Soccer Terms

A-D | E-H | I-L | M-P | Q-T | U-Z

E

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE -- a competition in addition to the UEFA Cup which matches clubs which won their national leagues in a head-to-head, home-and-away tournament; the league is an elimination tournament and is played in addition to the regular league schedule.

EUROPEAN CUP -- UEFA sanctioned competition which occurs every four years between World Cup finals; field includes national teams from throughout Europe; tournament started in 1960; the next tournament is scheduled to be shared by Holland and Belgium in 2000.

EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS CUP -- a club competition pitting the winners of league cups in the prior year in head-to-head competition; cup tournaments are opened to all divisions of a national league, meaning that quite a few surprise teams have found their way into the European Cup Winners Cup tournament; this tournament is an elimination, home-and-away tournament.

F

FIFA -- World governing body of soccer; founded in 1904; acronym stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association; based in Zurich, Switzerland; president is Joao Havelange of Brazil; general secretary is Joseph "Sepp" Blatter of Switzerland; current membership stands at 191 nations.

FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY -- Established in 1974 to replace the Jules Rimet Trophy. West Germany became the first winners of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in 1974.

FLANK -- the sides of the field also known as the wing.

FRIENDLY -- essentially an exhibition match with no impact on international competitions; often used to benefit up-and-coming players or sharpen top players for upcoming tournaments or qualifying.

G

GOAL -- the manner in which points are scored in soccer; to score, the ball must completely cross over the goal line and into the goal; a goal counts as one point.

GOALS -- standing in the center of the goal lines; each goal consists of two wooden posts, 24 feet apart, and a crossbar, 8 feet above the ground.

GOAL AREA -- a 60-foot wide by 18-foot deep rectangular area in front of each goal.

GOALKEEPER -- defends the goal; the only player who can handle the ball within the penalty area with his hands.

GOAL KICK -- a free kick taken either by the goalkeeper or member of the defending team when the attacking team puts the ball over the goal line.

GOAL LINES -- lines which runs from corner flag to corner flag across each end of the field of play and which the goal is situated; represents the end of the playing area at the far end of each side of the field.

GOLDEN GOAL -- where a game ends with the scoring of a goal in overtime rather than by the expiration of an extra time period; used in some international soccer tournaments, particularly in Europe.

H

HALF -- one of two 45 minute periods in a 90 minute match.

HALFBACKS -- midfielders responsible for marking assigments.

HANDBALL -- infraction called when a player other than a goalkeeper intentionally plays a ball with his hand; if a defender handles within the penalty area, a penalty shot is awarded; if the goalkeeper handles the ball outside the penalty area, a direct free kick is awarded.

HAT-TRICK -- a term referring to a three-goal performance in a single match by an individual player.

HEADER -- when a player uses his head to shoot, pass or control the ball.