Soccer, called football by the rest of the world, is a game played by two teams. Each team starts with 11 players. The basic rule is that when the ball is in the field of play, players can touch the ball with any part of their body except their hands and arms, except for the Goalie. The goalie can touch the ball with his hands and arms when he is located in the goal box.
If the ball goes out of bounds on the either sideline, any member of the opposing team can throw the ball back into play (using their hands.)
How Long is a Soccer Match?
The time limit for a soccer match is 90 minutes of play, split into two 45 minute halves. The clock counts up from zero, and does not stop for the entire 45 minutes. There are no timeouts, and the clock continues to run even for injuries and when the ball goes out of bounds
At the end of each half, the referee has the option of adding extra time to the clock for injuries and other stoppages. The clock will continue to count and spectators may see 46 or more minutes elapse on the clock before halftime. The clock will still be reset to 45 minutes for the second half, when it will count up to 90 minutes.
Why is Soccer So Low Scoring?
American fans may be turned off by the low scoring nature of soccer. Many games end up in ties, and 0-0 is not an uncommon score. Rarely in professional play are more than four goals scored, even combined by the two teams.
Defense is a priority. The primary reason few goals are scored is the offside rule. A pass cannot be made to a player who does not have two opposing players between him and the goal. This prevents players from hanging around the goals waiting for a pass that would allow an easy shot.
Players have to personally control the ball past the defense, or kick the ball from a distance past opposing players to score. It is similar to hockey, where the puck must precede the player across the blue line. There are no long passes allowed over the defense as in football or basketball.
Penalties and Yellow Cards
There is a tremendous amount of physical contact in soccer, but fouls are called for overaggressive and unnecessary rough play. Most fouls are minor, and the team that is fouled is given the ball on a free kick.
If the foul is too hard, the player will be given a yellow card. This is similar to a personal foul in basketball, except it only takes two yellow cards for a player to be disqualified. They can also be sent off for one red card, for a particularly flagrant foul.
The more important feature is that the player that is sent off cannot be replaced. The team must play a man short for the rest of the game.
A fan would have to watch many games in order to learn the fine points of a sport with so much history. Those watching can get a feel for the excitement of the worlds most popular sport by knowing a few basics, and joining in on the fun.
charmaine3gross2 Community Member 
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