SOCCER GLOSSARY
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Unsportsmanlike conduct: rude behavior.
USSF: United States Soccer Federation — organization formed in 1913 to govern soccer in America; America's link to FIFA, providing soccer rules and guidelines to players, referees and spectators nationwide.
USYSA: United States Youth Soccer Association — the official Youth Division of the organizes and administers youth league competitions, establishes rules and guidelines, and holds clinics and workshops to support players, coaches and referees. USSF and the largest youth soccer organization in the U.S.
Venue: location where a sporting competition is held.
Volley: any ball kicked by a player when it is off the ground.
Wall: a line of 2 to 6 defending players pressed together shoulder-to-shoulder to protect their goal against a close free kick; creates a more difficult shot by reducing the amount of open goal area the kicker has to shoot at.
Wall pass: a pass by a ball carrier who sends the ball to a teammate, then runs behind his own defender and quickly receives a pass back; used to get a player past his defender without having to dribble by him; same as the "give-and-go" in basketball.
Win-draw-loss record: a summary of the outcomes of a team's matches; for example, a team with a 3-1-2 record has played 6 games and won 3, tied 1 and lost 2.
Wings or wingers: the outside forwards who play to the sides of the strikers and whose primary task is to provide them with accurate crossing passes so they can shoot at the goal; often the fastest players and best dribblers on a team.
World Cup: the international soccer competition held by FIFA every 4 years between the top professional teams in the world, pitting nation against nation; the most watched event in the world, attracting a television audience of over 3 billion viewers.
Yellow card: a playing card-sized card that a referee holds up to warn a player for dangerous or unsportsmanlike behavior; also called a caution; 2 yellow cards in one game earns a player an automatic red card, signaling his removal from the game.
Zone: a type of defense that assigns each defender to a particular area in front of or around his team's goal in which he is responsible for marking any attacker that enters; often used in youth league games but rarely in professional competition.
AB - C - DE - F - GHI - JKLM - NO - P - QR - S - T - UVWYZ