Youth Soccer Insider

By Mike Woitalla Today is soccer practice day, but it isn’t because the season ended last weekend. So I’m not checking which balls need to bepumped up, if the first-aid kit is in order, or if the pinnies and goalkeeper gloves are back in the coach’s bag. (Which reminds me, are you ever supposed to […]

By Randy Vogt The throw-in is unique as it’s the only opportunity for players other than the goalkeeper to legally use their hands. It is also the most common restartin soccer. A goal cannot be scored directly on a throw-in. A player cannot be offside on a throw-in. A throw-in is awarded when the whole […]

Advantage is a wonderful clause in the rules in which whistling the foul would actually be hurting the team being fouled by not letting play continue. Let’s say the white midfielder is dribblingthe ball outside the gray penalty area when a gray player pushes white. Yet white does not fall down and is still able […]

By Randy Vogt The teams spend time training and working on teamwork in practice. Their coaches go over tactics before the game. Doesn’t it logically follow that theofficiating team needs to spend some time before the game discussing how they will work as a team? The referee should go over what is expected of the […]

By Randy Vogt Law 12 on Fouls and Misconduct is the most important rule in soccer. Referees who have played soccer have an initial advantage in spotting fouls overthose refs who never played the game. After all, the official who played knows what a foul feels like and might even know what a cautionable or […]