Glossary

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35 essential soccer terms — searchable, filterable, and tappable from anywhere.

Offside rules: An attacker is offside if they are nearer the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender at the moment a teammate plays the ball to them. It is not an offence to simply be in that position — only to be involved in active play from it.
Stoppage time rules: Extra minutes added to the end of each half to make up for time lost to injuries, substitutions, and other stoppages. Also called added time or injury time.
VAR rules: Video Assistant Referee — officials reviewing replays to help the on-field referee with clear and obvious errors on goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity.
Penalty kick rules: A free shot from the penalty spot, 12 yards out, awarded for a foul committed inside the defending team's penalty area. Only the goalkeeper may try to stop it.
Free kick rules: A restart awarded after a foul or infringement. Direct free kicks may be shot straight at goal; indirect free kicks must touch another player first.
Yellow card rules: A caution shown for a serious foul, dissent, or unsporting behaviour. Two yellow cards in one match equal a red card and ejection.
Red card rules: A sending-off for a serious offence or a second yellow. The player must leave and cannot be replaced, leaving their team a player short.
Handball rules: Deliberately touching the ball with the hand or arm, or scoring/creating a chance via the arm. Results in a free kick or penalty depending on where it happens.
Corner kick rules: A restart from the corner arc, awarded to the attacking team when a defender last touches the ball before it crosses their own goal line.
Throw-in rules: How play restarts after the ball leaves the field over a sideline: a two-handed overhead throw by the team that did not touch it last.
Extra time rules: Two added 15-minute periods played when a knockout match is level after 90 minutes. If still tied, the game goes to a penalty shootout.
Clean sheet stats: A match in which a team (and its goalkeeper) concedes no goals. A core defensive achievement.
Expected Goals (xG) stats: A model estimating the quality of chances by the probability each shot becomes a goal. Comparing xG to actual goals shows over- or under-performance.
Assist stats: The final pass or touch that directly sets up a teammate's goal.
Goal difference (GD) stats: Goals scored minus goals conceded. The standard first tiebreaker between teams level on points in the table.
Possession stats: The share of the match a team controls the ball, shown as a percentage. High possession doesn't guarantee chances or goals.
Hat-trick slang: Three goals scored by a single player in one match. A perfect hat-trick is one with the right foot, left foot, and a header.
Nutmeg slang: Playing the ball through an opponent's legs and collecting it on the other side.
Brace slang: Two goals scored by the same player in a single match.
Own goal slang: A goal a player accidentally scores into their own net, credited to the other team.
Derby slang: A match between two local or fierce-rival clubs, carrying extra intensity and history.
Formation tactics: How a team arranges its outfield players, written defenders-to-forwards, e.g. 4-3-3 (four defenders, three midfielders, three forwards).
High press tactics: Pressuring opponents high up the pitch, close to their goal, to win the ball back quickly and disrupt their build-up.
Counter-attack tactics: Quickly attacking after winning the ball, exploiting space before the opponent can reorganise its defence.
Offside trap tactics: A defensive line stepping up in unison to leave attackers offside as the ball is played forward.
Set piece tactics: A rehearsed restart — corner, free kick, or throw-in — used as a planned scoring opportunity.
Goalkeeper roles: The only player allowed to handle the ball, inside their own penalty area, whose job is to stop shots and organise the defence.
Striker roles: A forward whose primary job is to score goals, usually playing closest to the opponent's goal.
Playmaker roles: A creative midfielder who dictates attacking play with passing and vision, often wearing the number 10.
Full-back roles: A defender on the left or right of the back line who defends the flank and often overlaps to support attacks.
Group stage competition: The opening round-robin phase of a tournament where teams in small groups each play one another, with the top finishers advancing to the knockout rounds.
Knockout round competition: A single-elimination stage where the loser is out. The 2026 World Cup runs Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Final.
Aggregate competition: The combined score across a two-legged tie (home and away). The team with the higher total advances.
Penalty shootout competition: How a tied knockout match is decided after extra time: teams alternate penalty kicks, best of five (then sudden death).
Supporters' Shield competition: The MLS trophy awarded to the club with the best regular-season record, separate from the MLS Cup playoff title.