Soccer offsides rule explained...

[DavidinNaples]

The USA women's soccer team has had 8 goals disallowed because of players being "offsides" including several today. For those who might not understand the soccer offsides rule, here is an simple explanation. Hope this helps...

1. A player must have 2 opponents or 1 ball in between them and the goal, when the ball is passed to them. (1 ball = 2 people)
2. If a player is in an offside position, but not involved in the play, there is NO offsides.
3. Since the goalie is almost always between a player and the goal, only 1 other defender needs to be in between.
4. You are offsides (or not) the instant the ball is passed, not when it arrives or is in the air.
5. If a player is even with the defender, they are not offsides. Must be ahead of them, closer to the goal.
6. The two sideline refs call offsides by raising their flag. There is also video replay now...
7. The defensive players are always trying to get offensive players offsides by "stepping up" or moving away from the goal when the opponent is not paying attention.

The purpose of the rule is to keep forwards from hanging around the opponent's goal for cheap goals. In hockey, the offside line is painted on the ice. In soccer, the line is wherever the 2nd defender is standing. Forwards who are called for offsides are usually too eager to make their run, not paying attention or victims of a late pass.

It has not cost the U.S. a game, yet...

Go U.S.A...!!

 

[The Viking]

Why not put a line on the field? This offsides rule in soccer is horrible. The fact that a defender dictates what is and what isn't offsides is just bizarre.

 

[Mdoggie]

You can only be offsides in your attacking half of the field. The line (you ask for) is at midfield. This eliminates “cherry picking” Also there is no offsides on a throw in.

 

[Mdoggie]

Why not put a line on the field? This offsides rule in soccer is horrible. The fact that a defender dictates what is and what isn't offsides is just bizarre.

Greatest sport in the world!!! Played in almost every country.

 

[Waquoit]

Why not put a line on the field? This offsides rule in soccer is horrible. The fact that a defender dictates what is and what isn't offsides is just bizarre.

If you followed the game, you would realize that the offsides rule is brilliant.

 

[stamfordhusky]

” Also there is no offsides on a throw in.

Also no offside on a goal kick or corner kick. (The latter would be hard to do anyway, but not impossible.)

 

[bloor]

great summary by David in Naples at the top--this video might help some--there are others on YouTube, search "offsides rule in soccer"

When and why was the offside rule invented? | Oh My Goal

The offside rule is one of football’s most important rules. Think about how many goals Lionel Messi, Neymar and Griezmann would score without an offsides rul...

www.youtube.com

 

[stamfordhusky]

A couple more notes:

1. If a pass deflects off a defender, it does not change the offside situation. So assume you are in an offside position and a pass is made by a teammate. That pass deflects off a defender and continues upfield where you then run onto the ball. You are still offside. The fact that it hit a defender is irrelevant. (Someone should tell Julie Foudy that. She is one of the least knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to soccer rules.) All of this includes rebounds off of the goalie.

2. If a pass rebounds off any part of the goal frame, it does not change the offside situation. So if you are in an offside position when a shot is taken and you then attempt to play the rebound, you should be called for a violation.

3. The position of an attacker and a defender is judged by any part of the body that can play the ball. So if an attacker leans towards goal and has her head closer to goal than any part of the defender, then she is in an offside position. But if the only part of her body beyond the defender is the arm/hand, that does not count for offside.

4. Being "involved in the play" doesn't necessarily mean touching the ball. It can also include interfering with an opponent by obstructing the opponent in some way, including interfering with a goalie's line of sight while in an offside position. Etc.

 

[Plebe]

(Someone should tell Julie Foudy that. She is one of the least knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to soccer rules.)

Oh my lord I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice this. It's defies belief that someone so unknowledgeable actually played this sport within the last 30 years.

I wish they'd replace her on marquee games with Danielle Slaton, whom I now call the anti-Foudy (i.e. she's actually knowledgeable and provides insights into tactical nuances, which apparently Foudy is incapable of).

Foudy actually said during the Australia game (after one of the countless US goals called back because of offside) that the goal should count if it's just a little bit offside. ugh

 

[Aluminny69]

If you followed the game, you would realize that the offsides rule is brilliant.

For those who can remember the old NASL, you know where Pele played for the NY Cosmos, they had a 35 yard line, similar to the blue line in Hockey. Once the ball was successfully into the attacking zone, there was no offsides. The world's elite players quickly adjusted to this rule change, the games were exciting, there was more scoring, but not excessive.

BTW, the offside trap is the worst play in all of sports. One step worse than the Flop in basketball.

 

[eebmg]

While we are on rules, maybe some one can explain the following to a soccer simpleton.

My understanding is that the goaltender can only use their feet when receiving a ball back from her own teams players but sometimes, I notice that after a few seconds, they pick it up and play it normally. Please clarify

 

[Aluminny69]

Another point: Offside in a high level game, where the linesmen are also referees, and the benefit of video replay is one thing. But in high school and youth soccer, where there is only one Referee, the offside rule is the most abused rule in all of sports. It is almost impossible for a Ref to watch the ball carrier, watch for fouls, and then determine where a pass receiver was AT THE TIME the ball was played. It is nearly impossible to watch the passer and receiver AT THE SAME TIME. Do you think a Football Ref could do this? No way.

BTW, how would you feel about a rule in football where you couldn't throw to a receiver who was closer to the goal than the last defender? Would that be fun?

 

[Plebe]

While we are on rules, maybe some one can explain the following to a soccer simpleton.

My understanding is that the goaltender can only use their feet when receiving a ball back from her own teams players but sometimes, I notice that after a few seconds, they pick it up and play it normally. Please clarify

Keeper can't handle a pass deliberately kicked to her from a teammate.

If the pass is from any part of the teammate's body other than the foot (e.g. head), the goalie can handle.

 

[D J B]

While we are on rules, maybe some one can explain the following to a soccer simpleton.

My understanding is that the goaltender can only use their feet when receiving a ball back from her own teams players but sometimes, I notice that after a few seconds, they pick it up and play it normally. Please clarify

In soccer the term is goalkeeper. And, from Goal.com (simply stated):

Goalkeepers are allowed to pick up balls in their penalty area, but they are not allowed to do so when the ball has been purposely kicked to them by a team-mate. Instead, goalkeepers are to play the balls with their feet.

You will sometimes see a keeper standing over the ball daring an opponent to come and get it, only to pick it up at the last moment. This is actually using up time off the clock. Usually, once the keeper picks it up or touches it, the clock starts ticking in the refs head for time wasting. Keepers have many ways of wasting time, but if they get called on it it's a yellow card.

 

[Fore!]

Thanks to all that have helped provide insight to the rule; I understand that the letter of the rule is not alway followed (like the travel call in the NBA), hence some of the distress over a few of these calls. Based upon the replays I saw of the last 2 or 3 of these calls in todays game the officials got them right (close but called correctly).

 

[visitor123]

Keeper can't handle a pass deliberately kicked to her from a teammate.

If the pass is from any part of the teammate's body other than the foot (e.g. head), the goalie can handle.

This was another fantastic rule added. If you watch old World Cups, the last 30 minutes of the game can usually be a defender passing back to the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper picking it up when an attacker comes to challenge, then repeating this action about 20x to waste time. It was terrible to watch.

The offsides rule is actually pretty simple. At the time of the pass, the receiver can't be beyond the last defender (goalkeeper not included). If the passer is also beyond the last defender, then the receiver can't be beyond the ball at the time of the pass.

Without offsides the game could be like sit 6 defenders behind the ball in the box on each end, hoof long balls at each other. And the type of players who would excel would be tall, strong strikers/defenders who can just jockey for position inside the box. It would be pretty boring to watch as well.

 

[Plebe]

This was another fantastic rule added. If you watch old World Cups, the last 30 minutes of the game can usually be a defender passing back to the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper picking it up when an attacker comes to challenge, then repeating this action about 20x to waste time. It was terrible to watch.

The offsides rule is actually pretty simple. At the time of the pass, the receiver can't be beyond the last defender (goalkeeper not included). If the passer is also beyond the last defender, then the receiver can't be beyond the ball at the time of the pass.

Without offsides the game could be like sit 6 defenders behind the ball in the box on each end, hoof long balls at each other. And the type of players who would excel would be tall, strong strikers/defenders who can just jockey for position inside the box. It would be pretty boring to watch as well.

Yes, hands down (no pun intended) the best rule change in my conscious lifetime.

I vividly remember watching the 1990 World Cup and found it insufferably tedious to watch much of the time because of this time-wasting tactic being abused so shamelessly.

"But the late 80s and 90s, particularly in Europe, were a nadir in terms of the watchability of the game. A defensive mindset had taken hold which prioritised safety at the back ahead of entertainment going forward. And as this mindset took over, retreating with the ball to one’s own goalkeeper became increasingly common."

The Back-Pass Rule – The Law That Changed the Game | FTBL CULT

Throughout the history of football, there have been hundreds if not thousands of rule changes. The original copy of the Laws of the Game was drawn up in a

ftblcult.com

 

[Aluminny69]

Without offsides the game could be like sit 6 defenders behind the ball in the box on each end, hoof long balls at each other. And the type of players who would excel would be tall, strong strikers/defenders who can just jockey for position inside the box. It would be pretty boring to watch as well.

In the NASL, that never happened. Without the offsides, Defenders would have to actually defend. What a concept.

 

[Boreifs]

In youth soccer, offsides is almost always called if the defender is behind the attacking player when he/she receives it, rather than when the pass is made. I lost my voice as a coach over this too many times to count.

 

[Skeets]

OK, in-coming accepted. Fire away! Soccer, what this rest of the world mistaking calls "football", is an extremely stupid sport. Name 2 other sports where the clock counts UP to the end of the game. What other sport allows the referees (or whatever they are called) to add additional minutes, by some mysterious means, to the end of the game? How can a game go the better part of 3 hours, end in a zero-zero tie, and be call exciting? Give me badminton or give me death!

 

[Mdoggie]

Now with all that said. Remember if a player is in an offside position and the opposing team accidentally passes the ball to him/her or in their direction, said player may play the ball and attempt to score.

 

[Mdoggie]

The US national team's "bat out of hell," Cle Kooiman flies toward fate | MLSSoccer.com

Cle Kooiman: "A bat out of hell" flies toward fate

www.mlssoccer.com

my daughters first coach. He was awesome!

 

[Waquoit]

Extra lines on the pitch are unnecessary gimmicks. Fixing something that's not broken.

 

[Aluminny69]

OK, in-coming accepted. Fire away! Soccer, what this rest of the world mistaking calls "football", is an extremely stupid sport. Name 2 other sports where the clock counts UP to the end of the game. What other sport allows the referees (or whatever they are called) to add additional minutes, by some mysterious means, to the end of the game? How can a game go the better part of 3 hours, end in a zero-zero tie, and be call exciting? Give me badminton or give me death!

Also, name another sport with so few substitutes. And if you sub out, you can't sub back in again. If you use all your allotted subs, and then a player gets hrt, you can't put another player in.

Imagine youth soccer if they had the pros substitution rules.

 

[huskyd]

OK, in-coming accepted. Fire away! Soccer, what this rest of the world mistaking calls "football", is an extremely stupid sport. Name 2 other sports where the clock counts UP to the end of the game. What other sport allows the referees (or whatever they are called) to add additional minutes, by some mysterious means, to the end of the game? How can a game go the better part of 3 hours, end in a zero-zero tie, and be call exciting? Give me badminton or give me death!

Give ME the guy who put the "n" in badmi(n)ton. Very irksome.
Vaguely related to all this are a couple of observations about this morning's epic. First, the announcers called the exact location of the first two penalty kicks attempted by the Dutch, one in regulation, one in the shoot-out. They observed where the last attempt had been made by each player, and both tried to repeat the effort. Alyssa stopped both, as if she knew where they were going. Amazing.
Finally, did anyone notice the Kiwi player name Paige Satchell? Flip that.