pick up

en-verb

pick up (third-person singular simple present picks up, present participle picking up, simple past and past participle picked up)

picks up (present singular third-person)
picking up (participle present)
picked up (participle past)
picked up (past)

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And soon after, no-one picked up Shotton who was free to power a 12-yard header over from another Pennant corner, before Pennant sent a free kick straight at Cardiff keeper Tom Heaton.

2011 January 18, David Dulin, “Cardiff 0-2 Stoke”, in BBC:

(soccer) To mark, to defend against an opposition player by following them closely.


Emirates

(soccer, with the) Emirates Stadium, a football stadium in London that is the home ground of Arsenal F.C.


SFC

Southampton Football Club
w:Southampton F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Southampton Football Club.

Sunderland Football Club
w:Sunderland F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Sunderland Football Club.

(soccer) Initialism of Sydney Football Club.


Southsider

(soccer) A fan of the Vancouver Whitecaps football team


dugout

Spurs, who were without boss Harry Redknapp after his heart surgery, failed to create a clear-cut chance. Redknapp is expected to be back in the dugout when Spurs play Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday but it was left to his assistant Kevin Bond to take a young team to Russia looking for the win that would put them through to the last 32.

2011 November 3, Chris Bevan, “Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:

(baseball, soccer, cricket) A sunken shelter at the side of a sports field where non-playing team members and staff sit during a game.

Spielerbank

where non-playing teammembers and staff sit during a game


lino

en-noun

lino (usually uncountable, plural linos)

Contraction of linesman + -o (“diminutive suffix”).

Lino flagged a bit late but was right

2014 October 4, MartTheTaxi, “Twitter status”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

(UK, colloquial, informal, soccer) Abbreviation of linesman.


left back

(soccer) A defender who normally plays on the left side of the field.


diving

diving (countable and uncountable, plural divings)

(soccer, sports) The act of pretending to be tripped or brought to the ground by an opposition player in order to secure an undeserved penalty.


thunderbolt

Substitute Niko Kranjcar's injury-time thunderbolt gave Tottenham a dramatic win over Bolton.

2011 February 5, Michael Kevin Darling, “Tottenham 2 - 1 Bolton”, in BBC:


toepoke

en-verb

toepoke (third-person singular simple present toepokes, present participle toepoking, simple past and past participle toepoked)

toepokes (present singular third-person)
toepoking (participle present)
toepoked (participle past)
toepoked (past)

‘You’re not going to tell me you’re still toepoking at your age,’ his uncle said. ‘See what happens if you don’t kick properly? Look here till I show you.’

1988, Glenn Patterson, Burning Your Own, Minerva, published 1993, →ISBN, page 105:

Clinging on to said defender, viduka, slightly off balance, only manages to tickle the ball with his toecaps, merely toepoking it to the opposition.

2002 April 2, Darren Dootsen, “Does this ound familiar?”, in uk.sport.football.clubs.leeds-united (Usenet):

There are moments today as ever when you catch that joy on the wing: seeing a little girl standing in a shopping trolley singing a nonsense song or a chortling urchin toepoking a football past the toppling figure of his father in the park.

2004, Ferdinand Mount, Mind the Gap: The New Class Divide in Britain, Short Books, page 250

Morrison ran on to a through ball, toepoked it towards the goal, Sorensen went to ground too early and the ball bounced slowly over his chest and nestled in the goal.

2005 January 4, Sumisdad, “Re: So...is it time to bring back Tim?”, in alt.sports.soccer.manchester.united (Usenet):

did he( Ronaldinhio) toepoke that goal or what?

2005 March 9, arby, “Re: chelsea v barca”, in uk.sport.football.clubs.newcastle-united (Usenet):


toepoke

Toepokes are useful in an emergency, particularly when it is impossible to get close to the ball.

1979, Ken Jones, How to Play Soccer, Chartwell Books, →ISBN, page 13:

viduka's toepoke was matched in the second half, but again was wide.

1997 October 3, David Arnold, “[Tunisia - Australia [R]]”, in rec.sport.soccer (Usenet):

I think the ball bounced over his hand, he was in line with the ball but the toepoke bounced higher than he expected.

2002 June 27, William Watson, “Re: Semifinal Brazil - Turkey [R]”, in rec.sport.soccer (Usenet):

3-1is a bit close? Try 1-0, with a toepoke of a goal in the 90'.

2004 August 20, Victoria Barrett, “Re: [082104] When Gut League Saturday Comes”, in uk.sport.football (Usenet):


scorpion kick

association football
association football

(soccer) A rare type of kick in association football where the player dives headlong so his body flies parallel to the ground in a prone position and quickly extends his hips and flexes his knees backwards, so they resemble a scorpion's upright tail, to kick a football passing towards his heels, returning it in the direction it came.


woodwork

en-noun

woodwork (usually uncountable, plural woodworks)

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From Middle English woodewerk (“carpentry”), equivalent to wood + work.

That goal was so close, it went in off the woodwork.

Carroll thought he had equalised with his header against the bar with eight minutes left. Liverpool claimed the ball had cross the line and Chelsea were grateful for a miraculous intervention from Cech to turn his effort on to the woodwork.

2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, rugby) The frame of the goal, i.e. the goalpost or crossbar.


throw-in

(soccer, rugby, basketball, handball) A set-piece where the ball is thrown back into play


Premiership

/ˈpɹɛmɪəʃɪp/

(British, soccer) the Premier League of English association football


who ate all the pies

Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat bastard, you fat bastard, you ate all the pies. Loser!

(British, soccer, colloquial, derogatory, rhetorical question) Used pejoratively against a fat person.


cutback

cutback (countable and uncountable, plural cutbacks)

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Lee Barnard swung at Chaplow's cutback and missed completely and then was just too far away to connect with Harding's flashing ball across the face of goal.

2011 January 29, Ian Hughes, “Southampton 1 - 2 Man Utd”, in BBC:

Before the interval an Alibade strike ricocheted off the back of Bright after Ifeoma Onumonu’s cutback. Then in added time Uchenna Kanu smacked a header off the top of the bar.

2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) An offensive pass played into a position further from the attacking goal line.


Brighton

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(place): From Old English Beorthelmestūn (“Beorthelm's farm”)
: (surname): From Breighton in Yorkshire.


number two

en-noun

number two (countable and uncountable, plural number twos)

Head coach Ruben Amorim will be asked by media on Wednesday who will start in goal for their crucial Europa League quarter-final with Lyon, Onana or United's latest scapegoat, number two Altay Bayindir.

2025 April 15, Simon Stone, “Why Amorim's next move on Onana is a big call”, in BBC Sport:

I came down here to cement the number two position, the right back role and I’ve not really managed to do that.

2015 December 30, Mike Simmonds, quoting Stephen O’Donnell, “O’Donnell wants to make right back slot his own”, in Luton Today:


Mackem

Mackems (plural)
Makem (alternative)
Mak'em (alternative)

From regional form of make + 'em, generally linked to the history of shipbuilding in Sunderland. In relation to the nearby port of Newcastle, Sunderlanders would supposedly say "we mack 'em and they tack 'em", with tack being either a regional form of "take" or referring to any of the nautical senses of tack.


squad

From French escouade, from Italian squadra (“square”) (whence also French escadre). Doublet of squadra and square.

ջոկատ

small group of people organized for a purpose

A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.

(cricket, soccer, rugby) A group of potential players from whom a starting team and substitutes are chosen.


DM

DM (countable and uncountable, plural DMs)

(soccer) Initialism of defensive midfielder.


up front

But, rather than make a change up front, Hughes shuffled his defence for this match, replacing Carlos Salcido with Baird, in a move which few would have predicted would prove decisive.

2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC:


see red

en-verb

see red (third-person singular simple present sees red, present participle seeing red, simple past saw red, past participle seen red)

sees red (present singular third-person)
seeing red (participle present)
saw red (past)
seen red (participle past)

Possibly from the red flag used in some historic armies to signal the imminence of battle, or from the red cloth used to enrage bulls in Spanish bullfighting, or more generally from the idea of red as a colour of warning and danger. Compare corresponding idioms in several European languages: Danish se rødt, German rotsehen, French voir rouge, etc.

Diop, sometimes criticized for passive play, saw red once this season when he lashed out at a foe who kicked away his legs.

2005 January 26, Rob Hughes, “Soccer: Trio from Senegal is having a ball”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-11-14:

Kalinic later saw red for a rash tackle on Paul Scharner before Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for bringing down Diouf.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(idiomatic, soccer) To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.


finishing

That guy's a slow and lazy player, but he's got excellent finishing.

Benítez's team had been subjected to some intense pressure and will be grateful that Benfica's finishing was not as refined as their buildup play. Jorge Jesus's side pinned them back at times but they were guilty of being too elaborate in front of goal.

2013 May 15, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian:


sitter

From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er.

How could he miss that? It was an absolute sitter!

Aaron Ramsey, a hero last season against Hull, missed a sitter at the end of normal time that would have made the game safe and must have been relieved that his shot against a post from four yards out did not cost his side more dearly.

2015 April 18, Paul Wilson, The Guardian:

(soccer, snooker, cricket, slang) A very easy scoring chance.


clearance

en-noun

clearance (countable and uncountable, plural clearances)

Bolton were then just inches from taking the lead, but the dangerous-looking Taylor drilled just wide after picking up a loose ball following Jose Bosingwa's poor attempted clearance.

2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:

(soccer) The act of kicking a ball away from the goal one is defending.

изчистване

soccer: the act of kicking a ball away from the goal one is defending


two-footed

From Middle English two-foted, equivalent to two + footed. Compare Old English twifēte (“two-footed”), Old Norse tvífættr (“two-footed”).

Villa full-back Alan Hutton was perhaps fortunate to stay on the field when his two-footed challenge on Shane Long went unpunished by referee Phil Dowd.

2011 October 22, Sam Sheringham, “Aston Villa 1 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:


upfront

up-front (alternative)
up front (alternative)

He's a poor defender, so we always play him upfront.


dribbling

... dribbling skills. Depending on the purpose of dribbling, an athlete can use different dribbling techniques to accomplish his/her goals. There are four dribbling skills: (1) inside of the foot dribbling, (2) innerside of the instep dribbling[…]

2006, Jin Wang, Soccer made easy: From fundamentals to championship play, Ameriscientific, Inc., →ISBN, page 78:

(basketball, soccer) The act of dribbling.


soccer ball

soccer balls (plural)
soccerball (alternative)

(soccer) A ball that is designed for use in the sport of soccer; a football.


number one

England number one Hart produced a magnificent moment to deny Van Persie once more just after the hour mark, leaping across his goal to fingertip the Dutchman's crashing 25-yard, top corner-bound drive away.

2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC:

(soccer) The main goalkeeper of a team, so-called because they wear the number 1 on the back of their kit.


smother

en-verb

smother (third-person singular simple present smothers, present participle smothering, simple past and past participle smothered)

smothers (present singular third-person)
smothering (participle present)
smothered (participle past)
smothered (past)
smoother (alternative)

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”).
Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

cog

Emmanuel Adebayor's touch proved a fraction heavy as he guided Van der Vaart's exquisite long ball round John Ruddy, before the goalkeeper did well to smother Bale's shot from Modric's weighted pass.

2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) To get in the way of a kick of the ball.


stopper

He's the number one stopper in the country.

And just before the interval, Kolarov, who was having one of his better games in a City shirt, fizzed in a cracker from 30 yards which the Wolves stopper unconvincingly pushed behind for a corner.

2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:


scorcher

/ˈskɔɹ.t͡ʃɚ/

-ɔː(ɹ)t͡ʃə(ɹ)

From scorch + -er (agent noun suffix) or -er (descriptive suffix).

What a scorcher! See the net reverberate!

(soccer) A very good goal, notably made with a very hard shot.


BHA

Brighton & Hove Albion
w:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Brighton & Hove Albion.


corner kick

(soccer) A kick awarded to the attacking team when the ball leaves the field of play by wholly crossing the goal line without a goal having been scored, having last touched a player from the defending team. For the kick, the ball is placed within the corner arc closest to where it went out of play.


goal kick

(soccer) A set piece taken from the goal area after an attacker touches the ball out of play over the goal line.

رَكْلَة مَرْمًى

a set piece taken from the goal area after the ball has gone out of play


screamer

Kasper Schmeichel brilliantly denied Marouane Chamakh before Bacary Sagna thumped home a second, though Bradley Johnson's screamer halved the deficit.

2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:


at the double

2016, FourFourTwo staff, “Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2: Messi at the double to down brave Gunners” at FourFourTwo


Pompey

(slang, soccer) Portsmouth Football Club.


Spurs

en-proper noun

Spurs (countable and uncountable, plural Spurses)

(soccer) Tottenham Hotspur Football Club


penalty shootout

en-noun

penalty shootout (plural penalty shootouts)

penalty shootouts (plural)
penalty shoot-out (alternative)

This was an eighth game without defeat, penalty shootouts aside, over Hodgson's brief tenure but, by the end, this whole occasion had been stripped of any competitive nature.

2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, field hockey) A series of penalties (penalty kicks in soccer), taken to decide a winner after a game has resulted in a tie and extra time has been played.


penalty kick

(soccer) A form of direct free kick, taken from the penalty spot after a defensive foul in the penalty box, with only the goalkeeper defending the goal.


penalty spot

(soccer) a small white spot, painted on the grass, twelve yards in front of the centre of the goal line, from which all penalty kicks are taken


goal line

(rugby league, soccer, hurling, Gaelic football) the boundary of the field that runs along its width at each end, and across the front of the goal.

rugby league; hurling; Gaelic football; rugby league; hurling; Gaelic football


free kick

a free-kick specialist

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(American football, soccer, Australian rules football, rugby, other ballgames) a kick in which a player may kick the ball without interference from the opposition. Such a kick may be awarded for a foul by the opposition, or earned by a player such as by taking a mark.

Australian rules football; other ballgames; Australian rules football; other ballgames

goditje e lirë

kick played without interference of opposition


direct free kick

direct free kick (plural direct free kicks)

(soccer) a free kick from which a goal may be scored directly


indirect free kick

indirect free kick (plural indirect free kicks)

(soccer) a free kick from which a goal may be scored only after the ball has been played by at least one other player


supplier

Regular supplier Barton played in another teasing corner, which was headed on towards goal by the impressive Ameobi and flicked in by expert poacher Nolan.

2011 January 16, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) Someone who assists (sets up) a goal.


DOGSO

The referees failed to spot the shirt pull from Jackson during play but after VAR review he was correctly awarded the DOGSO red card.

(soccer, US, Canada) Acronym of denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.


Hammers

(soccer) Someone who supports or plays for West Ham United F.C.


one-time

en-verb

one-time (third-person singular simple present one-times, present participle one-timing, simple past and past participle one-timed)

one-times (present singular third-person)
one-timing (participle present)
one-timed (participle past)
one-timed (past)

Basel's good moment continued, and in stoppage time of the first half, Streller released Salah with a clever pass down the middle and the young Egyptian one-timed the ball over Čech.

2013 May 3, Werner Pichler, “Europa League 2012/13, Semifinal, 2nd Leg (R)”, in rec.sport.soccer (Usenet):

(soccer, ice hockey) To shoot (the ball or puck) directly from a teammate's pass.


kick-off

kick-offs (plural)
kickoff (alternative)

The atmosphere at Upton Park before kick-off reflected the palpable tension surrounding the club right now

2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC:

Alcohol consumption following football matches is fuelling domestic abuse in the hours after a game, according to new evidence suggesting that changing kick-off times could help reduce violence.

2021 July 4, Michael Savage, “Early kick-offs linked to more alcohol abuse and violence in the home”, in The Observer:

(soccer, American football) The opening kick of each half of a game of football.


set piece

set pieces (plural)
setpiece (alternative)
set-piece (alternative)

Roberto Carlos is deadly from set pieces.

(soccer) Any planned strategy that a team uses after play is restarted with a free kick, penalty kick, corner kick, goal kick, throw-in or kickoff.


wingback

(soccer) A player who doubles on either side of the center as a defender when their team is defending, and a winger when they are attacking.

carrilero

soccer: player who doubles as a defender and winger


fourth official

en-noun

fourth official (plural fourth officials)

(soccer) The official who keeps things at the dugout in order, and displays substitutions and the amount of injury time


centre circle

centre circles (plural)
center circle (alternative)

Vardy should have equalled Dunne’s record nine minutes in, when he dispossessed Williams in the centre circle and sped clear.

2015 December 5, Alan Smith, “Leicester City back on top as Riyad Mahrez hat-trick downs Swansea City”, in The Guardian (London):

(soccer) The circle in the centre of the pitch which, at kick-off, the defending team may not enter until the attacking side has touched the ball.

cercle central

the circle in the centre of the pitch in soccer


six-yard box

Roman Sharonov rose unchallenged to head a corner wide, while diminutive winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz ghosted in with a diving header from the edge of the six-yard box that was acrobatically kept out by Gomes.

2011 October 20, Jamie Lillywhite, “Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) An enclosed area inside the penalty area, extending 6 yards (5.5 metres) from the goal, inside which a goal kick must be taken.


penalty area

Racing out of his penalty area after a poor clearance, Haimov was beaten to the ball by Jerome, who rolled it to the waiting Shotton to fire a low shot past the goalkeeper.

2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, futsal) An area of a pitch or field, inside which a penalty is given to the offensive team if a foul is made by the defensive team.


penalty arc

(soccer) An arc whose center is the penalty spot, extending from the top of the penalty area.


out-swinger

(soccer) A ball that curves away from the goal.


in-swinger

(soccer) A ball that curves towards the goal.


offside trap

offside trap (usually uncountable, plural offside traps)

He managed to beat the offside trap and clinch the winner.

But the visitors started the game in stunning fashion when Morten Gamst Pedersen dinked forward a clever looping pass and Kalinic beat the offside trap, surged into the box and beautifully placed the ball past goalkeeper Scott Carson.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer) A defensive play intended to catch the attacking team offside, generally in such a way that the defense line suddenly and simultaneously moves forward.


man on

(soccer, basketball) An outcry warning a teammate of an approaching opponent, usually from the rear.


slide tackle

Christian Karembeu almost broke his supermodel wife's leg with a slide tackle during a football game in their back garden.

2002 February 27, “Cruncher Karembeu takes it out on his wife”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) a tackle to get the ball by sliding on the ground feet-first


Cruyff turn

Cruyff turns (plural)
Cruijff turn (alternative)

Named after Dutch football player Johan Cruyff (1947–2016).

(soccer) A piece of footwork where, instead of passing or crossing the ball directly by kicking it, the player drags the ball behind his planted foot with the inside of his crossing foot, turns through 180 degrees, and accelerates away from the defender.


diving header

To that end, the home supporters were in good voice to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.

2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A ball struck near ground level by the head of a diving player.


drop-ball

(soccer) A method of restarting play in a game where the referee drops the ball between two players of opposing teams.


backheel

[Bendtner was central to it at all, firstly firing home, via a deflection off Gareth McAuley, after being teed up by Sebastien Larsson's neat backheel, and then a minute later crossing for Elmohamady to head in an equaliser.

2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A kick played by the heel which typically travels in the opposite direction from which the player is facing.


backheel

en-verb

backheel (third-person singular simple present backheels, present participle backheeling, simple past and past participle backheeled)

backheels (present singular third-person)
backheeling (participle present)
backheeled (participle past)
backheeled (past)

Mount’s low cross deflected, Olivier Giroud backheeled for Pulisic and Arsenal’s defenders seemed to react in slow motion.

2020 August 1, David Hytner, “Aubameyang at the double as Arsenal turn tables on Chelsea to win FA Cup”, in The Guardian:


one-two

A Ricketts and Stuart Holden one-two around the box then created a decent chance for an almost instant equaliser - but Welsh full-back Ricketts blasted over when a calmer finish could have been rewarded.

2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:

Kane had dropped off to spread the play with a diagonal and, when he darted for the far post, Saka curled the ball back towards him – call it a long-range one-two.

March 26 2023, David Hytner, “Kane and Bukayo Saka combine against Ukraine for England’s perfect Euros start”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A quick one-touch play between two players.

narážečka

soccer: quick one-touch play between two players


FCK

It came down to the penultimate game of the year, FCK away at Brondby, and Brondby blew it.

2003, David Goldblatt, World Soccer Yearbook 2003-2004, →ISBN:

This did not deter Flemming Østergaard, a charismatic businessman that led the takeover of FC Copenhagen (FCK) in 1997, from embarking on a similar diversification strategy (Storm, 2009). FCK went on to purchase the Danish national stadium, Parken, took up property investments, a bought a chain of fitness centres (fitness.dk) and two large vactations resorts, one of them close to the LEGOLAND Theme Park in Billund.

2011, Hallgeir Gammelsæter, Benoit Senaux, The Organisation and Governance of Top Football Across Europe, →ISBN:

An FCK soccer scarf was draped over a chair.

2012, A.J. Kazinski, The Last Good Man, →ISBN, page 426:

It's therefore worth spending time at the website of FC København. You can browse FCK TV, OM FCK, which is presumably a Zen-like activity that Sting and Trudie Styler would enjoy, and have a MIT FCK. There are FCK highlights, KlubFCK, and FCK Away. There's something for everyone.

2014, Luke Dempsey, Club Soccer 101, →ISBN:

(soccer) Initialism of FC København (“FC Copenhagen”).

Sportarztebund Rheinland/Pfalz (chmn. since 1964), assn. and team med. doctor for 1st FCK Kaiserslautern (football club).

1983, Karl Strute, Theodor Doelken, Who's Who in Germany 1982-1983 - Part 1, →ISBN, page 1253:

This was my first opportunity to meet FCK supporters, and I was intoxicated by their merch table before I even entered the stadium.

2014, Tanya H. Keith, Passionate Soccer Love: A Memoir of 20 Years Supporting Us Soccer, →ISBN:

FC Kaiserslautern (FCK) was the first football club in the Bundesliga (German Federal Football League) to create a team, initially, and then a section for women's football.

2018, Gertrud Pfister, Stacey Pope, Female Football Players and Fans: Intruding into a Man's World, →ISBN:

1. FC Kaiserslautern
w:1. FC Kaiserslautern

(soccer) Initialism of 1. FC Kaiserslautern.


Azzurri

(soccer) the Italy national football team


shootout

shootouts (plural)
shoot-out (alternative)


catenaccio

Borrowed from Italian catenaccio, literally "bolt (for a door)".

(soccer) A system of defensive play focused on nullifying opponents' attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities, typically using a libero.


Chelsea

From Old English Ċealchȳþ, from cealc (“chalk”) + hȳþ (“landing place”).

(soccer) Chelsea FC, an English association football club.


Pilgrim

(soccer) Someone connected with Plymouth Argyle Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Soca Warriors

(soccer) The Trinidad and Tobago national football team.


footballer

/ˈfʊtbɔːləɹ/

It is footballers though, rather than commentators, presenters or pundits, who when interviewed have provided some of the best Colemanballs.

2004, George Best, Scoring At Half-Time: Adventures On and Off the Pitch, →ISBN, page 259:

(soccer, UK) One who plays association football.


screening

en-noun

screening (countable and uncountable, plural screenings)

→ German: Screening

→ Spanish: screening


back pass

back passes (plural)
backpass (alternative)

(soccer) An intentional pass to the goalkeeper by a teammate.


goalbound

Liverpool did have one moment of danger in the first half when Chelsea failed to clear Glen Johnson's cross and Branislav Ivanovic blocked Craig Bellamy's goalbound shot.

2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) Likely to enter the goal, but for the intervention of defenders and the goalkeeper.


Gunners

(informal, soccer) Arsenal football club.


run-on

(soccer, rugby, etc.) An amount of time spent playing on the field during a game, especially so as to evaluate a player's abilities.


tap in

(soccer) A simple shot into the goal from close range, and without opposition.


tap in

en-verb

tap in (third-person singular simple present taps in, present participle tapping in, simple past and past participle tapped in)

taps in (present singular third-person)
tapping in (participle present)
tapped in (participle past)
tapped in (past)
tap-in (alternative)

Bent was again left with the simplest of finishes when Rooney picked out Young and he unselfishly crossed for Bent to tap in from inside the six-yard area.

2011, Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England:

(soccer) To kick a simple shot, without opposition, from close range into the goal.


tuck in

tuck in (third-person singular simple present tucks in, present participle tucking in, simple past and past participle tucked in)

tucks in (present singular third-person)
tucking in (participle present)
tucked in (participle past)
tucked in (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-tuck in.wav

And although Steven Fletcher cut the deficit for Wolves, tucking in Stephen Hunt's cross, the home side held on.

2011 September 24, Arindam Rej, “Liverpool 2 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport:

(transitive, soccer) To score from with a casual motion


poacher

Regular supplier Barton played in another teasing corner, which was headed on towards goal by the impressive Ameobi and flicked in by expert poacher Nolan.

2011 January 16, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) An attacker with good movement inside the penalty box, see Wikipedia:Goal poacher.


SFA

Scottish Football Association
w:Scottish Football Association

(soccer) Initialism of Scottish Football Association.


In each sense, from a grouping of things in sets of four, four, and two: in football, players in certain positions; on locomotives, wheels in certain positions; in the car model, four barrels (of carburetion), four gears (of the manual transmission), and dual exhausts.

They fielded an imposing 4-4-2.

England's formation was a rigid 4-4-2 against a Norway side of surprisingly limited ambition and on one of the rare occasions James Milner got in the action he forced a save from Jarstein.

2012 May 26, Phil McNulty, “Norway 0-1 England”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A popular football formation with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers.


shielding

en-noun

shielding (countable and uncountable, plural shieldings)

(soccer) Action done by the person with the ball to protect the ball from the defender; the person concerned keeps his body between the ball and the defender.


4-2-4 (countable and uncountable, plural 4-2-4s)

(soccer, uncountable) A popular football formation with 4 defenders, 2 midfielders and 4 strikers


Euros

(soccer) the UEFA European Football Championship


backfield

backfields (plural)
back field (alternative)

Moving the ball directly out of the backfield is the greatest form of attack there is.

2000, Derek Smethurst, Soccer Offense for Winning, →ISBN, page 1:

Cheryl Salisbury[…]moved back to defense, and became a veteran force on the backfield. By 2003 she was captain of the Matildas, but still found enough time to hone her skills for the WUSA[…]

2012, Barbara Stewart, Helen Stoumbos, Women's Soccer: The Passionate Game, page 92:

“Like you should talk about good soccer, Ethan,” said Joshua, the team's starting keeper. “I bet every girl on the soccer team knows not to go charging on goal from the backfield, ignoring her teammates.”

2017, Jake Maddox, Eric Stevens, Soccer Stand-off, page 56:

(sports) The rear part of the field of play, particularly

(soccer, US) The area behind either the offensive or defensive line.


guarder

From guard + -er.
School slang relates to Stonyhurst College in the United Kingdom.

The Hodder Football is very good this year, and we have an excellent team. Hammond is a good guarder and can save some very difficult shots.

1914 February 4, “Hodder Notes”, in The Stonyhurst Magazine, volume 13, number 192, page 819:


sextuple

Formed (in imitation of quadruple) from Latin sextus (“sixth”): compare French sextuple.

(sports, soccer) A team that wins 6 titles in the same year or season.

Sextuple

a team that wins 6 titles in the same year or season


streaky

en-adj

streaky (comparative streakier, superlative streakiest)

streakier (comparative)
streakiest (superlative)

Two goals from Alexis Sánchez, the second a little streakier than the first, were enough to send Arsenal into a second successive FA Cup final, once again following extra time after being held over 90 minutes by a Championship side.

2015 April 18, Paul Wilson, The Guardian:

(soccer) Not well-executed, due to luck more than skill.


AMF

en-noun

AMF (countable and uncountable, plural AMFs)

attacking midfielder
attacking midfielder#English

(soccer) Acronym of attacking midfielder.


Rover

(sports) Someone connected with any number of teams called the Rovers, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(soccer) someone connected with Blackburn Rovers FC, as a fan, player, coach etc.


WFC

(soccer) Initialism of women's football club.


reducer

Koulibaly flattens Steven Bergwijn with a reducer from behind but avoids a booking. Bergwijn gets to his feet and blows his cheeks in frustration. I think that really hurt but he doesn’t want to show it.

21 November 2022, Barry Glendenning, Live Feed: Senegal v Netherlands, The Guardian

(soccer) The reduction of the contribution to a football game of a more talented opponent by intimidation using a brutal tackle.


curler

The captain sent a curler into the top corner of the net.

Lampard was replaced by Kalou but the substitute immediately gave the ball to Jonas, whose 25-yard curler was tipped wide by Cech.

2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1-1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

Liverpool were energised at the start of the second half, with Curtis Jones shaping a curler just past the far post.

2024 February 4, David Hytner, “Arsenal ignite title hopes as Gabriel Martinelli punishes Liverpool error”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A pass or a shot of the ball which swerves.


number eight

Naturally, Franco plays as a number eight (a midfielder who has both attacking and defending responsibilities), but he also has the capability to play as a defensive midfielder.

2021 December 21, Caleb Adams, “Alan Franco 'is like the cement in the midfield'”, in Charlotte FC:

box-to-box midfielder
box-to-box midfielder


scudetto

The race to the scudetto is on in Italy at the halfway point of the Serie A season.

2009 January 21, Jack Bell, “Juventus Putting Pressure on Inter”, in New York Times:

(soccer) The Italian Serie A Championship title.


spray

en-verb

spray (third-person singular simple present sprays, present participle spraying, simple past and past participle sprayed)

sprays (present singular third-person)
spraying (participle present)
sprayed (participle past)
sprayed (past)

From Middle Dutch sprāien, sprayen, spraeyen (“to spray, sprinkle, spread”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną (“to spray, sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to sow, scatter”).
Cognate with Middle High German spræjen, spræwen (“to squirt, spray, dust, splash, straw”), Danish dialectal språe (“to open up, burst forth”), Swedish dialectal språ (“to sprout, shoot forth, burst”), Norwegian dialectal spra, spræ (“to splash, splatter, spout, burst forth”), Dutch sproeien (“to spray, sprinkle”), German sprühen (“to spray, sparkle”).

der

Kevin McLeod sprayed the ball across from the left flank where a raging Ainsworth met it on the volley from 25 yards out, crashing the ball into the roof of the net.

2012 February 1, Ash Rose, The QPR Miscellany, The History Press, →ISBN:

Yunus sprayed it to the wing where Ali was in some space.

2013 August 11, Jamal Orme, The Victory Boys, Kube Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 13:

(transitive, soccer) To pass (a ball), usually laterally across the field and often a long distance.


OM

Olympique de Marseille
w:Olympique de Marseille

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique de Marseille.


Hillsborough

From hills and borough. The village in New Brunswick was probably named in honour of British politician Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire (1718 - 1793). The civil parish is named after the village.

Before kick-off, a section of Chelsea's support sadly let themselves and their club down by noisily interrupting the silence held in memory of the Hillsborough disaster and for Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini, who collapsed and died after suffering a heart attack during a Serie B game on Saturday.

2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) the home stadium of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club

(soccer, by extension) Sheffield Wednesday Football Club itself.


soccer player

soccer players (plural)
soccer-player (alternative rare)

(soccer, US, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) One who plays soccer, especially professional soccer.


clean sheet

Birmingham had their defence to thank for a clean sheet, although they were lucky to escape when Manuel da Costa shot off-target and then headed wide.

2011 February 6, Alistair Magowan, “West Ham 0 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC:

Nigeria had scored only three goals in three games, all against Australia, but they had also kept two clean sheets and their defensive organisation continued to frustrate England immensely.

2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, not in the US and Canada) A game played without having conceded a goal.

شِباكٌ نَظِيفَةٌ

(soccer) game played without having conceded a goal


Socceroos

Australia national association football team

It was the day of the Socceroos′ first World Cup clash: the game against Japan.

2007, Raewyn Caisley, Hot Shot, unnumbered page:

Australia′s success on the international stage took a major leap forward when the Socceroos qualified for their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1974, held in Germany.

2010, Dave Arthur, Greg Downes, “Chapter 19: Australia”, in Simon Chadwick, Sean Hamil, editors, Managing Football, page 342:

(soccer) The men's national soccer (association football) representative team of Australia.


Gunner

From gunner, in reference to the weapons held in an arsenal.

The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.

2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC:

(soccer) someone connected with Arsenal Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Man U

Manchester United Football Club
w:Manchester United F.C.

(soccer) Clipping of Manchester United Football Club.


gunner

Cebuano: gunner

gonna (non-rhotic, based on the /ˈɡʌn.ə/ pronunciation)

From Middle English gonner; equivalent to gun + -er.

(UK, slang, soccer) A fan of the Arsenal Football Club.


centre-back

centre-backs (plural)
centre back (alternative)
centreback (alternative)
center back (alternative)
center-back (alternative)
centerback (alternative)

Ferguson was incensed as referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot - and United's sense of injustice deepened when Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Ramires, ruling the centre-back out of the visit to Liverpool on Sunday.

2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A central defender, a player who plays in the centre of defence, just in front of the goalkeeper


wing-back

(soccer) A player who plays on the wing, and acts as both a defender and an attacker depending on the team's situation.


(soccer) A football team of eleven players.


defensive midfielder

en-noun

defensive midfielder (plural defensive midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specializes more in defensive duties.


attacking midfielder

attacking midfielder (plural attacking midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specialises more in attacking duties.


England had started in a 4-3-3 formation that had Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in from the wings, with James Milner and Stewart Downing operating alongside Jack Wilshere in more deep-lying positions.

18 November 2014, Daniel Taylor, “England and Wayne Rooney see off Scotland in their own back yard”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 strikers


(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 striker


Olympic goal

This unique type of goal was named after Argentine striker Cesareo Onzari’s (at left) corner kick that spun directly into the goal for Argentina in a 1924 friendly against Uruguay, the reigning Olympic champion.

(soccer) A goal scored directly from a corner kick without any other player - on either team - touching or otherwise deflecting the ball into the goal.


Reds

In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin russātī (“Reddish-Brown-Clads”) or factio russata (“the reddish-brown-clad faction”) and Byzantine Greek Ῥούσιοι (Rhoúsioi, “Reds”).

bor

(informal, sports) Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly red, particularly


hit the net

en-verb

hit the net (third-person singular simple present hits the net, present participle hitting the net, simple past and past participle hit the net)

hits the net (present singular third-person)
hitting the net (participle present)
hit the net (participle past)
hit the net (past)


back line

Battling Bolton disputed the goal, claiming Drogba was offside, but the Ivorian appeared to have timed his angled run across the visitors back line to perfection to race onto a fine Michael Essien pass and ensure Chelsea moved back into fourth place in the Premier League.

2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:

(soccer) Collectively, the defenders of a team.


see yellow

see yellow (third-person singular simple present sees yellow, present participle seeing yellow, simple past saw yellow, past participle seen yellow)

sees yellow (present singular third-person)
seeing yellow (participle present)
saw yellow (past)
seen yellow (participle past)

Healy’s first act was to crudely wipe out Forrest on the touchline. He saw yellow when it could have been red.
 Lafferty then had his name taken for a late one on Adam Matthews.

2011 December 29, Keith Jackson, “SPL: Celtic 1 Rangers 0”, in Daily Record:

(idiomatic, soccer) To receive a yellow card.


substitutes' bench

en-noun

substitutes' bench (plural substitutes' benches)

Oleg Blokhin's side lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to the substitutes' bench because of a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through real turmoil in spells.

2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The bench on which the players sit when they are not in action.


spot kick

spot kicks (plural)
spot-kick (alternative)
spotkick (alternative)


touchline

touchlines (plural)
touch line (alternative)

French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has also taken plenty of plaudits recently and he was the architect of the opening goal with some superb trickery on the left touchline.

2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:

Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines.

2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 107:

sideline

in Canadian football, field lacrosse and basketball

(rugby, soccer) One of the lines that mark the border limits of the pitch.


MUFC

Manchester United Football Club
w:Manchester United Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Manchester United Football Club, a famous English football club from Manchester.


Liga

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in Spain.


non-league

Crawley missed two penalties but still edged out League Two Torquay to become the first non-league side to reach the FA Cup fifth round for 17 years.

2011 January 29, Chris Bevan, “Torquay 0 - 1 Crawley Town”, in BBC:

(British, soccer) Playing in a division below The Football League, being amateur or semi-professional teams.


handball

handball (countable and uncountable, plural handballs)

desc

→ Portuguese: andebol, handebol (Brazil)

sport involving bouncing a ball off a wall

It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing, fast-paced game but Blackburn will be deeply unhappy with referee Anthony Taylor as Nzonzi's handball was harsh.

2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

(countable, soccer) The offence of a player other than the goalkeeper touching the ball with the hand or arm on the field during play.


handball

en-verb

handball (third-person singular simple present handballs, present participle handballing, simple past and past participle handballed)

handballs (present singular third-person)
handballing (participle present)
handballed (participle past)
handballed (past)

If the defender handballs in the penalty area, a penalty is awarded.

(soccer) To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm.


transfer window

en-noun

transfer window (plural transfer windows)

Gary Cahill, a target for Arsenal and Tottenham before the transfer window closed, put England ahead early on and Rooney was on target twice before the interval as the early hostility of the Bulgarian supporters was swiftly subdued.

2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:

(soccer) A period of time during the year in which soccer players may be bought or sold between professional clubs.

Wechselperiode

period during which transfers can be made of players between soccer clubs


end-to-end

But rather than the end-to-end action of the first half, much of the entertainment took place in the Sunderland third.

2011 February 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 2 - 4 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) Smoothly alternating between attacking and defensive plays.


FSF

Faroe Islands Football Association
w:Faroe Islands Football Association

(soccer) Initialism of Fótbóltssamband Føroya (Faroe Islands Football Association)


scissor kick

There were few complains[complaints] from Arteta or his players when Vieira was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Brownhill, but Zinchenko's scissor kick nine minutes earlier had all but ended Burnley's hopes of salvaging a point.

2023 November 11, Matthew Howarth, “Arsenal 3-1 Burnley”, in BBC Sport:


Anfield

Possibly from Middle English hange + feld, field (see field).

(soccer) A football stadium within the area, home of Liverpool Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Liverpool Football club itself.


FCB

(soccer) Initialism of FC Barcelona, a famous Spanish sports club from Barcelona, best known for its football (soccer) section; from Catalan FCB (“Futbol Club Barcelona”).

FC Barcelona

(soccer) Initialism of FC Bayern Munich, a famous German football (soccer) team from Munich.


VOR

VOR (countable and uncountable, plural VORs)

video operation room
w:Video assistant referee

video assistant referee
video assistant referee

(soccer) Initialism of video operation room, part of the set-up for the video assistant referee (VAR) in association football.


goalscorer

goalscorers (plural)
goal scorer (alternative)
goal-scorer (alternative)

At the other end, goalscorer Krohn-Dehli's 20-yard strike brought a fine stop from Stekelenburg.

2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport:

At the age of 22, the Norwegian forward had already established himself as one of the best goalscorers in European football – first at Red Bull Salzburg, then with two prolific seasons at Borussia Dortmund.

2023 May 12, George Ramsay, “After a record-breaking season, Erling Haaland is on track to become ‘the best striker ever’”, in CNN:

Ronaldo Sr., who is the record goalscorer in men’s international soccer with 136 goals for Portugal, congratulated his son on his Instagram Stories by posting a picture of his name on the squad list, saying: “Proud of you, son!”

2025 May 7, Ben Morse, “‘Proud of you’: Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son earns first call-up for Portugal Under-15 national team”, in CNN:

(soccer) A person who scores a goal, or scores goals


PFA

Omar Beckles is the PFA chair and currently plays for Leyton Orient in League One of the English Football League. The PFA acts as a union for players in England and Wales.

2024 January 22, Thomas Schlachter, “There must be ‘significant consequences’ for clubs failing to deal with racism in stadiums, says player and union official”, in CNN:

Professional Footballers' Association
w:Professional Footballers' Association

(soccer) Initialism of Professional Footballers' Association.


Barça

Shortened form of Futbol Club Barcelona, keeping the Catalan spelling rules. Since this football team is a symbol of the city of Barcelona, this word has been associated with the whole city, although it's wrong to use Barça to refer to the city itself; instead, one would use Barna.

(soccer) Clipping of Futbol Club Barcelona.


OL

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique Lyonnais.


penalty goal

(ice hockey, soccer, rugby) A goal scored from a penalty.


pull the trigger

en-verb

pull the trigger (third-person singular simple present pulls the trigger, present participle pulling the trigger, simple past and past participle pulled the trigger)

pulls the trigger (present singular third-person)
pulling the trigger (participle present)
pulled the trigger (participle past)
pulled the trigger (past)

The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot's drive around the post.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer, idiomatic, intransitive) To shoot, kick the ball in hope of scoring a goal.


piledriver

piledrivers (plural)
pile driver (alternative)

United did not dwell on the decision and Nani had a left-foot piledriver fended wide by Friedel, who is now the oldest player in Villa's history at 39 years and 259 days.

2011 February 1, Mandeep Sanghera, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Aston Villa”, in BBC:


leg-breaker

leg-breakers (plural)
leg breaker (alternative)
legbreaker (alternative)

Arca performed a similar stunt with a high over-the-top-of-the-ball tackle on Andy Johnson, except he connected. It is what is called a leg-breaker.

2008 December 22, “Mailbox”, in football365.com, retrieved 2009-01-05:

(soccer) A tackle or other on-field maneuver capable of breaking a player's leg.

(soccer) a tackle or other maneuver capable of breaking a player's leg

wejście skutkujące złamaniem nogi rywala

próba odbioru piłki skutkująca złamaniem nogi rywala


centre forward

(British spelling, soccer) The most central of the strikers; traditionally the player who makes the kick-off.


friendly match

en-noun

friendly match (plural friendly matches)

(soccer) A game that has no competitive value; an exhibition match


trequartista

The trequartista is the pivotal role in attack, though it is neither a striker nor a creator, per se, but three-quarters of both those positions.

2013 April 16, Rob Hughes, “After 2 Decades of Creativity: Why Stop Now?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2022-11-06:

However, the classic Italian trequartista role, which generally refers to a number 10 playing behind two strikers, was under threat. Arrigo Sacchi's emphasis on a heavy pressing 4-4-2 left no place for a languid trequartista, and therefore players like Baggio were having to prove their worth.

2019, Michael W. Cox, Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football, PublicAffairs, →ISBN:

A tall, skilful trequartista with impeccable technique, he has an eye for the goal, being especially dangerous in the air.

2022 September 28, Marcus Christenson, Steven Bloor, Garry Blight, “Next Generation 2022: 60 of the best young talents in world football”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 2023-01-23:

(soccer) A player who operates between the midfielders and the strikers, acting as a playmaker and creating chances for their team to score.


midtable

Inter Milan[…] allowed midtable Atalanta of Bergamo three goals in the first 33 minutes Sunday and lost only its second league match of the season, 3-1.

2009 January 21, Jack Bell, “Juventus Putting Pressure on Inter”, in New York Times:

(soccer) Of medium rank in the standings, not a top or bottom team.


Saints

Still, Saints looked the likeliest to make the breakthrough, and it came when Jonny Evans could only half-clear a long ball and Chaplow took full advantage.

2011 January 29, Ian Hughes, “Southampton 1 - 2 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A nickname of Southampton Football Club, a football club from Southampton, England.


Royal

A habitational surname, shaped by folk etymology, from places in England, Riehale, Righale, Ryhill and Ryall, Old English ryge (“rye”) + hyll (“hill”), and Royle, rā (“roe”) + hyll (“hill”).

(soccer) someone connected with Reading Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


clogger

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-clogger.wav

The sport has always been tough, of course; but [Fifa] became concerned that the pre-eminent teams were those that employed particularly physical players, whose specialty was intimidation. This had commercial implications, though they were never spelled out: if the finesse players were succumbing to the “cloggers” as they were known (“clog” meaning to impede or hamper), then the shape of the sport would change fundamentally, skill being replaced by a more robust style of play in which only the strong would survive.

2010, Ellis Cashmore, Making Sense of Sports, page 314:

[…] I was normally not able to – unless I fouled him – and I usually did. I think from that time Archie reckoned I was a bit of a clogger and I didn't have Dad's or Archie's skills.

2017, Roger Hannah, The School of Hard Knox: The Autobiography of Archie Knox:

(soccer, slang) A physically aggressive player.


foot trap

(soccer) The use of the bottom of the foot to control a rolling or low bouncing ball.


place kick

(soccer, rugby) A kick in which the ball is placed, at rest, on the ground or on a small tee


long ball

Welsh nerves continued to jangle as Blake let a long ball bounce over his head and only Wayne Hennessey's swift advance from his line prevented Mirko Vucinic sneaking in.

2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:

(soccer) A kick in which the ball is kicked over the heads of other players into an empty space, into which an attacker is moving.

In the first group game, they played long ball against Sweden, who knew the English game, and so were hardly likely to be caught off-guard by direct play.

2013 October 24, Alex Ferguson, ALEX FERGUSON: My Autobiography: The Sensational Million Copy Number One Bestseller, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

Sometimes, a team will use a long-ball strategy to move the ball. In this strategy, a defender will kick the ball in a long pass, far up the field, to the striker or other forward.

2018 July 15, Cathleen Small, Soccer, Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP, →ISBN:

Graham Taylor, usually cast as a regressive long-ball manager, understood the error.

2022 October 27, Paul Hayward, England Football: The Biography: 1872 - 2022, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

(soccer, usually attributive) A strategy focused on sending the ball upfield directly to the striker, especially one with few other tactical innovations.


goalscoring

a perfect goalscoring opportunity

(soccer, sometimes attributive) The scoring of goals.


layback

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-layback.wav

From lay + back (presumably from confusion between lay and lie).

Only a fine interception from Mickael Silvestre denied the marauding Czech international an early chance from Tomasz Radzinski's layback and, as United struggled to find any momentum, their hosts threatened to overwhelm them.

2000 October 25, Daniel Taylor, “Radzinski double floors United”, in the Guardian:

(soccer) A short backwards pass to a teammate in an attacking position.


centreback

" Ferguson paid tribute to the way Wigan - managed by former United centreback Steve Bruce - battled after their early setback.

2009 January 15, “Wayne Rooney injures hamstring as Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic”, in Herald Sun:

(soccer) Alternative spelling of centre-back.


front line

front lines (plural)
front-line (alternative)
frontline (alternative)

The home team eventually started to unpick the Town defence and Fabregas forced a saved from visiting goalkeeper Marton Fulop after collecting a pass from Bendtner, who played on the right side of the front line.

2011 January 25, Paul Fletcher, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich (agg 3 - 1)”, in BBC:

(soccer) attack, collectively the attackers or forwards.


Fox

* (surname): From fox (“vulpine animal”)

The Foxes played with plenty of initiative in the original tie at the Walkers Stadium and they started this tie in impressively positive fashion, producing the game's first two chances: Andy King's goal-bound half-volley from Steve Howard's header down was tipped over by Joe Hart and Sol Bamba headed the resultant corner wide.

2011 January 18, Phil Dawkes, “Man City 4 - 2 Leicester”, in BBC:

(soccer) Someone connected with Leicester City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


back four

It was a comfortable evening for the Gunners’ back four.

Despite dominating possession and territory, they were being comfortably contained by Everton's well-organised midfield and diligent back four.

2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:

With Wales in a back four, England found joy out wide. The defensive effort impressed though, and Neco Williams courageously took a driven strike from Rashford to the head as Wales stood firm, but then, concern hit.

2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”, in WalesOnline:

(soccer) The set of four defenders in a team.


strike partner

The striker crossed the ball into the area and found his strike partner Jones, who headed it into the net.

Barton played an important role in both strikes, finding the front two with raking past from just beyond the Newcastle area before feeding in Lovenkrands with a quick free-kick who in turn found his strike partner.

2011 January 5, Saj Chowdhury, “Newcastle 0 - 0 West Ham”, in BBC:


league cup

single-elimination tournament
single-elimination tournament

(soccer) A single-elimination tournament for which entry is restricted only to teams in the top national league or leagues.


galactico

Borrowed from Spanish galáctico. Doublet of galactic.

The danger about each of Mr Brown's weekend initiatives - his appearance as a galactico in Team Europe and his robust hostility to excessive lending - is that each may be more tactical than strategic, more appearance than reality.

2009 February 23, “Editorial: Brown in Berlin, image and reality”, in The Guardian:

Perez has promised a return of the "galactico" era at Madrid after initiating the original one from 2000-06 with the blockbuster signings of Zinedine Zidane, Beckham, Luis Figo and Brazil's Ronaldo.

2009 July 7, “Ronaldo rocks 80,000 fans at Bernabeu”, in Toronto Star:


PSG

PSG has won the Ligue 1 title seven times since QSI took control of the club in 2011.

2020 June 4, George Ramsay, “How billionaire owners changed European football”, in CNN:

The outlook for PSG is arguably as bleak as it has ever been since the state-backed Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) purchased the club in 2011.

2023 June 17, Matias Grez, “Kylian Mbappé: What next for French superstar as questions over his PSG future rumble on?”, in CNN:

A spokesperson for Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), the Qatari-government operated organization that owns PSG, confirmed to CNN that it has been “approached with regards to a basketball franchise in Paris in relation to which we have expressed an interest.”

2025 March 27, Matias Grez, “NBA and FIBA in talks with European soccer teams over new basketball league”, in CNN:

France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, posted on social media on Saturday after the game: “True PSG fans are getting excited about their team’s magnificent performance. Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke law enforcement […].”

2025 June 1, Ben Quinn, quoting Bruno Retailleau, “Two people die and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League victory”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club
w:en:Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, a French football club from Paris; from French PSG.


goal area

(soccer) The area of the pitch, extending six yards from the goal, from which a goal kick is taken.

àrea de meta

soccer: area from which a goal kick is taken


buzzer flag

(soccer) A linesman's flag that is equipped with a button that causes a receiver (typically worn by the referee) to buzz, thus warning him of the flag's use.


pick out

en-verb

pick out (third-person singular simple present picks out, present participle picking out, simple past and past participle picked out)

picks out (present singular third-person)
picking out (participle present)
picked out (participle past)
picked out (past)

From pick + out. Compare Saterland Frisian uutpikke (“to pick out”), Dutch uitpikken (“to pick out”).

cog

Ameobi skipped away down the left in the 39th minute and tried to pick out Shearer with a cross but his delivery was cut out by goalkeeper Jussi J...

2006 December 26, “Bolton Wanderers vs Newcastle United”, in 4TheGame, archived from the original on 2008-04-14:

(transitive, idiomatic, soccer) To send a long pass or cross to.


put through

en-verb

put through (third-person singular simple present puts through, present participle putting through, simple past and past participle put through)

puts through (present singular third-person)
putting through (participle present)
put through (participle past)
put through (past)

Friedel again had to save as he parried a Patrice Evra shot before gathering the ball after the left-back had been put through by Ryan Giggs.

2011 February 1, Mandeep Sanghera, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Aston Villa”, in BBC:

(transitive, soccer) To pass the ball to (someone) giving them a one-on-one scoring opportunity.


step over

step overs (plural)
stepover (alternative)

(soccer) A dribbling move, or feint, in football (soccer), used to fool a defensive player into thinking the offensive player, in possession of the ball, in which the foot is moved over the ball without making contact with it.


ASM

(soccer) Initialism of Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club.


cup-tied

(sports, chiefly soccer, of a player) ineligible to compete in a cup competition due to having previously played for a different team in the same competition in the same season.


Potter

From Middle English Potter, English, Dutch, and north German surname, from the noun pot.
The usage for someone from Stoke-on-Trent refers to it being the home of the pottery industry in England, where it is also known as The Potteries.

(soccer) someone connected with Stoke City Football Club (in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK), as a fan, player, coach etc.


Yid

Yidden (plural)
Yidn (plural)
Yids (plural)
yid (alternative)

From Yiddish ייִד (yid, “Jew”). Doublet of Jew.

(soccer, informal) A supporter or club member of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.


five-a-side

(soccer) a variation of soccer played on a smaller pitch, and with only five players in a team.


flat back four

(soccer) collectively, a set of defenders who stay on the same level on the pitch.


Tottenham

From Old English personal name Totta, in the genitive case Tottan + hām (“homestead”).

(soccer) Tottenham Hotspur F.C., a football club in north London.


Man United

(soccer) Manchester United Football Club


Old Trafford

(soccer) The home stadium of Manchester United Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Manchester United Football Club itself.


Stamford Bridge

(soccer) the home stadium of Chelsea Football Club

(soccer, by extension) Chelsea Football Club itself


Highbury

(historical, soccer) the former home stadium of Arsenal Football Club

(soccer, historical, by extension) Arsenal Football Club itself


Villa Park

(soccer) the home stadium of Aston Villa Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Aston Villa Football Club itself.


White Hart Lane

(soccer) The former home stadium of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Tottenham Hotspur Football Club itself.


Molineux

Another surprise is that Newcastle have the meanest defence in all four leagues and they did their utmost to preserve the tag at Molineux.

2011 October 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The home stadium of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club itself.


Evertonian

/ɛvəˈtəʊnɪ.ən/

(soccer) someone connected with Everton Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Gooner

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Gooner.wav

A corruption of gunner, derived from the Arsenal coat of arms of a cannon.

(soccer, slang) someone connected with Arsenal Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Red Devil

(soccer) someone connected with Manchester United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Wednesdayite

The boys couldn't stand idly by while three Wednesdayites got mullered; it was not the done thing.

2012, Anthony Cronshaw, Wednesday Rucks and Rock 'n' Roll: Tales from the East Bank:

(soccer) Someone connected with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Villan

(soccer) someone connected with Aston Villa Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Ewood

(soccer) Ewood Park, the home stadium of Blackburn Rovers FC


Trotter

As an English and Scottish surname for a messenger, from trot. As a German surname, from Trotte (“winepress”).

(soccer) someone connected with Bolton Wanderers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Claret

(soccer) someone connected with Burnley Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Cottager

From the name of the stadium, Craven Cottage.

(UK, soccer) Someone connected with Fulham Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Black Cat

Understandably the teams were hyped for their 132nd league meeting, but Steve Bruce's Black Cats were also looking to settle a score having been humiliated 5-1 at St James' Park at the end of October.

2011 January 16, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) someone connected with Sunderland Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Latic

It is 10 months since they lost to the Latics in last season's final, something that the visiting supporters were intent on reminding everyone.

2014 March 9, Jacob Steinberg, “Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals”, in The Guardian:

(slang, soccer) Someone connected with Wigan Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(slang, soccer) Someone connected with Oldham Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Magpie

(soccer) Someone connected with Newcastle United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(soccer) Someone connected with Notts County Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.


Toon Army

From toon, the local dialect's word for town.

(soccer) The supporters of Newcastle United Football Club, a football club in Newcastle upon Tyne.


Baggie

(soccer) someone connected with West Bromwich Albion Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Baggies

The Baggies had offered little threat until the 28th minute, but when their first chance came it was a clear one.

2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) West Bromwich Albion Football Club


Bluebird

From bluebird, from the blue colour of the team's kit.

(soccer) Someone connected with Cardiff City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Bluebirds

(soccer) Cardiff City Football Club, a football club in Cardiff.


Seasider

(soccer) someone connected with Blackpool Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Blade

(soccer) Someone connected with Sheffield United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Hoop

(soccer) someone connected with Queens Park Rangers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Tractor Boy

(soccer) Someone connected with Ipswich Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Hornet

(soccer) someone connected with Watford Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Sky Blue

(soccer) Someone connected with Coventry City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(soccer) Someone connected with Sydney FC, as a fan, player, coach, etc.


Palace

Crystal Palace Football Club
w:Crystal Palace Football Club

(UK, soccer) Ellipsis of Crystal Palace Football Club (“a football team from London”).


Canary

From 1907, coined by the football club's then-chairman who was a keen breeder of canaries.

(soccer) Someone connected with Norwich City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Pirate

(sports) someone connected with any of a number of sports teams known as the Pirates, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(soccer) someone connected with Bristol Rovers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Addick

Various theories: perhaps from athletic or haddock.

(soccer) someone connected with Charlton Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Scummer

(soccer, derogatory) someone connected with Southampton Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Hatter

(soccer) someone connected with Luton Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Saddler

(soccer) someone connected with Walsall Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Seagull

(soccer) Someone connected with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Glover

My guide tells me of Yeovil's 'considerable glove trade', which is why the giant-killing footie club, Yeovil Town FC, is known as 'The Glovers'.

2023 June 28, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: Alton to Exeter”, in RAIL, number 986, page 60:

(soccer) someone connected with Yeovil Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Shrimper

(soccer) someone connected with Southend United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Chairboy

(soccer) someone connected with Wycombe Wanderers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


scummer

(UK, soccer, slang, derogatory, offensive) A supporter of Southampton F.C..


CCM

Central Coast Mariners
w:Central Coast Mariners FC

(soccer) Initialism of Central Coast Mariners.


LOSC

Lille Olympique Sporting Club
w:Lille OSC

(soccer) Initialism of Lille Olympique Sporting Club.


AJA

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise
w:AJA

(soccer) Initialism of Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise.


beach soccer

(soccer) a variant of soccer played on a smaller-sized sand pitch.


TFC

Toulouse Football Club
w:Toulouse Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Toulouse Football Club, a French football (soccer) club from Toulouse

Toulouse Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Toronto FC, a Canadian soccer club from Toronto


FFF

French Football Federation
w:French Football Federation

(soccer) Initialism of French Football Federation.


Matildas

(soccer) the women's national soccer representative team of Australia

Australia women's national association football team


Super Eagles

(soccer) The Nigeria national football team


Super Falcons

(soccer) The Nigeria women's national football team


BFC

Brentford Football Club
w:Brentford F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Brentford Football Club.

Blackpool Football Club
w:Blackpool F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Blackpool Football Club.


CCFC

Coventry City Football Club
w:Coventry City Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Coventry City Football Club.

Cardiff City Football Club
w:Cardiff City Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Cardiff City Football Club.


Oranje

(soccer) the Netherlands national football team


goalhanger

(informal, soccer) A player who stays near the opposing team's goal in the hope of easily scoring.


CONCACAF

Association Football
association football

(soccer) Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football — the governing body for the sport in the aforementioned region, also including the South American countries of French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.


centre half

centre halves (plural)
centre-half (alternative)
centrehalf (alternative)


through ball

through balls (plural)
through-ball (alternative)

It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos allowed Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them.

2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:

And a potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes, who has completed the most through balls in the Premier League this season (15), would be an excellent stylistic fit.

2021 February 4, Raj Chohan, “Erling Braut Haaland: Would Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea suit striker best?”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A forward pass played between opposition defenders.


Madridista

Borrowed from Spanish madridista, from Madrid + -ista.

The deal to sign Martin Ødegaard full-time is also well on the way to becoming reality. Another Madridista, Marco Asensio, is also being touted as a potential target for Mikel Arteta and his sidekick Edu.

2021 August 19, Luke McLaughlin, “Football transfer rumours: Robert Lewandowski to exit Bayern Munich?”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) Someone who plays for Real Madrid CF, a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.

It is never only a game when Barça plays Real. Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium is nine decades old, but still it generates a remarkable sensation when 25,000 Catalans are at one end and 25,000 Madridistas fill the other.

2014 April 17, Rob Hughes, “Gloom Gets Darker for Barcelona”, in The New York Times:

(soccer) Someone who works for Real Madrid CF.


LUFC

Leeds United Football Club
w:Leeds United F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Leeds United Football Club.


tip over

Bolton then went even closer when Elmander's cross was met by a bullet header from Holden, which forced a wonderful tip over from Cech before Drogba then cleared the resulting corner off the line.

2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:

(soccer) An action where the goalkeeper deflects the ball over the crossbar.


tee up

tee up (third-person singular simple present tees up, present participle teeing up, simple past and past participle teed up)

tees up (present singular third-person)
teeing up (participle present)
teed up (participle past)
teed up (past)

This time the defender was teed up by Andrew Johnson's short free-kick on the edge of the box and Baird hammered his low drive beyond Begovic's outstretched left arm and into the bottom corner, doubling his goal tally for the season and stunning the home crowd.

2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC:

(soccer) To pass the ball to someone, facilitating a shot.


side-netting

But Gyan missed the best openings, shooting into the side-netting after showing good strength when chasing a long pass, and then hopelessly miskicking from six yards out.

2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC:

(soccer) The net at either side of the goal, extending from the touchline to a few yards behind it.

petit filet

in soccer, the net at either side of the goal


short corner

Pedersen took a short corner and El-Hadji Diouf was given time to send in a cross for Mame Diouf to stoop and head home from close range.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer) A short pass from a corner (the set piece).


straight red card

en-noun

straight red card (plural straight red cards)

A moment of madness from double goalscorer Kalinic put Rovers' fate back in the balance when the Croat caught Scharner with a late, dangerous lunge and was shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darling, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer) A red card, signifying a player's instant dismissal from the game for a single major foul or misconduct, distinct from and graver than a second yellow card, which a player may receive for several minor fouls.


starting berth

Pardew made five changes to the side that thrashed West Ham 5-0 on Wednesday - with players such as James Perch and Alan Smith given the chance to underline their case for a regular starting berth.

2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) An appearance in a match from the kick-off.


toe-poke

en-verb

toe-poke (third-person singular simple present toe-pokes, present participle toe-poking, simple past and past participle toe-poked)

toe-pokes (present singular third-person)
toe-poking (participle present)
toe-poked (participle past)
toe-poked (past)
toepoke (alternative)
toe poke (alternative)

Malouda burst through the left side of the defence for the first time and crossed for Kalou, who toe-poked towards goal only for Hennessey's outstretched leg to deny him.

2011 January 5, Mark Ashenden, “Wolverhampton 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) To kick (the ball) with the toe end of the boot.

tåpaja

To kick the ball with the toe end of the boot


toe-poke

toe-pokes (plural)
toepoke (alternative)
toe poke (alternative)

(soccer) A kick to a football with the toe end of the boot.


out ball

out balls (plural)
out-ball (alternative)

With Carlos Tevez chasing down every lost cause like his life depended on it, City always had an out ball but Arsenal had such a monopoly on possession that they barely had to give thought even to the Argentine.

2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC:

(soccer) A chance to clear the ball to an attacking teammate, or such an attacker; a target man.


overhead kick

United's initial response was bright, with Young's corner drifting untouched across the six-yard area and Van Persie just unable to keep an overhead kick down.

2013 September 1, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport:

(soccer) A kick where the ball travels over the player's head.


seal dribble

Seals (the animals, not the stamp) can be trained to balance a ball on their nose.

(neologism, soccer) In soccer, a move where the player bounces the ball on their head while running at the opponent.


far post

United looked on course to end the season empty-handed as well as missing out on Champions League football when substitute Jason Puncheon's powerful far-post finish put Palace ahead with 12 minutes left.

2016 May 22, Phil McNulty, “Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United”, in BBC:

(soccer, idiomatic) The goalpost furthest from where a cross is made.


near post

This was a small element of a remarkably assured performance that started with a crucial early save from Christian Pulisic and also saw him deny Chelsea a last-gasp win with a near-post block from Romelu Lukaku in the closing seconds of extra time.

2022 February 27, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, idiomatic) The goalpost nearest from which a cross is made.


route one football

Linked by some sources to the 1966-1972 BBC quiz show Quiz Ball, in which players could choose one of several "routes" of football-related questions to reach the goal. "Route 1" was the most direct, where players only needed to answer one question to get directly to the goal.

It was route one football from Wigan with Rodallega latching onto Al Habsi's long clearance after it was misjudged by Aaron Hughes.

2011 January 15, Nabil Hassan, “Wigan 1 - 1 Fulham”, in BBC:

(soccer) A tactic involving kicking the ball from defence high and far straight towards the attackers.


hold-up play

Arsenal must have been pleased that Leeds' leading scorer Luciano Becchio was ruled out with a back injury and the hosts missed his hold-up play and threat for long periods as Wenger's side produced wave after wave of attack.

2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:

(soccer, idiomatic) A play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field.


snap shot

But the League One side's early endeavours brought only two well-struck but off-target free-kicks and a snap shot from Rickie Lambert.

2011 January 29, Ian Hughes, “Southampton 1 - 2 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A hard shot without much planning.


Gulls

As a seaside town, Torquay has many seagulls.

Gulls keeper Scott Bevan kept his side in the game by saving a Tubbs penalty after Chris Zebroski was sent off.

2011 January 29, Chris Bevan, “Torquay 0 - 1 Crawley Town”, in BBC:

(soccer, informal) Torquay United F. C., a football club from Torquay, England.


Accy

(UK, soccer, slang) The football team Accrington Stanley F.C..


Bee

(soccer) someone connected with Barnet Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Bantam

The Bantams bridged the gap between the bottom division of English league football and the Premier League to secure a place at Wembley, despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat.

2013 January 22, Phil McNulty, “Aston Villa 2-1 Bradford (3-4)”, in BBC:

(soccer) Someone connected with Bradford City A.F.C, as a fan, player, coach etc.


air-shot

air-shots (plural)
air shot (alternative)

A comical Bendtner air-shot then brought ironic cheers from the 5,000 Huddersfield fans massed behind the Clock End goal, before the Dane was involved in a fortuitous Gunners' opening goal.

2011 January 30, Kevin Darling, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield”, in BBC:

(sports, soccer, golf, snooker etc.) A failed attempt to strike the ball.


long throw

In the fifth minute he could have added to an impressive record of 11 goals in 10 FA Cup ties for parent club Aston Villa but his flicked header from Rory Delap's long throw was pushed past the post by Marcus Hahnemann.

2011 January 30, “Wolverhampton 0 - 1 Stoke”, in BBC:

(soccer) A long throw-in into the goal area.


throw-out

(soccer) An overarm throw of the ball from a goalkeeper.

servei de porteria

(soccer) an overarm throw of the ball from a goalkeeper


slide-tackle

slide-tackle (third-person singular simple present slide-tackles, present participle slide-tackling, simple past and past participle slide-tackled)

slide-tackles (present singular third-person)
slide-tackling (participle present)
slide-tackled (participle past)
slide-tackled (past)

(soccer) To tackle another player by sliding on the ground feet-first.


crossfield

He was in the mood and he decorated the first half with some wonderful moments. How about the side-on volleyed crossfield pass with the outside of his right boot? Or the shoulder drop, the surge upfield, the riding of a challenge and then another thrilling run.

2024 June 16, David Hytner, “Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat”, in Guardian:

(soccer) Passed from one side of the pitch to the other.


Posh

Peterbough United have been playing at Lincoln, in something of a local derby. EMR has put on a six-car Class 158 as an additional train, to take 'Posh' fans home (Posh is the team's nickname, by the way).

2024 April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1007, page 58:

(soccer, slang) Peterborough United F.C., a football club from Peterborough, England.


slip in

slip in (third-person singular simple present slips in, present participle slipping in, simple past and past participle slipped in)

slips in (present singular third-person)
slipping in (participle present)
slipped in (participle past)
slipped in (past)

A minute into the second half, Hazard blasted the second goal right over Gordon's head and into his net. Soon after, Charlie Mulgrew's aimless ball out of defence fell to Dembele, who gave it to Hazard. The attacker slipped in Batshuayi in for the third.

2018 September 7, Tom English, “Scotland 0-4 Belgium”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, transitive) To play a subtle pass into someone in a goalscoring position.


whip in

whip in (third-person singular simple present whips in, present participle whipping in, simple past and past participle whipped in)

whips in (present singular third-person)
whipping in (participle present)
whipped in (participle past)
whipped in (past)

He whipped in a dangerous cross, and Faulkner headed into the net.

(soccer, transitive) To make a quick pass into the goalmouth.


flick-on

Rovers forward Roque Santa Cruz headed against the post after a flick-on by towering defender Chris Samba.

2011 February 12, Nabil Hassan, “Blackburn 0 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) A quick headed touch to pass to another player.


box-to-box midfielder

en-noun

box-to-box midfielder (plural box-to-box midfielders)

(soccer) a central midfielder who plays both defensively and attackingly, who runs a lot up and down the pitch.

volante mixto

a central midfielder who both defends and attacks


ball-playing

Irish debutant Conor Henderson - another ball-playing midfielder - probed for a gap through the back-line and the 19-year-old's deflected pass was pounced on by Tomas Rosicky, who sped to the byeline to clip a square ball through the legs of Charlie Daniels across the box.

2011 March 2, Chris Whyatt, “Arsenal 5 - 0 Leyton Orient”, in BBC:

And despite his terrific form, it was always going to be Sterling making way especially against a ball-playing team away from home when we'd have to absorb a lot of pressure.

2014, Neil Collins, Make Us Dream: A Fan's View of the 2013/14 Season, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 290:

Barcelona have recognised that a ball-playing midfielder is a more effective centre-half than a John Terry-style centre-half given they rarely encounter an attacking threat that warrants a traditional back four.

2014, anonymous author, The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game: Tips and Tactics from the Ultimate Insider, Faber & Faber, →ISBN:

(soccer) Focused on attacking and progressing down the field.


byeline

Diouf rounded Zaluska near the byeline and crossed but Daniel Majstorovic headed away and Celtic eventually mopped up the danger.

2011 March 2, Andy Campbell, “Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers”, in BBC:

(soccer) Alternative spelling of byline.


wing-play

wing play (alternative)
wingplay (alternative)

Stoke deserved their advantage and they looked to build on their lead with Etherington continuing his busy wing-play down the opposite flank.

2011 March 13, Chris Bevan, “Stoke 2 - 1 West Ham”, in BBC:

(soccer) The art of playing as a winger.


SPL

And the moment it thumped into the net, Celtic’s march back to the top of the SPL pile also seemed unstoppable.

2011 December 29, Keith Jackson, “SPL: Celtic 1 Rangers 0”, in Daily Record:

Scottish Premier League
w:Scottish Premier League

(soccer) Initialism of Scottish Premier League.


Prem

Palace are back in the Prem - but for how long?

1997, Peterjon Cresswell, Simon Evans, Dan Goldstein, European football: a fans' handbook:

Linked us, now she don't wanna link them man again / Your ex plays in the Prem but you never see him taking a pen

2016 February 14, Joseph Adenuga, Darren Dixon, Tariq Devega, “Ladies Hit Squad” (track 6), in Konnichiwa, performed by Skepta ft. D Double E and ASAP Nast, Boy Better Know:


number three

His transfer, controversial for 18 months now, may also rank as the most tetchy ever to have involved a mere left-back. He may claim the highest wage in the history of the number three...

2006 August 13, Ian Hawkey, “The £20m question”, in The Sunday Times:

With his quality, I wouldn’t want him sitting here being number three or number two, he’s a good enough goalkeeper to go and play in the Championship.

2022 May 6, Alex Dicken, quoting Tony Roberts, “Wolves respond to Birmingham City interest in Matija Sarkic transfer”, in Birmingham Live:

(soccer) A player who is the backup to the two primary goalkeepers - number one and number two.


number six

The number six adds additional defensive cover, balance, screening and protection just ahead of the central defence.

2022 February 12, “Number six position in football”, in Premier League:

defensive midfielder
defensive midfielder


number ten

attacking midfielder
attacking midfielder

(soccer) The main offensive playmaker in a team, usually an attacking midfielder.


square ball

(soccer) A pass played square (not forward or backward, i.e. sideways)


return pass

But then Arsenal scored. Sebastian Kehl's poor touch ended at Walcott's feet via Van Persie. The Englishman's return pass was a delight, allowing Van Persie to take a touch before rifling a rising drive past Roman Weidenfeller.

2011 September 13, Sam Lyon, “Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal”, in BBC:

(soccer) A pass back to the person who just passed the ball.


long corner

(soccer) A corner kick played directly into the goal area, as opposed to a short corner.


late tackle

Stepanov was then booked for a late tackle on Andrews and that would late prove very costly.

2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:

Javier Hernandez's attempts to turn in the rebound were foiled by Ashley Cole's reckless late tackle - which left the England defender fortunate to receive only a yellow card from referee Phil Dowd and United puzzled that they were not awarded a second penalty.

2011 September 18, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A mistimed attempt to take the ball of an opposing player that results in the tackler making contact with the player and not the ball


reaction save

The England striker had come close with a first-half header from a Bannan free-kick and after a neat piece of ball juggling and fierce shot, Bent was then denied by a superb reaction save from Al-Habsi.

2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The instinctive blocking of the ball by a goalkeeper.


strikeforce

strikeforces (plural)
strike force (alternative)

Liverpool's £58m strikeforce of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored the goals that settled the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - but Everton were left complaining bitterly about Jack Rodwell's controversial early red card.

2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, figuratively) Collectively, the strikers in a team.


holding midfielder

holding midfielder (plural holding midfielders)

After the restart, QPR holding midfielder Shaun Derry, in a rare advanced position, was inches away from connecting with a cross from Jamie Mackie, who was making his first start since he suffered a double leg break against Rovers in an FA Cup tie in January.

2011 October 15, Paul Fletcher, “QPR 1 - 1 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:


cross-shot

But the visitors halved the deficit within two minutes when Scott Sinclair burst into the area and, despite going down under Bennett's challenge, stabbed the ball across for Graham to score with a cross-shot.

2011 October 15, Graham Chase, “Norwich 3 - 1 Swansea”, in BBC Sport:

This time there was an English element as Ainsley Maitland-Niles let fly with cross-shot that fizzed to Nicolas Tagliafico at the far post.

2025 April 17, Simon Stone, “Manchester United 5-4 Olympique Lyonnais”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A shot from one side of the field towards the opposite corner of the goal.


chip shot

chip shots (plural)
chip-shot (alternative)
chipshot (alternative)

Plantation surprised Palm Springs North early with a chip shot close to the net by Mike Noll.

1988 December 20, “Palm Springs North Wins Soccer Title”, in Miami herald, retrieved 2011-10-17, page 6C:

(soccer) A shot in which the ball is kicked from underneath with accuracy but with less than maximum force, to launch it high into the air in order either to pass it over the heads of opponents or to score a goal.


side netting

Paul Robinson produced a spectacular full-stretch stop to deny David Fox his first goal of the season from 25 yards before Elliott Bennett fired into the side netting when he should have done much better from eight yards.

2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) Alternative form of side-netting.


find the net

en-verb

find the net (third-person singular simple present finds the net, present participle finding the net, simple past and past participle found the net)

finds the net (present singular third-person)
finding the net (participle present)
found the net (participle past)
found the net (past)

It is testimony to QPR's spirit then that it was they who next found the net as Bothroyd's goalbound header from an Armand Traore cross ultimately found the net courtesy of the back of Helguson, who was on the goalline but - despite the protestations of a number of City players - not offside.

2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 - 3 Man City”, in BBC Sport:


Daley

From Clipping of (Roch)dale + -y. From dale.

(soccer) A supporter of Rochdale Association Football Club


reverse pass

That seemed to inject life into United, and Rooney was denied by goalkeeper Yann Sommer from a Giggs reverse pass before seeing a penalty shout turned down.

2011 December 7, David Ornstein, “FC Basel 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A pass in which the player runs in the opposite direction to where he passed.


Champions League

The result sees Arsenal leapfrog Chelsea - who face Manchester City on Monday - and occupy a Champions League spot for the first time this season.

2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The highest-level European club football (soccer) tournament, organised by UEFA.

Չեմպիոնների լիգա

UEFA Champions League: the highest-level European club football tournament

CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League

(soccer) An annual African football (soccer) competition, formally known as CAF Champions League.

AFC Champions League Elite
AFC Champions League Elite

(soccer) An annual Asian football (soccer) competition, formally known as AFC Champions League Elite.


total football

(soccer) A tactic in which the outfield players assume different roles during a game, while keeping an organised structure.


lead the line

lead the line (third-person singular simple present leads the line, present participle leading the line, simple past and past participle led the line)

leads the line (present singular third-person)
leading the line (participle present)
led the line (participle past)
led the line (past)

Andy Carroll is leading the line, with Suarez playing behind him.

Martial, who had been an injury doubt, led the line with strength and positivity.

2021 March 7, David Hytner, “Manchester United catch City cold as Fernandes and Shaw end winning run”, in The Guardian:

(idiomatic, soccer) To play as centre forward.


centre-forward

(soccer) Alternative form of centre forward.


CFG

City Football Group
w:City Football Group

(soccer) Initialism of City Football Group.


Serie A

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in Italy.


Ligue 1

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in France.


Bundesliga

(soccer) The German Football Bundesliga (the highest division of professional men's football in Germany)

(soccer) The Austrian Football Bundesliga (the highest division of professional men's football in Austria)


Primeira Liga

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in Portugal.


Eredivisie

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in the Netherlands.


Hibs

Garry O'Connor stabbed Hibs into a third-minute lead from close range and the Edinburgh side deservedly went into the break with their lead intact.

2012 April 14, Clive Lindsay, “Aberdeen 1-2 Hibernian”, in BBC:

(soccer) Hibernian Football Club, a football club based in Edinburgh, Scotland.


Dons

Few goals had been expected with the three league meetings between the sides this season having produced one goal - and that a controversial penalty scored by Dons striker Scott Vernon.

(soccer) Aberdeen Football Club, a football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland.

(soccer) Wimbledon Football Club, a defunct football club based in London.

(soccer) AFC Wimbledon, a football club based in London, founded by the supporters of Wimbledon FC.

(soccer) Milton Keynes Dons F.C., a football club based in Milton Keynes, England.


Caley

(soccer) Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, a football club based in Inverness, Scotland


Killie

(soccer) Kilmarnock Football Club, a football club based in Kilmarnock, Scotland.


Doonhamers

(soccer, informal) Queen of the South Football Club, a football club based in Dumfries, Scotland.


Boro

They created the better chances while Boro, looking every inch a troubled team, rarely looked like avoiding a third successive goalless home draw.

1999, Stuart Barnes, “Boro's form keeps failing”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), The Guardian:

If, however, Boro let their guard slip, you can bet the Tigers will tear their guests for the day to shreds. In not one game this season have City sat back. Against Middlesbrough it will surely be no different.

2009, Ian Waterstone, Live Through the Dream: The Epic Journey Depicting Hull City's First Ever Season in the Top Flight of English Football, →ISBN, page 124:

Last week, the man from the local paper told the 24-year-old author that in years to come the "Linny", as the pub is known, will feature prominently on "Richard Milward Tours" of Boro.

2009, Caspar Llewellyn Smith, “A night out with the young bard of Boro”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), The Guardian:

(chiefly soccer and Teesside) The town of Middlesbrough, and more specifically Middlesbrough FC football club.

Craig Reid struck the United woodwork, while Boro goalkeeper Chris Day had to tip over a header from his own midfielder Michael Bostwick.

2012 May 11, Chris Osborne, “Stevenage 0-0 Sheff Utd”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) Stevenage Football Club, a football team from Stevenage formerly known as Stevenage Borough Football Club


18-yard box

Falcao, who scored the only goal in last season's Europa League final as Porto beat Braga, received the ball halfway between the six- and 18-yard boxes.

2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian: