Soccer Blog – Tips, Guides & Advice

Arsenal is known as “The Gunners” due to the club’s origins, which were closely tied to the Arsenal Armament Factory in Woolwich, South East London. The Arsenal Armament Factory was a major producer of military equipment, including guns and artillery, for the British Army. In 1886, a group of workers at the Arsenal Armament Factory…

An introduction To simply answer the question right away, it is the Liverpool fans who sang the world-famous song first. After Gerry and the Pacemakers released the song in the early 1960s, Liverpool fans were the first to adopt “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as a football anthem and began singing it at Anfield. This can…

An introduction To get straight to the point right at the beginning of the article, we feel like It is not quite fair to say that San Marino is the worst team in international football. While the team has had limited success on the international stage, ranking 203rd out of 210 teams in the FIFA…

Introduction A professional soccer player usually earns an above-average salary. As widespread as it is, soccer has for a long time now been a sport where professional athletes could easily become millionaires.  Being amongst the best ones doesn’t always mean the highest salary since various factors decide which players in the world are the richest….

An introduction Newcastle United – probably one of the most exciting clubs in the Premier League to keep an eye on in the upcoming seasons. The Geordies are currently under new management and are attracting interest from many world-class players who have already, or will join the club quite soon. Unlike many other clubs in…

An introduction A club that is one of the English football league founders has had a quite long history in the sport. West Bromwich Albion, or ‘The Baggies’ as some refer to them, is a club based in  West Bromwich, West Midlands, or to put it simply, Birmingham. While many clubs all over the country…

An introduction Even if you’re not an above-average football enjoyer, you’ve probably heard about the legendary story of an underdog winning the 2015/16 premier league title. The Foxes, who were a relegation battle club at the time, managed to impress the whole world by managing to win the title in a competition that statistically had…

An introduction There are many milestones that a professional player can achieve during their career, regardless of the sport. But being known as having the most red cards in the Premer League history is definitely a somewhat unique feat. There are probably several names that come to mind here, but to give a short answer…

Soccer coaches play a crucial role in the success of a team, responsible for developing strategies, motivating players, and making big decisions during matches. But can soccer coaches also be shown yellow and red cards, just like players on the field? In this article, we will explore this question and more, taking a closer look…

Soccer is well-known for being the most popular sport in the world. Therefore, it is no wonder soccer players earn great sums of money for playing it at the highest level. Some of the salaries players earn in this sport are often mind-boggling, but what is even better is that a huge number of soccer…

Soccer, or football as it is known in many parts of the world, is a sport that is enjoyed by millions of people around the globe. It is the most popular sport in the world and there are many parts of it fans get excited about. One of the most thrilling aspects of the game…

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and it captivates billions of people across the globe. Its incredible popularity means soccer generates billions of dollars every year and soccer players, at least those at the very top, can earn incredible sums of money. But the popularity of the sport has now taken some…

Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet, and it is no wonder it captivates the masses like no other sport. With its history of over 150 years of contemporary soccer and competitions with legendary status both in the club and international soccer, billions of fans love talking about this sport. But sometimes, during…

Soccer is a sport that is beloved by millions of people around the world. This unique sport has an incredible global reach and passionate fan bases. Then, it is no surprise that soccer rivalries are some of the most intense in all sports. Rivalries in soccer can take many forms, ranging from local derbies between…

There are many different options when it comes to choosing the right strategy. We have seen both successful and not-so-successful tactics since the sport debuted over 150 years ago. The game has, of course, changed a lot since then. This article will focus on the eight most popular formations over the years and decide which…

Being one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and considered “GOAT” by many, is Leo Messi the fastest player in the world of soccer? There are several factors that differentiate an average player from a world-class athlete, but in some cases, it is the pace that makes all the difference. To put…

New soccer fans usually have plenty of questions to ask about the sport. Some want to know the soccer rules, while some have more specific questions about the goalkeepers getting sent off. But many new fans still wonder about the weather in which they can play soccer. One question is whether it is possible to…

Soccer is known as ‘the beautiful sport’, but it can also be tough. If you have ever played a soccer game, you will know that not so beautiful things can happen on the field. For example, getting kicked on your shins. That is a regular occurrence in soccer but an unpleasant one. With soccer being…

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. As such, fans around the globe love playing and watching soccer. But have you ever noticed that there are different ways people refer to soccer events? As you may have already realized, some people call those events soccer matches, but others call them soccer games. So…

A strategy used for quite a bit has had its rise and fall over time. Popularized mainly by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Tiki-Taka soccer is seen as one of the most significant advancements in the sport over the past 15 years. A strategy so unique, yet somewhat widespread that it became synonymous with several coaches…

No competition in world soccer is as scrutinized and analyzed as fiercely as the English Premier League, with media attention and furore seemingly a prerequisite of every game. The international appeal of the league is inevitably part of its charm, with the Premier League seeing sell-out crowds in every stadium and the world’s best players…

The most important thing in soccer is to score a goal. Soccer is the most popular sport, and scoring goals has captivated fans for over 150 years. It’s not an easy task in such a low-scoring sport. But scoring goals is also a tough job because of them – the goalies. Goalkeepers are often a…

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Considering this, it’s no wonder many soccer players are stars who earn a lot of money. But to be so famous and adored, you must win soccer games. And with that, you get to lift trophies. But which soccer players are the absolute best among the…

Major League Soccer is the men’s professional soccer league in the United States. It is the highest level of soccer in the US, a relatively young competition, founded in 1994, with the first season played in 1996. Through the years, MLS has grown into becoming one of the largest top-tier soccer leagues, amassing 28 soccer…

As the most watched and followed soccer league in the world, the English Premier League is box office viewing every weekend. Seen by many as the spiritual home of the game, England and the Premier League sees sell-out crowds in every stadium and the world’s best players doing battle on a weekly basis. Having transitioned…

Whilst the prominence and importance of club football dominates social media sites and the columns of publications on a daily basis, there remains one undisputed king of soccer tournaments. The World Cup has long been the premier soccer tournament in world soccer, one of the highlights of the world sporting calendar every four years. It…

Whilst winning a league title in any sport is seen as the crème de la crème of achievements, soccer has some of the most incredible individual tournaments in the world. Both domestic and international soccer create encapsulating theater through the medium of tournaments, with knockout soccer one of the ultimate USP’s the sport has to…

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It’s no wonder the same is the case in Spain. Spanish soccer is currently among the best in the world, and the popularity of the sport has brought us some of the greatest soccer clubs in history. The way FIFA is the governing body of world…

Having a proper ground where you can gather both a huge number of fans and soccer enthusiasts is a vital part of every soccer club in the world. There are various instances where a club with a huge following can’t quite welcome as many supporters as they would like to and vice versa. Some of…

There are many advantages of being a tall, and generally speaking, a physical person. Or at least that’s the case in real life and some sports like ice hockey, football, and, of course, basketball. But is being short that big of an issue for people who play soccer? The short answer is no, not really….

While soccer is currently one of the most popular sports in the entire world, there still aren’t many young soccer players interested in taking a different path and becoming one of the officials. Of course, being a professional referee is not that easy of a task, and finding an expert takes not only resources but…

A highly competitive sport like soccer requires a lot of financing. The gap between the top 10 richest soccer clubs in the world and the rest has constantly been growing, especially over the past decade. We’ve seen an enormous influx of money, mostly from various sponsors who want to advertise their brand. However, that’s not…

World Cup – two words that make every single soccer enthusiast excited. But when and where is the next FIFA World Cup – the most prominent sports competition after the Olympic Games. For 2022, FIFA decided to hold the World Cup in Qatar – the first-ever international soccer competition held in the Arab world. We’ve…

Many soccer players all around the world wear different kinds of accessories. We’ve seen major shifts in fashion both on and off the pitch in the past decade or so. But why do soccer players wear tape on their wrists? Is that a fashion statement or something a bit different? We are all used to…

Like in any other sport, soccer has many different positions and roles. The number of all possible positions/roles is even higher than 11, which is the total number of players a team can start a game with. Suppose we group everything up into four main positions. In that case, we will notice that every soccer…

As the most played and watched sport in the world, soccer is truly a universal game. With its roots originally in Northern Europe, particularly in the UK, the USP of soccer is the simple nature of both the rules of the game and the scoring systems used – making it very much the ‘game of…

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It has fans in all corners of the planet. Billions of people love soccer, and the soccer ball has brought joy to them on many occasions. The simple image of a black and white soccer ball can make a soccer fan smile, reminding him of all…

Do soccer, football, and many other sports that use the grassy surface as the playing field really go that deep into the world of upkeep? If you’re just an average sports enthusiast, you would probably be surprised at how much work is put into maintaining the playing field and choosing the correct surface on which…

If you consider yourself a soccer enthusiast, you probably already know that footwear used in the sport is somewhat similar to footwear used in football. Running on a grassy field or turf can be a bit challenging in either one. Because of that, many different manufacturers have constantly been developing technology around soccer cleats or…

The deadline day drama is sometimes even more interesting than the start of a season itself – especially in the era of social media. This is because so many rumors and speculations make the atmosphere around the final day of a transfer window sensational. And what’s more, there are not one but two deadline days…

Like in every major sport, there is an age when a player just can’t keep up with everyone else. When it comes to soccer, the retirement age can vary.  The average age at which a male player retires is 35. Soccer players start their careers young and can be professional by the age of 16,…

Soccer fans know certain actions are crucial for the game. Scoring a goal is the most important thing, but other events can also change the game. One such is for a player to get a red card. While soccer fans know what a red card is and why it is so important, many are unfamiliar…

It may not enjoy the high profile of many other sports which are competed at every Olympic Games, but there has been a soccer tournament at every Games except two, competed for between certain member countries of the International Olympic Committee. Here, we explain how the tournament has evolved, and chart the number of teams…

Many soccer matches have something at stake if one team wins, whether it’s points in a league, or even a trophy for a cup final. But pro and amateur soccer teams also often play friendly matches between themselves outside their regular competitive schedule. This article explains what these games are and their purposes.  Friendly soccer…

Being one of the most popular and highest-paid sports in the entire world, you would expect that soccer referees are paid quite a huge amount of money per season. Well, not really. Even though there are far more serious and challenging jobs, soccer referees are one of a kind – not only do they have…

Few sports manage to transcend society in the way that soccer does, making it the most popular and participated in sport in the world. With deep historical links to the UK, soccer has grown exponentially the world over, with hundreds of leagues and cups competed on a weekly basis. Vying for the title as the…

There is a huge possibility that you might’ve noticed soccer players wearing some sort of a bra-like feature beneath their shirt over the past decade or so. Even though there are many clubs, and especially players who are competing with each other about who has the best look, wearing a sports-bra kind of equipment is…

While there have been tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, various soccer ball designs over a century-long history of the sport, there are only a few official soccer ball sizes used in both youth and pro soccer. In the same way every single club in a major soccer league all around the world…

The goal is the most significant thing in soccer. As we have learned before, a goal can refer to two separate things: a goal as a frame at both ends of the soccer pitch and a goal as putting the ball over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar. But in this…

As the name suggests, a midfielder is usually positioned in the middle of the playing field. Depending on the type and the position, a player can potentially cover several different areas. We will clarify various positions and roles of midfield players and will give an example of a player archetype.  What kinds of midfield positions…

A game of soccer is generally played over a set time, with that time split into two halves. Here, we explain how long a women’s soccer game is generally, and the reasons why the game is divided into two halves. Soccer around the world, at amateur, semi-professional and pro levels, is governed by a set…

Any game of soccer involves most outfield players doing quite a lot of running to keep up with play. So we take a look at the figures showing the average distance run in a soccer game – some of the stats might surprise you! How long would it take you to run or walk 12…

In comparison to many other sports, soccer is generally classified as very simple in terms of the rules associated with the game and the terminology used around the sport. The basic premise of soccer is of course very simple; to score more goals than the opposition. However, actually executing that is not as simple as…

With its status as the most popular sport in the world very much intact, soccer’s global presence is as strong today as it ever has been. Due to its relatively accessible nature the world over, in that all that is needed to play the game is a ball, soccer has the biggest following on the…

Soccer in essence is simple: to score more goals than the opposition and in doing that, a team will go on to win the game. Goals are the currency in which all teams at any level of soccer deal in and over the course of soccer history, there have been some incredible goal-scoring feats that…

Each soccer team has 11 players on the field, consisting of a goalkeeper and ten other players which are referred to as ‘outfield players’. The outfield players are a mixture of defensive and offensive players. On the substitutes bench, a team can have between five and seven players. The coach can use between 3 and…

A role heavily popularized by Guardiola’s Barcelona was first introduced to the mainstream soccer world in the early 2010s. Throughout the whole past decade, there were many different strategies used by various coaches, but there wasn’t a single one that was as influential and as popular as the false 9 strategy.  There were many cases…

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players in history. He is also one of the most famous soccer stars around the globe – over 400 million people follow him on social media Instagram. But apart from being an international star, Cristiano Ronaldo is also an international man – he can speak in many…

Lionel Messi is one of the most famous soccer players in the world. He is also one of the greatest soccer players ever and he has millions of fans around the globe. But one thing that many people are unsure of is what languages Messi can speak. And also, can Lionel Messi speak English? That…

Scoring goals is the currency in which all soccer teams deal in and ultimately, success, trophies and winning soccer matches comes down to scoring goals. Ultimately, all soccer teams and players are judged by their ability to put the ball into the back of the net and having an effective offensive strategy is integral to…

Whilst it is certainly not the most glamorous occupation on a soccer field, being a defender is crucial to any side’s tactical balance in any given game. Anybody who has played soccer to any level will be all too aware of the importance of being able to defend effectively both individually and as a team,…

The Olympics are one of the best sporting competitions in the world. Every four years, they engross the whole world. Many sports get their new Olympic champions, as the winning athletes get to call themselves the very best among the very best. But things are different in soccer. Soccer at the Olympics is a rare…

The most important thing in soccer is a goal. But many people don’t understand what a goal is in soccer and what the word refers to. In this article, we will be learning about various definitions of what a goal is exactly and why it is so crucial for soccer. We will look at how…

The rules of soccer include several which dictate what goalkeepers can and cannot do in a game. Here, we round up those rules and explain why they make the goalkeeper one of any soccer team’s most important members.  The goalkeeper is many ways the most important player on a soccer team. Required to be strong…

London, like many other major European cities, is represented by more than a couple of teams (we will refer to them as clubs from now on) – more than any other city in “the old continent” to be more exact. It is possible that some readers might be confused and are wondering how one city…

Even though the idea of having players on loan is not exclusive to soccer, various nuances make everything a little bit more complicated compared to the other popular sports in the States. If the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions transfers is “Moneyball”, well, the situation here is quite a bit different….

Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the history of soccer. He is also one of the most famous soccer players in the world. Messi is known for his incredible goal-scoring prowess, playmaking skills and ability to beat teams almost by himself. Throughout his trophy-laden career, he has been described as a calm…

The word “aggregate” in soccer refers to the scoreline between the two teams after two games they have played against each other. Certain words in soccer are part of its usual terminology that many people find confusing. Aggregate is one such word. When two teams play two games against each other, the scorelines from the…

Strikers are the players on a soccer team whose job is to play furthest forward up the pitch around their opponents’ goal, and try to score as many goals as possible – or to create chances for their team-mates to do so. We look at a striker’s role, and list the qualities a good striker…

Today’s elite soccer leagues around the world allow up to five substitutions per team in each match. But as recently as the 1950s substitutes were unheard of. This article outlines the history of substitutions and explains the reasons for this increase, showing how the laws of soccer have changed to adapt as the game itself…

The equivalent of overtime in many other sports may be called either time-added-on or extra-time in soccer, depending on the reasons why it is needed. One is when time is allowed by the referee to compensate for interruptions to the game, and the other is an extra half-hour played at the end of a match…

Relegation happens to a soccer team when it fails to win enough of the matches in its league during a season and so ends the season at or near the bottom of the league. Here is an explanation of how the system of relegation and promotion between the divisions in a league works. In American…

Even if you’re not a big fan of soccer, then you’re likely to know about the Olympic Games. Possibly the biggest international sporting competition in the world, the Games take place every four years, and the first ones were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. These first Olympic Games, or Olympiad, saw 280 competitors from…

The letters ‘FC’ are very often found in the official titles of a soccer team – along with a few other variants. FC stands for “Football Club”. It is used by many soccer clubs in Europe, and even some American clubs that use FC in their club names even though the sport is known as…

It’s by far the most popular sport on the planet, so why haven’t Americans taken soccer – or football – to their hearts in the same way as much of the rest of the world? In the countries where it is the number one sport, it’s often referred to as ‘the beautiful game’, yet in…

Soccer is a sport that has reached every continent of the world, and it’s estimated that it is played by as many as 200 million people worldwide. For so many, it is not just a sport. It has come to represent a community, led to them forming new friendships, and give them something which can…

There is no doubting that soccer is a highly physical game. A player from one team will almost always be trying to win the ball from an opponent, because it is usually only by having possession of the ball for a sequence of passes up the pitch that their team can create chances to score…

A handball occurs if any player, other than the team’s goalkeeper within his own penalty area, deliberately handles the ball when in play. A ball can be handled with any part of the arm, from the tips of a player’s fingers right up to the shoulder. Which Part Of The Arm Is Handball In Soccer?…

There’s no hotter topic in the whole of soccer at the moment than the use of VAR, or video assistant referees. It’s causing (sometimes heated) and extensive debate. VAR is commonly used as a generic term referring both to the match official who carries out the reviews of contentious incidents, and to the video technology…

Size and dimensions of a soccer field The size and dimensions of the soccer field are a heavily regulated part of soccer. This is to ensure that the game remains fair for teams playing at home and away matches.  Whilst not all soccer fields are the same size, they need to retain certain dimensions to…

Each soccer player in a team has a specific role. Each of these roles requires particular skills. Soccer positions can be divided into outfield and non-outfield roles, although the vast majority of the team plays in outfield positions. Read on for a detailed explanation of the different soccer positions and how these are utilized in…

There are a few ways in which a soccer player can impress crowds with their skills and set themselves apart from the average standard of players, and one of the most surefire methods for a player to solidify this status in the soccer world is to score a hat-trick. Scoring a hat-trick in soccer is…

A yellow card in soccer is a physical item carried by the referee. It is, quite literally, a yellow piece of card. Yellow cards are used in matches to caution players for disruptive or unsportsman-like behavior. They are used as a caution for minor offenses, whilst a red card is used as a much harsher…

The typical length for a professional soccer game is 90 minutes (also known as ‘full-time‘), and consists of two halves of 45 minutes, with the potential for additional time at the end of each half. Although this is the standard written into the Laws of the Game (Law 7), the length of matches in different…

The offside rule in soccer is controversial. There have been many times in important matches when players have scored and then been judged to have been offside. These goals are then disallowed, much to the disappointment of players and fans – especially when the decision is not clear cut.   The offside rule is the 11th…

Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world. It is played by millions of people of all ages, from the grassroots level to professional, international tournaments. While it is known across the U.S. as soccer, the sport is more famous in most parts of the world as football. This is because the technical…

The terms soccer and football are used in different parts of the world to refer to the same game. While this may seem confusing, there are good reasons behind it. Soccer, or variations of the word in different languages, is less frequently used than the term football or its various translations. In this post, we…

A definitive guide to the laws & regulations of soccer Soccer, or football as it is known in some countries, is one of the oldest and most well-known sports globally. Some of the world’s strongest soccer leagues are in European countries such as Spain, England, Germany, and Italy. There are many international soccer tournaments where…