AY Honors/Soccer/Answer Key

1. Know the basic rules of soccer.

Soccer is played between teams of even numbers (at the professional level, eleven), and the object for each team is to control a ball and place it into the opposing team's net. The team that scores the most of these goals, wins. Note that matches may also end in a draw. Players may control the ball with any part of their body except their hands and arms, with the exception of one player on each team designated the goalkeeper, who may handle the ball within a certain "penalty" area in front of the net that he is guarding.

Like in basketball, contact between opposing players with the intent of causing harm to a player or disrupting his team's strategy is not allowed. A referee observes the game and stops play for any such fouls, and in the event of a foul, orders a free kick of the ball from the spot where the foul is suffered by the team whose player suffers the foul. A foul committed by player in his own penalty area results in a penalty kick from a designated spot in front of the goalkeeper and the goal. Fouls may also be given for unsportsmanlike conduct. At the referee's discretion, he may also "book" a player for a malicious foul by awarding a yellow card, or a red card for more egregious offenses. Two yellow cards or one red card results in the player's expulsion from the game, in which case the ejected player cannot be replaced.

Free kicks may also be awarded in the event that a player or players are found to be offsides, in which offenders place themselves ahead of the ball as well as the last opposing field player. The disallowing of offsides is to prevent players from camping out in front of an opponent's net.

Other stoppages include throw-ins, where a ball that has traveled beyond the boundary of the playing field is thrown back into play by the team whose opponent last touched the ball, goal kicks, where a ball that has traveled beyond the end line of the field is returned to play by the goalkeeper if the attacking team is the last to touch it, and corner kicks, where a ball that has traveled beyond the end line is kicked back into play from the nearest corner flag by a field player whose opponent last touched it.

2. What is the meaning of “Good Sportsmanship?”

Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing.

5. Describe the different skills required at each position.

BASIC POSITIONS: The number of players who play on the field varies greatly by age and league, and can range from 5 per team to a maximum of 11 per team.

Goalkeeper ("GK").

   There is always just one Goalkeeper per team. The Goalie's job is to defend his team's goal and he usually stays close to his goal. You can identify the Goalie because he wears a different colored shirt or a vest over his shirt. As long as he is in the "Penalty Box" he can use his hands to pick up the ball, but if he comes out of the Penalty Box he cannot use his hands. (This is a very simplified description, read "Goalkeeper" in the Dictionary for more details). Except for "Throw-Ins" and to pick up the ball in "Re-Start" situations, the Goalie is the only player who can legally use his hands.

Fullbacks ("FB").

   Fullbacks play closest to their goal (which is the goal their Goalie defends). Along with the Goalie, they have the primary job of stopping the opponents from scoring. However, to a degree, every player should be a "defender" when the opponent has the ball. One way to teach this is by teaching the concepts of "First Defender" and "Second Defender".

Midfielders ("MF").

   The Midfielders play between the Fullbacks and the Forwards. They are often in the "Middle Third" of the field. There can be "Offensive Midfielders" who play closer to the Forwards and "Defensive Midfielders" who play closer to the Fullbacks, as below.

Forwards ("F").

   Forwards play closer to the opponent's goal, which is the goal guarded by the opposing Goalie. The Forwards are the primary scorers, although Midfielders sometimes score and at older ages Fullbacks even occasionally score.