Panthers United Soccer Association

50/50 ball - A loose ball contested by players from each team.

Advantage - When an official allows play to continue for the attacking team even though a foul occurred.

Balance - Used to describe the coverage of space by a team in important areas on the pitch.

Box it - cross the ball into the 18 yard box

Caught square - When two or more defenders have been beaten by a through ball because they were positioned in a straight line or square to one another.

Center - A lateral pass to the inside.

Center Half - Central Defender, played flat with the defensive line.

Challenge - To "challenge" the player with the ball, the act of the first defender.

Channel - Space between center half and full back into which a pass can be played for an attacking player to run onto.

Check - To come back to recieve a ball from a teammate.

Check to - An offensive player running towards the ball carrier and usually calling for a pass.

Chip - A pass made by a stabbing motion of the kicking foot to the lower half of the ball to loft it over the heads of opponents.

Chip shot - a shot aimed over the goalies head
chop - A deliberate change of direction with the ball usually using the inside of the foot.

Clean Sheet - A shutout for the goalkeeper.

Close down - When a defender gets close to the attacker without letting the attacker get by him with the ball.

Contain - Do not allow a person with ball to beat you on the dribble.

Cover - To provide defensive cover to the defender pressuring the ball.

Cross - Pass or kick the ball across the mouth of the opponent's goal.

Damping - Stoping speed and direction of ball

Dangerous kicking - when you kick the balll in the air and your foot is over your shoulder.  This play could end-up with a card being shown.

Dispossess - To take the ball away from a dribbler.

Dive - To fall down deliberately with the intention of fooling the referee into giving a foul.

Drive - Hitting a low, hard shot on goal with the instep.

Drop - To pass the ball back to a supporting player.

Drop and mark - The defending team needs to move to their goal, picking up and marking opponents.

Drop in - support on defense.

Dummy - To let the ball go past or through your legs to a teammate.

Dummy run - A run by player without the ball to draw one or more defenders away from the area under attack.

Endline - boundry lines at the goal ends of the pitch

Face up - Face the direction of the ball. Don't turn back on ball during any stoppage of play.

Far post - The goal post furthest from the ball.

Finish - When a player shoots the ball into the goal using anything but an instep kick.

Foward - Position in front of the opposition goal.

Full back - wide defenders playing flat with the central defenders in a "flat back four".

Give-and-go - To pass the ball to a teammate, run past the defender, and the teammate returns the ball.

Goal side - to be defending so that your goal that you are defending is behind you and the player you are marking up to is in front of you.

Golden goal - A goal scored in overtime which ends the match.

Half volley - Hitting the ball with the instep just after the ball has bounced off the ground.

Halfback - midfielder

Handball - When the ball hits your hand and then it is the other teams free kick from the spot you were standing

Hard tackle - A fair, but rough tackle.

Have one - Tells a player to go ahead and take a shot at goal.

Header - striking the ball with the forehead.

Heal - Backwards pass with the heal of your foot.

Hold - Usually means hold the ball while a player moves into a supporting position for a pass.

Hold the ball up - To keep Possession of the ball, or an instruction to do so.

In swinger - Kicker will deliver corner kick swinging towards the goal.

Instep - useing the inside of your foot to kick the ball.

Long Ball - Style f play that is less popular than it once was where long passes are sent past the midfielders leaving Forwards to run them down.  Also called "Direct style".

Mark up - Telling your teammates to leave no one unmarked.

Near post - The goal post nearest the ball.

Nutmeg - To put the ball between an opponent's legs.

One-timer - A goal scored on a cross or corner kick that is booted into the goal before it touches the ground.

Open goal - A completely unprotected goal, with no obstacles between the ball and the goal at all.

Open up - Use wingers and play wide.

Out swinger - Kicker will deliver corner kick with a ball swinging away from the goal.

Overlap - When a player runs around and ahead of the ball for a pass into space.

Own Goal - Goal conceded by own player

Pace - Referring to the speed of the ball from a pass.

Parry - A controlled and deliberate deflection by the goalkeeper using the hands.

Play space - To push a ball into an open area of the field for another player to run on to, as opposed to playing to feet.

Pressure - Refers to a defender placing pressure on his opponent with the ball.

Recover - When a defender gets beat he turns and sprints to get between the ball and the goal.

Shape - The players positioning on the field in relation to the formation and the ball location.

Show - Move from a position with an intervening defender to a position with a clear line to the ball.

Striker - Solitary forward pressing the defense looking for a breakaway on a ball played forward or through.

Support - Describes the act of someone being available to assist in a given play.

Sweeper - The player positioned behind the fullbacks and in front of the goalie who has the authority to play either the right, middle or left side of the field (hence sweeps) to block the opposing team's shot or player.

Switch - Means to switch the point of attack (i.e. switch the ball from the right side of the field to the left).

Tackle - Trying to take the ball from opposing player. Always play the ball first, if contact is made with the player first a foul is usually committed.

Through ball - To serve the ball through a flat defensive alignment into a forward space creating an opportunity on goal.

Touchline - sideline boundry of the pitch

Transition - when team gains possession of (goes on offense) or loses possession (goes on defense)of the ball.

Two-touch - To either shoot or pass a ball with the second touch, the touch after controlling the ball.

Volley - the act of kicking the ball in midair.

Winger - Outside Midfielder on defense that moves up to play forward on the attack.