Soccer Terms

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

U

UEFA -- represents the European soccer region; acronym stands from full name -- Union of European Football Associations; based in Geneva, Switzerland; president is Lennart Johansson of Sweden and general secretary is Gerhard Aigner of Germany; founded in 1954; current membership stands at 49 nations; will be represented by 14 nations plus host nation France in 1998 World Cup.

UEFA CUP -- competition among European club teams; a field of selected number of teams is drawn from UEFA member leagues throughout Europe; qualified teams include the top positioned teams in most leagues (although poor performing leagues are generally limited in representants), and in select leagues teams up to fifth place in the standings are invited to compete; the tournament is run in addition to the regular season with mid-week matches generally the rule.

U.S. CUP -- international friendly tournament hosted annually by the United States except in World Cup final years; tournament was first played in 1992.

V

VOLLEY -- a shot where the ball is struck while still airborne.

W

WALL -- the line of players used to prevent a direct kick from scoring; lined up 10 yards from where the direct kick is taken.

WINGER -- player on left or right side of the attack whose role is close to the touchline; supports forwards and midfielders.

WORLD CUP -- the mother of all international soccer competitions; held every four years in a host country with national teams representing 32 countries (increased from 24 following the 1994 World Cup); 30 teams qualify in competitions with automatic bids going to the past champion and host nation; the tournament has been played every four years since 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to World War II; only six countries have won the World Cup: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994); Germany (1954, 1974, 1990); Italy (1934, 1938, 1982); Uruguay (1930, 1950); Argentina (1978, 1986); and England (1966); France hosts the 1998 tournament, with the 2002 edition to be the first co-host tournament in Japan and South Korea.

X

Y

YELLOW CARD -- a caution card showed to a player by the referee after a dangerous play foul; a second yellow card in the same match earns the offending player a red card and automatic ejection; some leagues and tournaments have rules regarding the receipt of yellow cards in successive matches, which often result in a one-game ban.

Z