The game of soccer is played in two halves, the lengths varying between age groups, but professionals, college and high school play two 45 minute halves. The most obvious rules to soccer are that the game is played between two teams, consisting of nine players and a goalie. The players on each team are divided into offense and defense, and are only allowed to play the soccer ball with their feet. The main objective in soccer is to kick the ball into the opposing teams’ goal, scoring a point, or a goal. Only the goalie is allowed to use either his or her hands as well as feet.
Soccer players will often practice “juggling”, which is a skill that consists of keeping the ball in the air through the use of the feet, knees, thighs, head, or chest, all legal places on the body to control the ball. The use of the hands or the arm will result in the opposing team taking possession of the ball.
When a player on one of the teams kicks or knocks the ball out of bounds on the two long sides of the soccer field, the opposing team them takes possession of ball by doing a “throw-in”, in which both of the feet must remain on the ground while the player throws the soccer ball back into play. If the soccer ball is kicked out of bounds over the line of their own goal, it then results in a “corner kick” where the opposite team takes the ball to the corresponding corner and kicks the ball back into play to one of their teammates. However, if the team kicks the ball out of bounds over the goal line of the opposing teams’ goal, the play will then turn to a “goal kick” taken by one of the defensive players of that team.
“Fouls” are called under a number of circumstances. A few of them are when a player touches the ball with his hand or arm, if a player slide tackles another player, excessive pushing, tripping or force, unsportsmanlike conduct, or off-sides (when the offense of one team is closer to the goal they are trying to score on than that teams’ defense; unless the ball was there first). In these circumstances, the referee will generally call the ball dead in the spot where the foul occurred, and give the opposite team a “free kick”.
In the case that the regulation time of the soccer runs out while the score is still tied, it will often result in a “shootout” where the goalie of one team is up against a single player from the opposing team. The first one to score a goal wins the game.
