2003 YMCA Mock Trial

The following definitions are provided for informational purposes only. They are not "text book" definitions, but they are accurate.

Slide Tackle: Describes the defensive maneuver when a player leaves his feet (like a baseball player would slide feet first into a base) to intercept a ball that is out of reach. The slide tackle is legal only when attempted from the front or from the side of the player with the ball. A player making a slide tackle may make contact with the body of an opponent only if s/he first makes contact with the ball. Contact with an opposing player before making contact with the ball is a foul. Slide tackles from behind are forbidden by Law 12 of the FIFA Laws of the Game.

"Megged": "Meg" or "nutmeg" is a soccer term used to describe a situation where an attacking player dribbles the ball, or passes the ball, between the legs of a defending player.

"Professional Foul": "Professional Foul" is a term used to describe a foul that appears to be too aggressive or intentionally committed. The term sometimes connotes a foul that borders the fine line between fair and unfair, and is often used to describe fouls that are so aggressive that they appear to have been committed more for the purpose of sending a psychological message to an opponent than to fairly challenge for the ball.

Caution/ Yellow Card: A caution is a form of disciplinary sanction imposed by the referee on a player who commits one of the 7 "cautionable offense" listed in Law 12 of the FIFA Laws of the Game. To notify the players, coaches and the public that a caution has been imposed, the referee will raise a yellow card in the air while standing in front of the offending player to signify an official notice that the caution has been issued. Upon receiving a second yellow card in the same game, a player is automatically disqualified and is sent off (ejected) the field.

Sending Off/ Red Card: If a player commits one of the 7 "sending-off offenses" described in Law 12 of the FIFA Laws of the Game, the player is disqualified from further play in the game and is "sent off" the field, i.e., he or she is ejected from the game. The team of a player who is sent off must play the remainder of the game with one less player. To signal a "sending off offense," the referee will raise a red card in the air while standing in front of the offending player and then instruct the player to leave the field.

Warning/Verbal Warning: Referees will often issue verbal warnings for offenses that could be construed as cautionable offenses. There are no restrictions imposed on the referee regarding the use of verbal warnings. Some referees use them liberally before issuing yellow cards, and some do not. Most referees maintain an open dialogue with the players on the field as a means of communicating their expectations to the players.

ODP: "ODP" is the acronym for the Olympic Development Program, a national program designed to identify and train the top youth players in the country to form a pool from which the national team is developed and selected. Every state's youth soccer association participates in the ODP program, which begins for players at the U-14 age group. ODP is a highly competitive environment as its sole purpose is to identify the top players in the country at each age group.

U-12, U-13, U-14, etc.: Youth soccer competition is conducted by age groups. Competitive soccer usually begins at the Under-12 (U-12) age. A player in the U-12 age group is a player who has not turned twelve years old before August 1 of the year in which the season begins.

The "D": The markings on a soccer field create a "D" shaped area that is centrally located at the top of the penalty box. The "D" is actually the visible portion of a circle that is described by a 10-yard radius around the penalty spot, i.e., the spot from which penalty shots are taken. All players must be at least 10 yards away from a player taking a penalty shot at the instant when the shot is taken.

The Penalty Area: Also called the "penalty box" or the "eighteen yard box," this rectangular area around each goal is eighteen yards from either goal post and eighteen yards from the goal line. The goalkeeper is permitted to catch and control the ball with his/her hands inside the penalty area. Fouls committed inside the penalty area by a defending team result in a penalty kick being awarded to the attacking team.

Touch Line: The lines that run the length of the field on either side of the field are called the "touch lines." When the ball is out of bounds it is said to be "in touch." A ball is not out of bounds until the entire circumference of the ball is outside of the touch line. In other words, a ball that is sitting on the line or still in contact with the line in any way is a ball that is in play.

Goal Line: The goal lines are the lines at either end of the field that run from corner to corner and mark the ends of the playing field. The goal line is also called the "end line."

Corner Kick: A corner kick is awarded whenever a ball that is last touched by the defending team goes over the goal line/end line in the defending team's defensive half of the field.