About Soccer

Known as Futbol in countries outside of the U.S., Soccer is the most popular sport throughout the globe with over three billion fans. Adored for its simplicity and elegance, it's gaining fans and players every day. Soccer is played using a mid-sized ball with a rubber center overlaid with synthetic leather. The slick leather surface is perfect for sliding the ball down the pitch. Competitively, the game is played by two teams of 11 with four different player classifications (goalies, midfielders, strikers and defenders).

Soccer games are played on a grass field with a width of 90 meters and a length of 120 meters, the soccer field is universally known as the pitch. On the pitch, there is a center field line used for kick off and two 18 meter penalty boxes on either side of the field ahead of the goals. Each team has one Goalie and a mix of Midfielders, Strikers, and Defenders depending on the formation chosen by the coach. Field formations vary by team, but usually are defender and midfield heavy with two to three strikers at the most.

Similarly, each team has their own jersey and shorts which they call a kit; all of the kits match besides the goalie's. The soccer cleats usually follow the color scheme of the team as well and are called "boots" outside of the U.S. Soccer games are often referred to as matches and typically last 90 minutes consisting of two 45 minute quarters. In each match, there are two officials on either side of the field who are running up and down the sidelines of the pitch, often within feet of the ball in play.

Scoring in soccer is all about getting the ball past the goalie into the net and because each goal is only one point the games can often end in a tie. In the league standings, the teams get one point for a draw and three points for a win, this points system creates a fair ranking used in tournaments. Soccer is world renowned as the sport that never stops. With national teams, league tournaments, and exhibition matches, the professional players are always in the spotlight. Not to mention the World Cup every four years which takes close to a month to complete and garners viewership close to one billion for the final.