Garden Soccer

Understanding The Offside Rule In Soccer

admin — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Offsides is the most commonly called foul in the game of soccer, and can really ruin your team’s flow if you have just scored a goal, which is called offsides, and can deflate your teams thrill and fervor they had been playing with. Off sides is called when the ball has not yet reached an area on the field, and no player is back to defend the goal, and the offensive player has a clear path to the goal, because he anticipated where the ball would go, and went there before the defense had a chance to setup and assist their goal keeper.

So, to avoid offsides, players must wait for the ball to reach the area, before getting to the area, and you must wait until at least one defender has reached the area, in order for there to be a fair advantage, and for both teams to have the same advantage. So, once the ball reaches the location, you and your team can set up for a fair game against the defense. So, making sure to keep an eye on the goal, yet waiting for the ball to reach your destination, will ensure that offsides aren’t called against you.

The Top Five Most Exciting (To Watch) Soccer Rivalries

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It also has some of the most intense fan bases in the world as well. That is why there so many great rivalries in the sport. Here are the top 5 most best rivalries in Soccer today.

1. Arsenal and Chelsea is one of the biggest fan rivalries in the Premier League. The teams have been playing since the 1930s and the rivalry has become even more intense in recent years as Chelsea has moved up the ranks to become one of the better teams in the league.

2. Arsenal also has a great rivalry with Manchester United. These two teams also have a long history together. This is a rivalry between the players as well as the fans and has even led to a few on the field confrontations between the teams in the last decade.

3. Manchester City and Manchester United have a great rivalry that is made even more intense by their close proximity. These two teams have two of the highest payrolls in English soccer and have some of the most attended games in soccer history.

4. Celtic and Rangers, two teams in Glasgow, Scotland, have a heated rivalry that has even led to violence between the fans. The rivalry is even deeper because of the religious implications involved.

5. The biggest rivalry in Spain may also be the biggest rivalry in all of soccer. Real Madrid and Barcelona have a long disputed rivalry. The rivalry is made more intense by the fact that the two regions that they play in have a rivalry as well. So the rivalry extends beyond the field.

What’s A Winger? Understanding Soccer Player Positions

admin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Soccer, also known as football in some countries, is a sport that has many different positions. There is the goalkeeper, who’s position is defensive. They are the only players who have the ability to grab the ball with their hands. There are the defenders, whose purpose is to help the goalkeeper and to help prevent the other team from scoring a goal. There are also the Centre-backs, full-backs, wingbacks, midfielders, and forward. Besides these several positions, who each contribute to the overall success of the game, there is the position of the winger. The winger is an attacking position who contributes to both offense and defense. For this position you need speed more so then you need strength. Though strength is not a required part of this position, it is important that when the ball is kicked by the winger, it is a powerful kick. It is important for wingers to know where the out of bounds lines are located because a lot of times they will be maneuvering so quickly, and so close to the lines, that if they are off by an inch it could cost their team the ball. These players are constantly running back and forth throughout the field and contribute a great deal to their team.

Soccer, a Sport Your Entire Family Can Enjoy

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Soccer is played and watched throughout the world, by children, teenagers, and adults of both sexes. It’s played for fun on school playgrounds, while some schools field soccer teams for competitive purposes. In addition, the joy of watching and participating in soccer carries over into the collegiate and professional levels.

Soccer is Fun!

Foremost, soccer is fun to watch and play because understanding and executing the rules is not difficult. Whereas at the collegiate and professional levels soccer is more complex, the basic game of soccer requires nothing more than desire to play the game. At younger ages, if a child can chase and kick the soccer ball they will enjoy the game. Parents enjoy watching their children play, knowing their child will not suffer embarrassment because they may lack athleticism. Unless of course your child is very slow compared to other kids his age. This can hamper their ability to participate but luckily they’ll get lots of practice running which should make them faster

Get Your Dose of Soccer Information

If your enjoyment of soccer includes the ranks of collegiate and professionals, you want comprehensive reports about soccer games wherever and whenever their played. Yet, many games are played in foreign countries in different time zones, and coverage and reporting may be spasmodic. However, to get your soccer fix, www.direct.tv supplies you with comprehensive soccer reports twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Yeah, the subscriptions can be expensive but if you’re a die-hard fan they’re worth it. Personally, I spend lots of lunch breaks at the Taqueria Grullense which has a subscription to Direct TV. I would be lying if I told you guys that I go there mostly for the great soccer coverage. Yes, that’s a factor, but if there’s anything I love more than soccer, it’s a great burrito.

Soccer variations

www.gardensoccer.com — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:15:33 +0000

Soccer. Football. Calcio. These all refer to the same sport, albeit in different countries. However, within the sport of soccer, there are several variations that have been developed to appease people’s endlessly creative appetites.Futsal is a variant that’s very similar except for its arena. The game takes place in a smaller, indoor playing area. It differs from indoor soccer in that the court is defined by lines, not walls, and the ball is smaller.Five-a-side football is played with five members on each team, including the goalie. The games are shorter, and the goals and court are smaller. It is played either inside or outdoors in a caged area.Indoor soccer is played on an indoor rink (surprise) covered with turf. Being able to play off the wall brings a new aspect to the game.Beach soccer takes place on a sandy surface, which completely changes the style of play. These games are usually very high-scoring due to the small playing area.Powerchair football is designed for players with power wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are equipped with footguards, and there are four players to a team.Street football refers to any type of game played with informal rules on a rudimentarily-defined playing area. These games often lack regular features like referees and field markings.Crab soccer is an unusual variation played by crabwalking teams. Other than the method of locomotion, most rules remain the same.Swamp football is soccer played on soft bog or swamp. It was originally used for training British athletes and soldiers, but there are currently around 260 swamp football teams worldwide.

FIFA video games: then and now

www.gardensoccer.com — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:03:59 +0000

The first FIFA video game was released in July 1993. Simply titled FIFA International Soccer, it was the first 16-bit soccer game to feature an isometric view (a perspective which simulated a three-dimensional view). The game featured national teams, although not real players, and had a famous bug in which a player can stand in front of the goalie and bounce the ball into the net. While the title seems dated now, it was groundbreaking at the time, and was later made available on the PS2 version of FIFA 06.FIFA Soccer 96 was the first game featuring 3D graphics and real player names (although some of the teams, such as the Brazilian ones, were outdated at the time of release). Two years later, FIFA Soccer 98 marked the first title with a licensed soundtrack. The game’s title song was Blur’s “Song 2,” which was apparently everywhere in the late ’90s (it’s the one with the “Woohoo” chorus).FIFA 2001 featured some gameplay and visual enhancements, but it’s most remembered for its scratch-and-sniff disc, which gave off the scent of grass. Whoever pushed this through as a selling point in development, we salute you, even if our moms did get freaked out when they walked in and saw us smelling our Playstations.Ten years later, FIFA 11 was released at the end of September 2010. The Manager Mode has been replaced with the Career mode, which offers three different paths: Player, Manager, or Player Manager. Players can now take control of a goalkeeper for the first time in the series. Martin Tyler and Andy Graw provide commentary.

Anti-climactic end to record-attempting game

www.gardensoccer.com — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 11:30:07 +0000

A group of players in Halifax, Nova Scotia were out playing soccer for a few hours on October 16 when an unexpected rainstorm started. The group was understandably miffedafter all, who wouldn’t be?but their annoyance seemed a little greater than usual. You see, the group had been playing for 17 hours, and had been planning to stay out at least another 25 in order to beat the world-record for longest soccer game (42 hours, 5 minutes, 1 second).The team did give it their best shotfive players fell to injury before the players decided that the conditions were too dangerous. Some good did come out of the eventthe players were raising money for breast cancer, and their early estimates put the proceeds at over 20,000. The players should be able to hold their head high with that result, even if they didn’t meet their initial goal. After all, there’s always next weekend.

America World Cup 4 2022?

www.gardensoccer.com — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:06:28 +0000

American soccer fans can expect to be buying plane tickets for both of the next two World Cups. The 2014 tournament is already set for Brazil, and the United States announced last week that it was withdrawing from the bid for the 2018 game. England and Russia are both still in the mix, as are the alliance bids of Netherlands-Belgium and Spain-Portugal. Japan and Australia, who like America had also originally bid for both 2018 and 2022, have also withdrawn from the 2018 match. All are concentrating on the 2022 game now, which the rotation rules will now dictate must be held outside of Europe.The United States has hosted the World Cup once before, back in 1994. 18 venues were submitted as possible locations for the match, including the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, Cowboys Stadium, and Reliant Stadium. The 1994 World Cup was hosted at the Cotton Bowl.America’s official bid site is http://www.gousabid.com/. You can enter your name and e-mail address to electronically “sign” the petition, and add tweets and counters for the bid to your blog or website. The competition for 2018 may have just narrowed down, but the competition for 2022 is just beginning.