Soccer is the most famous sport in the world. 206 countries in the world play soccer.
Soccer is a sport played with 2 teams on a 120 yard field. Each team has 11 players on the field, each player has an important role or position to play.
There are 2 nets on either side of the field. To win the game your team has to score the most goals.
There is no one position that is more important than others.
The most used formation is the 4-4-2. 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, 2 strikers. The goalkeeper is not mentioned because the goalkeeper always plays in the same spot.
The goalkeeper is the first position in the 4-4-2 formation. The goalie stops the ball from going into the net.
The goalie can stand anywhere he wants but he is the only player on the field that can use his hands, he is restricted to only using his hands in the 18 yard box. Anywhere else would be a hand ball. Some great goalies are Manuel Neur,David De Gea, and Jan Oblak
The goalie position seems hard but the goalie counts on his defenders to keep the other team out.
Centerbacks have to protect the goalie because they are the last line of defense.
The fullbacks are very important, without them then the goalie would be vulnerable on both of his sides.
The center midfielder is one of the hardest positions in soccer, not only do you play offense but you also have to run back on to defense. A midfielder is supposed to control the middle of the field, the team that has most control over the middle is usually the team with more possession. Some famous center mids are Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Paul Pogba.
The center midfielder is supposed to set up the striker for a goal, or score himself. When the opposing team comes into their half they are supposed to run back on defense.
Center midfielders are really important to a team, without them the whole middle of the field will break down. Center midfielders are like the glue that holds the formation.
The right and left midfielder are supposed to control the wings on offense. They take the ball down and cross it into the 18 yard box for the strikers or center midfielders so they can score. Some famous right or left Midfielders are Neymar jr, Lionel Messi, and Christiano Ronaldo.
Being a winger can be really tiring from running back and forth down the wing but it helps the team score goals.
The strikers are the people who score the most goals. The midfielders are supposed to set them up in front of goal, to be a striker you require speed and good finishing. You need speed in all positions, and good finishing means to convert your shots into goals. One striker named Romelu Lukaku is is really slow,but he has established himself as one of the best strikers in the game because he is a great finsiher and can score a lot of goals.
Some great strikers are Mauro Icardi, Edinson Cavani, and Sergio Aguero.
There are many tournaments and teams in soccer, unlike other sports soccer has multiple league, some including the premier league, la liga, and champions league. The biggest tournament is the FIFA world cup 32 countries with the best soccer teams go to the tournament. Now that you learned a lot about soccer why don't you go play a game.
Click here for the official FIFA website