - Playing a ball to another player in a terrible position in order to make that player look bad.

Caps - Great defender. No one can capitalize over the mad defense skill.

Cap - A recognition earned by a player for each appearance in an international game for his country.

Caught Square - When two or more defenders have been beaten by a through ball because they were positioned in a straight line or square to one another.

Center - A lateral pass to the inside, similar to a "square pass.

Center Half - Central Defender, played flat with the defensive line.

Challenge - To "challenge" the player with the ball.

Channel - Space between centre half and full back into which a pass can be played for an attacking player to run onto.

Charge the Ball - Not waiting for the ball to come to you, but instead running up on the ball and taking it from your opponent.

Check to - An offensive player running towards the ball carrier and usually calling for a pass.

Chip - A pass made by a stabbing motion of the kicking foot to the lower half of the ball to loft it over the heads of opponents.

Chip Shot - A shot aimed over the goalies head

Chop - A deliberate change of direction with the ball usually using the inside of the foot.

Clean Sheet - A shutout for the goalkeeper.

Clear or Clearance - Usually used in the defensive 1/3 of field. To play the ball out of the area taking away the opponents chances of offense.

Close Down - When a defender gets close to the attacker without letting the attacker get by him with the ball.

Contain - Do not allow a person with ball to beat you on the dribble.

Corner Kick - Kick by the attacking team from the corner

Cover - To provide defensive cover to the defender pressuring the ball.

Cross - Pass or kick the ball across the mouth of the opponent's goal.

Cryuff Cut - when you cut the ball back between your legs

Cut Back - A pass back up the field esp in frount of goal or where the defenders are running and therefore unable to quickly respond.

Dangerous Kick - when you kick the ball in the air and your foot is over your shoulder

Dangle - to deek out the opposing player. Many players seem to think they can dangle. But usually just end up looking like a idiot.

Dispossess - To take the ball away from a dribbler.

Dive - To fall down deliberately with the intention of fooling the referee into giving a foul.

Dolly - take the ball and bounce at an angle off player to another player

Don't Dive - Telling a defender to stay on his feet against a dribbler.

Double-Teaming - 2 people are guarding the same person. That means one player from the other team will not be guarded.

Dream Sequence - A header goal off of a corner kick-perfect and dreamlike.

Dribble - To keep the ball from the other team by kicking it between your two feet and around the other team.

Drills - all

Drive - Hitting a low, hard shot on goal with the instep.

Drop - To pass the ball back to a supporting player.

Drop and Mark - The defending team needs to move to their goal, picking up and marking opponents.

Drop Ball - referee droping ball

Drop In - support on defense

Dummy - To let the ball go past or through your legs to a teammate.

Dummy Run - A run by player without the ball to draw one or more defenders away from the area under attack.

Earn your Shirt - Put in the effort in practice to get to play in the game.

End line - Boundry lines at the goal ends of the pitch

Eyebrows - A flick on header at the near post from a corner-Ron Atkinson classic.

Face up - Face the direction of the ball. Don't turn back on ball during any stoppage of play.

Far Post - The goal post furthest from the ball.

Farrelly - An over aggressive player

field goal - When ball is blasted over the net {looks good that's all}.

Finish - When a player shoots the ball into the goal using anything but an instep kick.

Fire - Alerting a team they are Offside

First time - Shoot or pass the ball with the first touch.

Flat pass - pass to your left or right.

Flick - Advance the ball past the defenders for a teammate.

Foul - intentionally tripping, hitting, pushing etc. another player of the other team.

Forward - Position in front of the opposition goal, more creative thant the Striker.

Free kick - An unobstructed kick of a stationary ball, as in soccer or Rugby, especially one awarded when the opposition commits a foul.

Front - A move by a forward to play with the back to the defender (goal) and be in a position to receive the ball

Full back - wide defenders playing flat with the central defenders in a "flat back four".

Futbol - The proper (Spanish) name for the sport.

Garbage Man - The player on the team who will score from in front of the net either on deflections or rebounds

Get Chalky - Get to the outside of the field

Get Depth - Asking the central defender to drop and support in the center of pitch as not to get caught "flat"

Get Stuck In - to tackle

Get Up On That - Means to get up for a challenge in the air, and don't let the ball hit the ground. Or, to challenge in the air for a cross, dive or a collision with the opponent as a goalkeeper.

get up/out - usually used by keepers to clear defense out of box

Ghosting - Your definition is wrong, ghosting refers to strikers getting literally behind defenders out of their sight and then moving forward and away towards goal

Give an Oscar - When players fake injury.

give-and-go - To pass the ball to a teammate, run past the defender, and the teammate returns the ball. Also, see WALL PASS.

goal side - to be defending nearest toward your goal

Goalie - the person who protects the goal

Goal-Side - The defender positioned between the goal and the offensive player.

Golas - Foreign term for Goal!

Golden Goal - A goal scored in overtime which ends the match.

Good Out - A well cleared ball by a defender.

Good up - A good attempt at an executed head ball.

Got me - i'm safe kick me the ball

hack - Someone who fouls way too much or an act of delivering a hard foul.

half volley - Hitting the ball with the instep just after the ball has bounced off the ground.

halfback - midfielder

Handbags - A small insignificant fight on the field. From the term "handbags at dawn" as apposed to "guns at dawn" which would obviously be more serious.

Handball - When the ball hits your hand and then it is the other teams free kick from the spot you were standing

hard tackle - A fair, but rough tackle.

Hat trick - Three goals in a game by a player.

have one - Tells a player to go ahead and take a shot at goal.

header - striking the ball with the forehead

heal - Backwards pass with the heal of your foot.

hold - Usually means hold the ball while a player moves into a supporting position for a pass.

Hold the ball up - To keep Possession of the ball, or an instruction to do so.

hospital pass - A pass which might result in injury to a teammmate striving to reach it first.

hump and run - playing the long ball; making long passes forcing the attackers to make long runs.

In swinger - Kicker will deliver corner kick swinging towards the goal.

In Your Grill - When Defending the player extremely close

instep - using the inside of your foot to kick the ball

jockey - slow down the attacking player who has the ball with your back to your own goal trying to make attacker go wide being close enough to him that if he shoots you will block it.

Jumpers For Goalposts - Grassroots football, often nostalgic.

karaoke - Moving sideways in a fast motion and crossing legs.

keeper - Stay the hell away from the ball, the goalkeeper is coming out!

keeper - goalkeeper; one who may use their hands in an 18 m box

Keepy Uppy - To keep the ball in the air with both feet

kicks - a term used for you soccer cleats.

kids age 8-9 years old - kids age 8-9 years old

killer pass - A pass that splits two defenders and puts your teammate in a great position.

kit - Another word for uniform.

lake - open space on field

late tackle - A tackle after the ball was played by the offensive player. Should result in a foul.

leave It - Don't touch the ball, let it roll by you.

let - Letting a pass to you go to your teammate.

let him know you - Make contact with the striker early in match in attempt to put him off his game.

libby - A Massachusetts term for when a player fakes an injury

libero - Italian original, a sweeper who also goes forward to organize and/or support the attack.

line - Requesting a pass up touch line.

Linia Way - Play the ball down the line

Liniker - To score with an unorthadox but ligitimate bodypart, after Garry Liniker.

lob - Arching the ball above the goalie to score

Long Ball - When outclassed in midfield to play hopeful long passes to strikers.

Man On - Said by a teammate when the player on the ball is under pressure as an opponent is advancing on their position, so the player with the ball can pass it to a teammate

man to man marking - Follow him everywhere.

mark up - Telling your teammates to leave no one unmarked.

marking back - A fullback whose primary responsibility is to mark one of the opposing forwards.

meg - When the ball is dribbled or passed between the legs of a defender.

Midfield General / Governor - Powerful (or simply aggressive) central midfielder stamping authority on the game.

my bad - Said from one teammate to another to apologize for a poorly played ball.

near post - The goal post nearest the ball.

Neish Keit - Not good

nothing - Either to tell your defender's that there will be no getting through them, or to clear the ball away out of the back field!

Neutral - not taking either side of any party midfielders in the game controls this formation and gives defenders and forwards enough room to close out or in on attackers or the goal area whenever long balls or through balls are passed back and forth the pitch during a match

nutmeg - To put the ball between an opponent's legs.

nuttie - To put the ball between an opponents legs.

off the line - Referring to the goalkeeper moving from the goal line to get the ball.

Olympic goal - Score a goal from the corner kick.

on me head - An invitation to a team mate to deliver the ball to one's cranium.

on the carpet - Pass on the ground.

one more - Let a crossing pass through or pass to the next guy.

one on - requesting only one defender pressuring the ball

One Two - A pass returned with the first touch. Often where the first player continues to run and passes a defender while briefly without the ball.

one-timer - A goal scored on a cross or corner kick that is booted into the goal before it touches the ground.

open goal - A completely unprotected goal, with no obstacles between the ball and the goal at all.

open up - Use wingers and play wide.

out of the box - last player in the defense yell to the rest of the team, after a coner kick.

out swinger - Kicker will deliver corner kick with a ball swinging away from the goal.

Outside - Using the wall to deflect and pass the ball to oneself(indoor only)

Over the Top - To chip a ball over the defence into space for the fowards to run on to.

overlap - When a player runs around and ahead of the ball for a pass into space.

Overloads - Creating situations where you have more players than the opposition, i.e. 3v1.

Own Goal - Goal conceded by own player

pace - Referring to the speed of the ball from a pass.

parry - A controlled and deliberate deflection by the goalkeeper using the hands.

Penetrative pass - A pressured pass such as a split pass or through ball. Usually perfectly weighted to get players on goal.

Pinball - Where the area of play is so congested that every attempt to shoot/ pass/ clear rebounds from players.

pitch - Another term for soccer field.

pk - pentally kick. 12 yard line.

PK - Penalty kick.

play around them - To switch the ball from one side of the field to another with a sucession of passes.

play feet. - To pass a ball directly to a teammate's feet.

play on - Yelled and signalled by the referee when he sees a foul but allows the play to continue because an advantage for the attacking team.

play space - To push a ball into an open area of the field for another player to run on to, as opposed to playing to feet.

play the way your facing - Keep football simple and pass the way you are facing then move to space.

playing kickball - When a team uses the system of just kicking the ball as far as they can with no regard to passing.

Playmaker - Creative midfielder

Popeye - When someone pops the ball off of the goal causing the ball to come back at a player

Poser - A player who looks good but has no game.

pressure - Refers to a defender placing pressure on his opponent with the ball.

Professional foul - A deliberate foul calculated to obtain an advantage such as intimidation of the opposition, or prevention of a subsequent goal scoring opportunity.

pulling the string - A shot off a free kick that looks as if it will go over the crossbar but at the last second dips into the goal.

push-up - A sweeper telling his/her fellow defenders to stop lagging in the back, in an attempt to draw the opposing team off sides, or to get the defenders to get in on the offensive transition.

rainbow - When a player pops the ball up and flicks the ball over their head in a forward motion with the back of their heel.

rainbow - flick over the head to get away from oponent

recover - When a defender gets beat he turns and sprints to get between the ball and the goal.

Red Card - Similar to a yellow card, but sudden ejection from the game when the Referee gives it.

Referee - the person who calls all the fouls and is in charge of the game

Rip - to shoot a very hard shot

Roll Infield - Switch positions with another player in the middle of the game.

Row z - as in 'put it in row z!' kicking the ball as far into the stand as you can... usually to buy/waste time.

Salamander - A head first dive at a ball in the air, in which a player heads the ball usually in an attempt to score.

Scissor - passing the ball behind one leg to another player

Sell/ Sold - To succeed in fooling a defender or goalkeeper as to your intentions.

Set your line - Drop your defenders (set line) to where the keeper will play the goal goal kick

Shadow - To guard one person (Usually the best on the other team) with allyour might like a shadow

shape - The players positioning on the field in relation to the formation and the ball location.

shell - A drop back past to the mid player with a shot and goal.

Shepard - To force an attacking player away from the front of the goal and into a corner or second defender.

shootout - pk

show - Move from a position with an intervening defender to a position with a clear line to the ball.

skinned - where a defender is turned inside out by a skilled dribbler

skip - Let it run to another player.

slide tackle - To slide the ball away from your opponent.

smoked - When an offensive player performs a great move and leaves the defender in the dust.

snap Him - Get stuck in and tackle him hard.

snipe - a sweet goal that is usually one timed or just a really good shot

sniper - Yelled when someone takes a dive with little or no contact.

soft touch - A player has this when he can trap any pass that comes to him at any speed or height.

sold him like a kipper - Sent him the wrong way with a turn.

split - To pass the ball between two defenders.

Sponge - #1 scorer in the game

Spool - trick the other opponent and beat them

spot kick - A penalty kick.

spun like a top - A defender who gets turned by a skilled dribbler.

square - when a player is perpendicular to the player with the ball with relevance to the field

square - a lateral pass (straight as in the lines of a square)

Stay Central - Defend the center of the field

steel - To take away the ball from the other team.

step or step It. - Instruction for defensive line to pull out for offside trap.

Stick - Defensive player effectively foils offensive movement towards the goal

stopper - The defender assigned to mark the other team's best forward.

Striker - Position played right in front of the goal and predominantly shooting at all costs. See Forward.

Strip - Cleanly stealing the ball from opponent and gaining control of the ball

support - I am here in case you want to pass me the ball, or if you try to take on an opponent and loose possession.

sweeper - The player positioned behind the fullbacks and in front of the goalie who has the authority to play either the right, middle or left side of the field (hence sweeps)to block the opposing team's shot or player.

swing it - changing the side of attack by passing around the back

switch - Means to switch the point of attack (i.e. switch the ball from the right side of the field to the left).

switch off - Trade marking assignments on defense.

tackle - Trying to take the ball from opposing player. Always play the ball first, if contact is made with the player first a foul is usually committed.

take ball - Put pressure on the dribbler now!

third man running - the third man of a play who makes a pass and then must run to keep up the play (( usually results in a cross the a shot))

through ball - To serve the ball through a flat defensive alignment into a forward space creating an opportunity on goal.

through pass - pass straight ahead of you.

time - Having enough time to control ball and look around before a defender can pressure you.

top cheese - top corner goal

touchline - sideline boundry of the pitch

trail - I'm behind you if you need to pass it back.

transition - when team gains possession of (goes on offense) or loses possession (goes on defense)of the ball.

trap - to keep the ball in your feet

Tuck In - To move into the center and drop

turn - Telling your teammate he has time to control the ball and turn up field.

turn and face - Turn around and get ready for the kick.

Twinkle Toes - A player with exceptional ball control.

two-touch - To either shoot or pass a ball with the second touch, the touch after controlling the ball.

unlucky - A nice short way of saying, "That wasn't your fault, just bad luck."

upper v - The intersection of the crossbar and goalpost.

venue - location where a competition is held.

Volley - the act of kicking the ball in midair.

wall - A human barrier between the ball and the goal on a free kick.

wall pass - To pass the ball to a teammate, run past the defender, and have the teammate return the ball.

Weak side - The side of the field without the ball.

well done - Great execution of a skill.

Well marshalled - Tightly marked. To defend and stay with a very good player with one or two designated players.

what a cracker - A hard shot.

what you see - The player with the ball has no one marking them, in other words, they are unmarked.

Wheel man - Central midfielder with primary responsibility for distributing the ball when team is on the attack.

Win the ball - wining the ball over an oposing player

Wing back - Wide defenders played in advance for the central defenders. Sometimes combined with a sweeper.

Wing it - To throw the ball as far as you can.

Winger - An attacker that is wide.

With You - Alerting a team mate to your availability.

Wraight Clive - One of the greatest Managers of all time

yellowcard - a playing card-sized card that a referee holds up to warn a player for dangerous or unsportsmanlike behavior; also called a caution; 2 yellow cards in one game earns a player an automatic red card, signaling his removal from the game.

zippy - where you run by a defender and do a scissor