Soccer Terms A–Z: A Glossary for Parents
Every soccer term parents and new coaches hear on the sideline, defined in plain language.
A
- Advantage
- The referee lets play continue after a foul because stopping would help the fouling team.
- AR (Assistant Referee)
- The official on the sideline with a flag. In youth games this is often a volunteer club linesman.
- Assist
- The pass that leads directly to a goal by a teammate.
B
- Back-pass rule
- A goalkeeper cannot pick up a ball a teammate deliberately kicks to them. Doing so gives the other team an indirect free kick.
- Booking
- A yellow or red card written into the referee's book. Two yellows in one match equal a red.
- Box
- Short for the penalty area (18-yard box) or the smaller goal area (6-yard box).
- Brace
- Two goals scored by the same player in one game.
- Build-out line
- A line across each half of the field in U8-U10 games. The other team must retreat to it during goal kicks and goalkeeper possession, so young players can pass out safely.
C
- Cap
- One appearance for a national team. You'll hear this about older siblings on ODP/national pathways.
- Center back (CB)
- A defender who plays in the middle of the back line.
- Clean sheet
- A game in which a team does not concede a goal.
- Corner kick
- A restart taken from the corner arc after the defending team last touched the ball out over their own goal line.
- Cross
- A pass driven from a wide area into the penalty area toward attackers.
- Cruyff turn
- A move that fakes a pass or shot and drags the ball behind the standing leg to change direction.
D
- Defensive third
- The third of the field closest to your own goal. Losing the ball here is high-risk.
- Direct free kick
- A free kick that can be shot straight into the goal. Given for physical fouls and handballs.
- Dribble
- Moving the ball with the feet under close control.
- Dropped ball
- The referee's restart when play stopped for a reason other than a foul (injury, outside interference). The ball is dropped for the team that last had it.
E
- Extra time
- Two 15-minute periods added to a knockout game if it's tied after regulation. Rare in rec soccer; common in tournament finals.
F
- Far post
- The goalpost farther from the ball. Coaches shout "far post!" to call for a cross.
- First touch
- How a player controls the ball the moment they receive it.
- Formation
- How players line up on the field (e.g., 4-3-3, 3-2-2 for 7v7). Written from back to front.
- Foul
- An illegal action against an opponent. Results in a free kick or penalty.
- Free kick
- A restart after a foul, taken from where the foul occurred. Can be direct or indirect.
- Fullback
- An outside defender (right back or left back).
G
- Give and go
- A one-two pass: pass to a teammate, sprint into space, receive it back.
- Goal kick
- A restart taken from the goal area after the attacking team last touched the ball out over the goal line.
- GK (Goalkeeper)
- The only player who can use their hands, and only inside the penalty area.
H
- Half volley
- Striking the ball just as it bounces up off the ground.
- Hat trick
- Three goals scored by the same player in one game.
- Handball
- Deliberately playing the ball with the hand or arm. Results in a direct free kick or a penalty if inside the box.
- Header
- Playing the ball with the forehead. Not allowed in games or headers-focused drills for players U11 and younger under US Soccer rules.
I
- Indirect free kick
- A free kick that must touch another player before it can score. Given for technical fouls like offside or a back-pass to the keeper.
- Injury time
- Minutes added by the referee at the end of each half for stoppages. Also called stoppage time.
K
- Keeper
- Short for goalkeeper.
- Kickoff
- The restart that begins each half and follows every goal.
L
- Laces
- The top of the foot. Coaches say "strike it with your laces" for a powerful shot.
- Linesman
- Casual name for the assistant referee.
M
- Man on!
- A shout to warn a teammate that an opponent is right behind them.
- Marking
- Guarding an opponent to prevent them from receiving the ball or shooting.
- Midfielder
- A player between the defenders and forwards. Roles include defensive mid, central mid, attacking mid.
N
- Nutmeg
- Playing the ball through an opponent's legs and collecting it on the other side.
O
- Offside
- A player is offside if they're nearer the opponent's goal than both the ball and the second-to-last defender when a teammate plays them the ball. Not called in most U8 and younger formats.
- One-touch
- Passing or shooting the ball on the first touch without controlling it first.
- Own goal
- A goal a player accidentally scores against their own team.
P
- Panenka
- A chipped penalty kick down the middle as the keeper dives.
- Penalty area
- The larger box around each goal. Fouls by the defense inside it result in a penalty kick.
- Penalty kick (PK)
- A free shot from the penalty spot, keeper only. Awarded for a foul by the defending team inside their own penalty area.
- Pitch
- British word for the soccer field.
- Possession
- Which team has control of the ball. "Possession soccer" means passing to keep the ball and pull opponents out of shape.
- Press
- Pressuring the opponent with the ball, usually as a coordinated group.
R
- Rec
- Recreational soccer. Everyone plays, no tryouts, seasons run through the local club or AYSO/i9.
- Red card
- The referee sends a player off. Their team plays the rest of the game a player short. Straight red or two yellows in one game.
- Restart
- Any way play begins again: kickoff, throw-in, goal kick, corner, free kick, drop ball, or penalty.
S
- Save
- The goalkeeper stops a shot on goal.
- Set piece
- A rehearsed play from a dead-ball restart (corner, free kick, throw-in near the box).
- Shielding
- Keeping the ball by putting your body between it and the defender.
- Slide tackle
- Sliding along the ground to challenge for the ball. Rarely legal in youth soccer — most rec leagues ban it entirely.
- Sprint
- A short, all-out run. Youth practices should include repeated short sprints, not long jogging.
- Stoppage time
- See injury time.
- Striker
- The forward closest to the opponent's goal. Also called the #9.
- Sub
- A substitute player. Youth leagues usually allow unlimited free substitutions at stoppages.
- Sweeper
- An old-school defender who plays behind the back line. Rare in modern youth soccer.
T
- Tackle
- A legal challenge to win the ball with the feet.
- Throw-in
- The two-handed, over-the-head restart when the ball goes out over the sideline.
- Touchline
- The sideline. "Play up the touchline" means down the wing.
- Trap
- Stopping a moving ball with the foot, thigh, or chest. Same as first touch.
- Trapped player
- In US Soccer's age-group rules, a player whose birth year falls between two age groups because of a rule change. See our trapped players guide.
- Tryouts
- Evaluation sessions for competitive/travel/club teams. Usually held in May-July for the following August season.
V
- Volley
- Striking the ball out of the air before it bounces.
W
- Wall
- The line of defenders standing in front of a free kick to block the shot.
- Winger
- A wide forward or wide midfielder who attacks down the touchline.
Y
- Yellow card
- A caution from the referee for a reckless foul, dissent, delay of game, or persistent fouling. Two in one game = red.
Z
- Zonal defense
- Defenders guard areas of the field rather than specific opponents. Opposite of man marking.