Obstruction in soccer refers to a type of foul where a player impedes the progress of an opponent when the ball is out of playing distance.
Even if the contact is minimal, the offender’s intent to stop the player rather than the ball makes it a cynical move and an unfair challenge.
You’re likely to witness multiple obstruction calls in any soccer game.
Continue readingMost people have a general idea of how soccer works.
11 players on either team run around the field and try to outscore each other.
That said, if you’re new to the beautiful game, scoring in soccer (the scoring system) may be a little alien.
Unlike most American sports, soccer games can end in ties, with both teams sharing the spoils.
Continue readingPenalty kicks provide some of the most exciting and dramatic moments in soccer games.
This 1-v-1 spot kick from 12 yards between the kicker and the goalkeeper seems a relatively straightforward task for professionals.
However, considering the pressure of the moment and the quality of goalkeepers, they’re more difficult to convert than you might think.
In fact, it’s estimated that players only score 75% of penalties.
Continue readingExtra time is an important feature of cup competitions that helps determine the winner of a game after a tie.
A standard soccer game consists of two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute interval in between.
Unlike most American sports — like basketball, football, or baseball — the clock doesn’t stop running when the ball goes out of play or there’s a stoppage for a foul, corner, throw-in, substitution, goal kick, injury, or substitution.
Continue readingSoccer is known around the world as “the beautiful game”.
As fans, we love nothing more than celebrating a great goal, an amazing first touch, or a mind-boggling piece of skill.
However, as the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.
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