Wait, what's that mean? Breaking down some soccer terminology

If you’re new to soccer, or need a refresher, we put together a few terms you may hear and what exactly they mean. (You can also check out a few others we highlighted, like fouls, extra time, and offsides, over in our rules section: https://www.nwslines.com/rules.)

Pitch: This is just a fancy English way to say soccer field. The term “pitch” originated in soccer’s early days when games were played on cricket fields, called pitches. Pitch and field are often used interchangeably in American soccer, but you’ll probably always hear it referred to as a pitch everywhere else.

Kit: The kit is the entire uniform a soccer player years - jersey, shorts, socks, the whole shebang, everything they need to play the game. All teams have a primary and secondary kit (think home and away.) 

Bicycle Kick: A kick made by somersaulting backwards and moving your legs in a pedaling motion to hit the ball midair. Sometimes this is referred to as a scissor kick. It’s a little hard to visualize, so check out this example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwccSyeGn9s

Slide Tackle: A player slides on the ground, extending one leg to knock the ball away from their opponent. Here’s how a slide tackle works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SALSPIulfj0

Hand Ball: This is exactly what you’d think - a player touches the ball with their hand. But, it’s not always that simple. According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, “For the purposes of determining handball offences, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit. Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence. It is an offence if a player:

• deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball

• touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised

• scores in the opponents’ goal:

• directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper

• immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental 

Corner Kick: This is a free kick taken from the corner of a soccer field when a defender kicks the ball out-of-bounds over the end line. Here's how they work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efdxdNxqBQI

Goal Kick: This is a free kick for a defensive player if an opposing player kicks the ball out-of-bounds over the end line. 

Free Kick: This is a kick a player gets after an infraction of the rules by an opponent.

Set Piece: Any play that begins from a corner-, goal- or free-kick or a throw in (you know, from the touchline or sideline) may be referred to as a set piece.

Friendly: This is a game between two teams that is not recognized as a competition in the regular season. It's a term commonly used to describe international matches leading up to a major tournament or event.

These matches don’t count for league games or standings; they are strictly a non-competitive match. Well, the play on the pitch in a friendly is competitive, it just doesn't lead to points for a league or a tournament.