Soccer

Soccer Basics

The Objective

Soccer is played by two teams with 11 players from each team on the field at a time, including one goalkeeper.

The goal is simple: score by getting the entire ball across the opposing team's goal line and into the goal while preventing the other team from doing the same.

The team with the most goals at the end of the match wins.

Scoring

Every goal is worth one point, regardless of where or how it is scored.

Players can generally use any part of their body except their hands and arms to play the ball. The goalkeeper is the exception and may use her hands within her own penalty area, subject to the rules governing goalkeeper possession.

Match Format

A standard match consists of two 45-minute halves with a halftime break.

Unlike many sports, the clock generally does not stop when play is interrupted. Instead, the referee adds time at the end of each half to account for substitutions, injuries, goal celebrations, VAR reviews and other delays. This is commonly called stoppage time or added time.

Regular-season NWSL matches can end in a draw. In playoff matches, a tie after 90 minutes leads to two 15-minute periods of extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Player Positions

Goalkeeper (GK): Protects the goal and is the only player allowed to use her hands and arms to control the ball within her own penalty area.
Defender (D): Plays primarily near her own goal and works to stop the opposing team from creating scoring opportunities.
Midfielder (M): Plays between the defense and attack, helping move the ball up the field and contributing on both offense and defense.
Forward (F): Plays primarily in attacking areas and is generally responsible for creating and scoring goals.

Within those groups you'll hear more specific terms — such as center back, fullback, defensive midfielder, winger and striker — that describe where a player operates or her particular role.

Moving the Ball

Players move the ball primarily by dribbling, passing and shooting.

A player can pass the ball in any direction and can continue moving after passing it. Unlike basketball or hockey, there is no limit on how long one team can possess the ball before attempting to score.

When the ball completely crosses a sideline, play restarts with a throw-in for the opposing team.

When it crosses the end line without entering the goal, play generally restarts with either a goal kick or corner kick, depending on which team touched the ball last.

Fouls, Free Kicks & Cards

Certain illegal actions — such as tripping, pushing, holding or making an illegal tackle — can result in a foul.

Most fouls result in a free kick for the opposing team from the location of the foul. A direct free kick can be shot directly into the goal; an indirect free kick must touch another player before a goal can be scored.

Yellow card: A caution. The player remains in the match.
Red card: The player is sent off and cannot return. Her team must play the rest of the match with one fewer player.

A player can also be sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the same match.

Penalty Kicks

If a defending player commits certain direct-free-kick fouls inside her own penalty area, the attacking team is awarded a penalty kick.

One player takes a shot from the penalty mark with only the opposing goalkeeper defending the goal. All other players must remain outside the penalty area and behind the penalty mark until the kick is taken.

Penalty kicks also appear in penalty shootouts used to decide knockout matches that remain tied after extra time. In a shootout, teams alternate penalty kicks rather than continuing normal gameplay.

Offside

A player is in an offside position if, at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, she is in the opponent's half and closer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent.

Simply being in an offside position is not a foul. The player is penalized only if she then becomes involved in the play — for example, by receiving the ball or interfering with an opponent.

An easy way for a new viewer to think about it: an attacker generally can't wait behind the defense near the goal for a teammate to pass her the ball.

Substitutions

Teams can replace players with substitutes during designated opportunities when play is stopped.

Once a player has been substituted out of an NWSL match, she generally cannot return to the game.

Common Terms

Assist: The pass or play that directly helps create a goal.
Clean Sheet: A match in which a team allows zero goals.
Corner Kick: A restart awarded to the attacking team when a defender is the last player to touch the ball before it crosses her own team's end line without a goal being scored.
Cross: A pass played from a wide area toward teammates near the goal.
Extra Time: Additional periods played in certain knockout matches when the score is tied after regulation.
Formation: The general positional arrangement of a team's players, often written as numbers such as 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. The goalkeeper isn't included in those numbers.
Free Kick: A restart awarded after certain fouls or violations.
Penalty Area / Box: The large rectangular area surrounding each goal where the goalkeeper can use her hands and certain defensive fouls result in a penalty kick.
Stoppage Time: Time added to the end of a half to account for delays during play.
Tackle: An attempt by a defender to take the ball away from an opponent.
VAR: Video Assistant Referee, a video-review system used to assist the referee with certain potentially match-changing decisions.