Soccer: English Vocabulary List

a variation of association football played indoors on a smaller field with walls instead of sidelines

"Indoor soccer is played on a smaller field with boards."

"Indoor soccer was played on a smaller field with walls keeping the ball in play."

a fast-paced variant of indoor soccer played with a smaller ball and on a smaller court

"Futsal uses a smaller heavier ball."

"Futsal used a smaller heavier ball and was played on a hard court with five players per side."

a variant of soccer played on sandy beaches with smaller teams and modified rules

"Beach soccer is played on sand."

"Beach soccer was played on sand with five players per team and rolling substitutions."

a modified version of soccer specifically designed for athletes with physical disabilities, played according to adapted rules and regulations

"Paralympic soccer is for athletes with cerebral palsy."

"Paralympic soccer for athletes with cerebral palsy used modified rules and a smaller field."

a variation of soccer specifically designed for visually impaired athletes, played with a ball containing rattles and with players wearing blindfolds

"Blind soccer players track a ball with a noise maker."

"Blind soccer players wore eyeshades and used a ball with internal rattles to locate it by sound."

a competitive team sport played by individuals using power wheelchairs, involving maneuvering the ball to score goals

"Powerchair soccer uses electric wheelchairs."

"Powerchair soccer was played by athletes in motorized wheelchairs with a large protective bumpers."

a pass made by a player to a teammate positioned behind them, often directed to the goalkeeper

"The back pass is to the goalkeeper."

"The defender played a back pass to the goalkeeper who could not pick it up."

a short, controlled pass in soccer using the side of the foot to accurately move the ball to a teammate

"The push pass keeps the ball on the ground."

"The player executed a simple push pass with the inside of his foot to his teammate."

a pass made to a teammate positioned horizontally or laterally from the passer, typically to maintain possession or create space

"The sideways pass maintains possession."

"A sideways pass was safe but did not advance the ball toward the opponent's goal."

a move in soccer where a player uses the heel of their foot to pass the ball backward to a teammate

"The backheel pass surprises the defender."

"The forward surprised everyone with a clever backheel pass to his supporting teammate."

a forward pass that goes between or past defenders to reach a teammate in an attacking position

"The through pass splits the defense."

"The midfielder threaded a through pass between two defenders for the striker to chase."

a strategic soccer kickoff aimed at quickly recovering the ball before it travels the necessary distance

"The onside kick is a surprise attempt to regain possession."

"The kicking team attempted an onside kick hoping to recover the ball themselves."

the act of striking the ball while it is in the air, without letting it touch the ground first

"The volley kick strikes the ball in mid-air."

"The midfielder struck a volley kick from outside the penalty area into the top corner."

(soccer) a free kick awarded to the attacking team when the ball goes out of play over the defending team's goal line

"The corner kick heads toward the far post."

"The corner kick was swung in toward the near post where the forward headed it home."

a direct free kick taken from the penalty spot, awarded after a foul in the penalty area

"The penalty kick is taken from twelve yards."

"The striker stepped up to take the penalty kick with the match tied in the final minute."

(soccer) a trick where a player crosses one leg behind the other to kick the ball

"The rabona kicks the ball behind the standing leg."

"The player crossed his kicking leg behind his standing leg to execute a rabona."

a tiebreaker method where players take turns shooting penalty kicks to determine the winner of a match that remains undecided after regular play and extra time

"The penalty shoot-out decides the tied game."

"The penalty shoot out was decided when the goalkeeper saved the fifth kick."

(soccer) the difference between the total number of goals scored and conceded by a team in a competition

"Goal difference separates tied teams."

"The team won the league on goal difference because they scored more goals than their rival."

to control or redirect the ball using the chest in soccer

"He chested the ball down smoothly."

"The soccer player used his chest to control the high pass and bring the ball down to his feet."

(soccer) to skillfully pass or kick the ball through the opponent's legs and regain possession of it on the other side

"He nutmegged the defender skillfully."

"The skilled player managed to nutmeg his opponent by kicking the ball through his legs and recovering it on the other side."