So
with that historical context in mind, let's go over how exactly
the game works. You'll be relieved to know that soccer has nowhere
near the billions of rules that Americans fetishize so much in football
and baseball the game is far more free-flowing and loosey-goosey.
Before
we discuss the rules, though, you'll need to know the objective
of the game. Very simply, it is for your team to score more goals
than the other team. Each team consists of eleven players who can
score a goal by moving a ball into the opponents' net with
the use of any part of their body except their arms and hands. You've
seen it, you know what we're talking about.
Each
game lasts 90 minutes, divided into two halves of 45 minutes each.
Technically, the clock does not run when the ball is out of play
when it is kicked off the field or picked up by the referee
for a substitution or injury so each half typically runs
for more than just 45 minutes. This principle is just like the timing
you see in most American sports; e.g., basketball games go on for
much longer than just 48 minutes. In soccer, though, the halves
rarely go on for much more than 45 minutes usually the added
time or injury time is less than five minutes, but it is up to the
referee's discretion. If the game is tied at the end of the 90 minutes,
usually it is simply scored as a tie (a la hockey).
But what happens in a competition when it is necessary to determine
a winner? The tie gets broken by using special rules about extra
time and penalty kicks. But before you jump off that bridge, Ace,
there's more to learn. If you're dying of curiosity, jump ahead
to step 5, learn the rules, to learn
about the technical rules of breaking a tie (which can really spruce
up a 0 to 0 game).
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