Field and Players
The American soccer field is often nicknamed the grill because the style of the marked lines on the field makes the field look like a rack that helps to keep food on the fire. Games are played on a field that is 120 yards (110 meters) long and 53 1/3 yards (49 meters) wide. The longer boundary is called the touchline and the shorter boundary is called the goal line. The marked line next to the goal line is called the scoring line, and the distance between each other's scoring lines is 100 yards. The area in which the points are scored is located in an area 10 yards wide between the goal line and the scoring line and is called the touchdown zone.
Yard lines are marked every 5 yards on the field, and numbers are marked every 10 yards up to the 50-yard line, or the midfield area. In the middle of the field on both sides of the two marked lines parallel to both sides of the sideline, known as yard marks (hash marks). Any player must tee off on or between the yardage markers.
There are two goal posts at the bottom of the touchdown area, 18.5 feet apart. The goal posts are linked together by a crossbar that is 10 feet above the ground. For a successful field goal, the ball must cross above the crossbar and between the two goal posts.
The game is played with 11 players on each side. However, some or all of the players on the field can be changed at any time during the game. All 53 players in the team can be sent out to play in each match. Each player has a specific task. The team divides its players into three groups: offense, defense, and special teams.
Game Time
A standard game consists of four 15-minute quarters (12-minute quarters for high school games) and a halftime break between the second and third quarters. The clock is suspended in some cases during the game, so games often run well over the allotted time, upwards of three hours. If after four quarters of play the teams are tied, the game will be extended by 15 minutes and the first player to score will win. If no one scores, the game is tied. The extended game rules for college games are more elaborate and different.
Offense
Offensive formationThe American soccer offense is similar to that of six-man football. The team in possession of the ball (the offense) has four chances to advance ten yards forward (to the defense's touchdown zone), each of which is referred to as a "down" ("档")。 When the offense has successfully advanced ten yards (or more) in four downs, it is given another four downs to continue the offense. If the offense fails to move ten yards in all four downs, the ball is turned over to the opposing team.
Except on kickoffs, halftime kickoffs, and restarts after scores, every drive begins with the same snap: the offensive and defensive units are aligned at the front and back of the line of scrimmage, facing each other. One of the offensive players, the center, passes the ball backward between his legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback.
There are two ways for the offense to advance:
The quarterback throws or hands the ball to the running back (Running Back) to run forward with the ball, known as a running play (Rushing)
To pass the ball to a teammate is known as a pass (Passing). Passing the ball forward is a hallmark of American soccer. The offensive team can only pass the ball forward once per offensive opportunity, and it must be passed forward after the kickoff line. Unlimited passes can be made across the field and backward, but there is a high chance of being intercepted when passing across the field on offense, so it is a difficult skill to pass across the field or backward, which is rarely done in American soccer.
Each offensive opportunity ends in the following situation, (called a Dead Ball). The referee will blow his whistle to notify:
The person holding the ball is tackled to the ground, or the referee believes that his advance has been blocked by an opposing player.
A forward pass that goes out of bounds, or touches the ground before anyone catches it, is called an Incomplete Pass; the ball is returned to the original kick-off line, which uses up one down before the offense starts again.
The player with the ball goes out of bounds with the ball.
One of the teams scores.
Players and spectators often need to know what the first down is, and how many yards are left before they get four more chances. For example, before a first down, the TV or scoreboard will say: 1st and 10, which means it's a first down and there are still ten yards to go before a first down is scored. If an offense moved forward three yards, it would read: 2nd and 7, which is second down and seven yards short of a 10-yard gain.
Offensive Exchange
The offense can keep the ball all the way until:
The offense cannot get a new fourth down. In other words, the offensive team fails to advance ten yards within four downs. The defending team may begin a counterattack where the last down was completed. This exchange between offense and defense is called a turnover on downs.
The offense scores a touchdown, or a field goal. The offensive team then kicks off to the other team.
The offensive side punt (Punt), by which an offensive player (executed by special teams) throws the ball down and kicks it forward before it hits the ground. Usually, if the offense fails to advance ten yards on the first three downs, and the spot is not close enough to make a field goal, a punt is used on the fourth down to prevent the offense from having a chance to start a drive there after the offense has exchanged punts.
A defensive player receives a pass from an attacking team, which is called an interception. A defensive player who intercepts an opponent's pass can instantly move toward the opposing team's end zone until he is pressed down, out of bounds, or scores.
An offensive player drops the ball to the ground, called a Fumble, and a defensive player gets to it first. As with an interception, a defensive player who gets a fumble can instantly counterattack until he is tackled, goes out of bounds, or scores a touchdown. Drops and interceptions by the offense are collectively called fumbles.
The attacking team fails in its attempt to hit the goal. The defending team may start the offense at the last kickoff (in the NFL, the play-on-goal). If the hit is within twenty yards of the front of the end zone, the defending team starts at the twenty-yard line.
It is less common for an offense to be tackled, out of bounds, or fouled inside its own touchdown zone, called a Safety.
Scoring
The offense and defense score points in the following ways:
Touchdown (abbreviated TD), for six points. A touchdown is scored when a player runs into the opposing team's touchdown zone with the ball, or receives a pass in the opposing team's touchdown zone (provided he is not tackled and pushed out of the touchdown zone or drops the ball before landing).
After a touchdown, the scoring team is awarded an extra point. The ball is placed on the opponent's three-yard line (two-yard line in the NFL). The scoring team has the option of either putting the ball inside the goalposts for one extra point (called a Field Goal), or running or passing for another touchdown for two extra points (called a 2-Point Conversion). In college and professional games, most add one point for a field goal. The success rate for field goals plus 1 point is 94% in the pros and 93.8% in college. The success rate for extra points is only about 43%. If the defense manages to stop the extra point and get the ball in their hands, and instantly succeeds in scoring a touchdown, they get 2 points (does not apply to the NFL).
Field Goal (FG), 3 points. This is done by kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the two goal posts. The ball must be on the ground first, usually by the Holder, who is responsible for holding the ball on the ground and placing it on the black kicking board. A field goal is usually chosen on fourth down instead of a punt when the offense is close to the line of scrimmage but struggling to score a touchdown, or a field goal is chosen when time is running out and no other way to score. Failure to make a field goal in a high school game hands the offense over to the defense, but the offense can still continue in a college game.
Safety (Safety) scores two points. This is scored by a defensive player. The defense scores 2 points when the offensive side is forced to back up to their side of the field for a touchdown and then is tackled or drops the ball. Certain offenses are also awarded safety points for fouls committed by the offense inside their own touchdown zone.
Kickoffs and free kicks
Each half begins with a kickoff. Kickoffs are also taken when a team scores a touchdown or field goal. In professional and collegiate league games, kickoffs are taken by placing the ball in the kickoff seats on your side's 30- and 35-yard lines, respectively, and kicking it. The opposing team's receiver attempts to catch the incoming ball and advance as far as he can until he is tackled, out of bounds, dropped, etc. and stops when he can no longer advance. The offense then starts a series from the spot where he was tackled. If the receiver does not want to advance with the ball, he can also choose a Fair Catch by waving his hand before catching the ball.
If a receiver (called a Kick Returner) fails to catch the ball and it falls to the ground (called a Muff, always in the past tense of Muffed), he can pick it up and advance it again, or, if unfortunately touched by the defending player, start their first down and 10 yards to regain their first down (1st and 10) at the spot where the defending player touched the ball. 10) offense. The defense can kick off the ball to the line of scrimmage, so that the offense is farther away from the touchdown zone; or the use of gambling kick (Onside kick), is the ball gently kicked out to ten yards out of the skills, such as the offensive players did not get, the defense can grab the ball, triggered by the whole team to grab the ball war, such as the defense succeeded in obtaining the ball, the attack can be retrieved to start the attack, if the failure by the original attacking side to get the ball, the attacking side will have a good place to attack (first and 10). A good place to attack (the ball to midfield, the offense is not used to start the attack on the baseline), generally used in a hurry to get back to the score.
Fouls
When a foul occurs, the offending team is penalized. Most penalties are to set the ball back a certain number of yards toward the offending team's touchdown zone, and some defensive fouls award the offense a new fourth down. If the defense is penalized for backing up enough yards for the offense to get the yardage they need, the offense is also automatically awarded a new fourth down. When a foul occurs during the game the referee throws a small yellow flag near the spot of the foul. After play has been stopped, the team that did not commit the foul has the option of accepting the penalty or accepting the result of the play at that time. For example, if the offense manages to gain 8 yards on a first down while the defense is offside or moving ahead, the offense may choose to accept the penalty, which is to advance 5 yards and go for a first down (5 yards to go), or accept the result of the play, which is to go for a second down (2 yards to go).
Common Fouls
False Start: A player on the offensive side of the ball moves in advance of the kickoff, except for one player moving parallel to the kickoff line. 5 yards back.
Offside: A player crosses the line of scrimmage on the kickoff. Back 5 yards. Similar fouls are: contact with an opponent before the kickoff; crossing into the neutral zone.
Holding:A player unfairly impedes an opposing team's opportunistic blocker or receiver by pulling on the jersey, hooking or shoveling. If the offense commits a foul or an offensive conversion, back off 10 yards; if the defense commits a foul, back off 5 yards and the opposing team automatically gets a new fourth down.
Defensive Pass Interference: When the ball is thrown, a defensive player pushes, hooks, pulls or knocks down a player on the offensive side of the ball who has a chance to catch the pass; or a receiver uses the same tactics against a defensive player to avoid an interception. If the defense commits a foul, the offense has the option of accepting the foul or declining the foul; if the offense chooses to accept the foul, it advances fifteen yards from the kickoff line and is automatically given four new downs; if the offense declines the foul (which usually occurs when the offense advances more than fifteen yards beyond the yardage penalized on the previous play), it may also restart the ball from the spot of the foul and is given the same right to a new four-play drive. If the offense is fouled, back off five yards. If a player commits a similar foul before the pass is thrown, the player is penalized for blocking or illegal contact. Personal Foul: The defense is penalized by being set back fifteen yards and the opposing team is automatically awarded a fourth down. The reason for this is a six-item package: roughing the passer, roughing the kicker, roughing the placekicker (the person who puts the ball upright for the kicker to hit on goal during the offensive play), pulling on the opponent's facemask, stooping to intercept the opponent with the helmet, and jumping on the opponent after blocking the kicker's field goal (but it will not be counted as a foul if the defender is at the one-yard line of the opponent's side of the field).
Delay Of Game: penalizes an offensive quarterback who fails to serve the ball when the forty-second clock reaches zero.
Illegal Forward Pass: Offensive forward pass before the line of scrimmage; five-yard penalty and consumes an offensive possession.
Illegal Formation by Offense: More than seven men line up on the offensive line.
Too Many Men On The Field: Any team with more than eleven men on the field at the time of the kickoff is penalized by being set back five yards. [Note: It is legal for either team to have fewer than ten men on the field; in the 2007 regular season, the Washington Redskins honored the memory of starting safety Sean Taylor, who was robbed and killed in the house, by having the defense line up with ten men the week after his death when they visited the Buffalo Bills].