The language of soccer (aka football)

Many Americans may not be aware, but a huge event is taking place this month, starting next week.

It’s bigger than the Super Bowl, popular in many more countries than football, yet confusingly has the same name. Except to Americans that is – you know it as ‘soccer’.

As the USA is represented in the upcoming Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup (also known as ‘the World Cup’) it might be time for you to get to know some of the basics, starting with the fact that more or less the rest of the world knows the game as ‘football’.

For the uninitiated, here are the basics of football (the pitch, the teams, etc.) and the basics of the World Cup.

If you want to sound a bit more knowledgeable, here’s a glossary of football terms, including essential information about the offside rule.

But if you really want to sound like you know what you’re talking about, my tip is to yell at the referee. A lot.