World Cup Vocabulary

Use this list of terms drawn from the game called soccer in the United States and European football everywhere else as a crib sheet as you watch Wold Cup coverage.

Take a deeper look at the vocabulary of European football that's making its way into the US with World Cup Vocabulary: From "Pomposity" to "Bewilderment".
41 words 1584 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. forward
    a position on a basketball, soccer, or hockey team
  2. net
    (sports) a goal lined with fabric with a loose open weave
  3. soccer
    a football game in which two teams of 11 players try to kick or head a ball into the opponents' goal
  4. cup final
    the final match of any cup competition
  5. free kick
    (soccer) a place kick that is allowed for a foul or infringement by the other team
  6. goalie
    the soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal
  7. goalkeeper
    the soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal
  8. goaltender
    the soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal
  9. header
    the act of hitting a ball with the top of the body
  10. headshot
    an attempt to put the soccer ball into the net by using the head
  11. netkeeper
    the soccer or hockey player assigned to protect the goal
  12. soccer ball
    an inflated ball used in playing soccer
  13. soccer player
    an athlete who plays soccer
  14. striker
    a forward on a soccer team
  15. tiebreaker
    overtime play in order to break a tie
  16. touchline
    either of the sidelines in soccer or rugby
  17. World Cup
    a soccer tournament held every four years between national soccer teams to determine a world champion
  18. knockout
    a blow that renders the opponent unconscious
  19. kit
    gear consisting of a set of articles or tools for a specified purpose
  20. supporter
    a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
  21. match
    a formal contest in which people or teams compete
  22. chant
    a repetitive song in which syllables are assigned to a tone
  23. offside
    (sport) the mistake of occupying an illegal position on the playing field (in football, soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, etc.)
  24. trap
    a device in which something can be caught and penned
    A trap in soccer refers to catching the ball with your body.
  25. clear
    free from contact or proximity or connection
    In soccer, this means to send the ball away from your own goal.
  26. chip
    (golf) a low running approach shot
    This definition applies to golf but the motion is the same in soccer.
  27. dribbling
    the propulsion of a ball by repeated taps or kicks
    Technique for moving the ball in soccer as you run with light, short kicks.
  28. drop-kick
    drop and kick as it touches the ground, as for a field goal
    A maneuver only possible for the goalie.
  29. floor
    the ground on which people and animals move about
  30. free kick
    (soccer) a place kick that is allowed for a foul or infringement by the other team
  31. fullback
    the position of a back on a football team
  32. corner kick
    a free kick from the corner awarded to the other side when a player has sent the ball behind his own goal line
  33. juggle
    throwing and catching several objects simultaneously
    In soccer, juggling refers to keeping a ball in the air without using hands.
  34. man-to-man
    being a system of play in which an individual defensive player guards an individual offensive player
  35. penalty
    a handicap or disadvantage that is imposed on a competitor
  36. substitution
    putting one thing or person in the place of another
  37. throw-in
    an act or instance of throwing a ball in to put it into play
  38. boot
    kick
  39. punt
    kick the ball
  40. assist
    the act of enabling another player to make a good play
  41. shutout
    a defeat in a game where one side fails to score
Created on Wed Jun 11 10:48:53 EDT 2014 (updated Wed Jun 11 13:38:12 EDT 2014)

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