U.S. $12.99 / CAN $15.99 / U.K. £6.99
! L A A A A O O GO LL AND SOME FRIENDS,
ME. GRAB A BA ’V A G A T O G E V AND YOU K IT C I K O T Y D A E GET R H IN ON THE PITCIN CCER. O S G H T Y R E EV
If you knew EVERYTHING about SOCCER, you’d know this:
EVErything ryt n r thing
SOCCER SOCC S OCCER
BLAKE HOENA is a writer living in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has written many books for children on subjects as diverse as explorer biographies, the war in Afghanistan, mythology, and sports.
[SEE SEE PAGE 13]
IT’S THE BEAUTIFUL GAME. It’s played all over the world. From
grew up playing soccer in Dallas, Texas, and dreamed of being like his idol, Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho. He was selected for the United States’ FIFA Under-17 World Cup team and Under-18 Pan American Games team before playing college soccer at the University of Maryland. He was drafted in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) draft by the L.A. Galaxy in 2009. Omar’s many soccer achievements include being named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2009, MLS Defender of the Year in 2011, and MLS Cup Most Valuable Player in 2012. He is a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
patches of dirt to gleaming turf, soccer is a game for all. Meet soccer’s superstars. Learn the rules. Get kitted up, get out on the field, and show off your fancy footwork. Ready to become the ultimate footie fanatic? Take aim! It’s time to learn everything about SOCCER.
“These compelling, browsable, and completely engrossing title will delight s readers.”
EVERYTHING SOCCER
OMAR GONZALEZ
WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE MOST WORLD CUP WINS? [SEE PAGE 16]
SCORE TONS OF
PHOTOS, FACTS,
—School Library Journal
HOW MANY YELLOW CARDS GET A PLAYER THROWN OUT OF A GAME? [SEE PAGE 27]
AND AND
FUN! EVERYTHING SERIES
U.S. $12.99 / CAN $15.99 / U.K. £6.99 I S B N 978-1-4263-1713-2 /PRINTED IN HONG KONG
Each book has: More than 100 pictures, an explorer’s corner with from-the-field anecdotes and tips, fun facts throughout, maps and infographics, an illustrated diagram, a photo gallery, cool comparisons, a behind-the-scenes photograph, an interactive glossary, and more.
51299
WHICH TEAM HAS A ROBOT MASCOT NAMED HAMMERHEAD?
BLAKE HOENA
Front cover and spine, Kris Timken/Blend Images/Getty Images; Back Cover (RT), bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock, (LE), courtesy of D.C. United; Front flap (UP), Warren Goldswain/Shutterstock, (CTR LE), Rob Wilson/Shutterstock, (CTR RT), Nelosa/ Shutterstock, (LO), Neil Tingle/BPI/Corbis; Back flap (UP), courtesy of Blake Hoena, (LO), courtesy of L.A. Galaxy
HOW LONG WAS THE LONGEST HEADER GOAL?
[SEE PAGE 52)
B BY YB BLAKE LAKE HOENA HOENA 9 781426 317132
W WI WITH TH S STAR TAR TA R SO SOCC SOCCER CCER CC ER P PLAYER LA AYE YER R OMAR GONZALEZ O MAR MA R GO GONZ NZAL NZ A EZ AL
Dribble through the pages and score some cool pictures, facts, and fun with
EVERYTHING SOCCER! kids.nationalgeographic.com
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CONTENTS Introduction ................................................... 6
SERIOUSLY SOCCER
8
What Is Soccer? ........................................... 10 Super Soccer Awards .................................. 12 A Long History ............................................. 14 A Global Game ............................................. 16 A PHOTOGRAPHIC DIAGRAM: The Pitch ...................................................... 18
GET IN THE GAME
20
It’s the Law! ................................................. 22 Places, Everyone! ........................................ 24 Red Card! ..................................................... 26 Clubs and Leagues ...................................... 28 A PHOTO GALLERY: Game Day..................................................... 30
GEAR, GAMES, AND GRANDSTANDS
32
Kits and Cleats............................................. 34 Footie Fanatics ............................................ 36 World Cup .................................................... 38 Superstars of Soccer ................................... 40 SOCCER COMPARISONS: You vs. the Pros ........................................... 42
FUN WITH SOCCER
44
Train Like a Pro ........................................... 46 Soccer Fare .................................................. 48 Myth vs. Fact ................................................ 50 Game On! ..................................................... 52 PHOTO FINISH: Behind the Shot With Omar Gonzalez ........ 54 AFTERWORD: The Beautiful Game ............ 56 AN INTERACTIVE GLOSSARY: Soccer Speak ............................................... 60 Find Out More .............................................. 62 Index............................................................. 63 Credits.......................................................... 64
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Throughout the world, soccer is a game played with or without specialized equipment, on grassy ďŹ elds, on dirt yards, or even on the street. These boys are playing in Jinshang Park, a former royal garden that is now a park in Beijing, China.
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Modern soccer stadiums can hold from 25,000 to 80,000 people in seats and standing sections. That’s a lot of noisy, cheering fans!
6
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INTRODUCTION WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD? No, not baseball. Not basketball either. And it isn’t cricket, tennis, rugby, or hockey, even though those sports are played all over the globe and by millions of people. It’s football! But don’t confuse this football with American football, the game with quarterbacks who throw oval balls. We’re talking fútbol, the sport you might know as soccer. From huge coliseums that hold tens of thousands of people to small stadiums, local parks, and dusty streets, soccer is played everywhere and by hundreds of millions of people. It also has billions (yes billions with a b) of rowdy fans around the world cheering on their favorite teams. Why is it such a popular sport? Come see why this beautiful game scores big with so many people as you learn EVERYTHING there is to know about soccer.
EXPLORER’S CORNER Hi! I’m Omar Gonzalez. Professionally, I play for the L.A. Galaxy, but I’m also a member of the United States men’s national soccer team. I started playing soccer when I was four years old. When my older siblings kicked the ball around, I would just jump into the mix. Plus, my uncle played professionally, so in a way, it’s a family sport. My position is defender, like my uncle. But I played center midfielder and forward until college. My college coach put me at center back because he thought it was a more natural fit, and the rest is history. I was named the Major League Soccer (MLS) Defender of the Year in 2011.
SOCCER
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WHAT IS
? R E C C O S SOCCER IS ONE OF THE SIMPLEST GAMES TO PLAY. ALL YOU NEED is a ball and an area to kick it around, whether that’s a large soccer arena or your own backyard where a couple of trees serve as goalposts. Yet, a game of soccer can be as complicated as a chess match. Mastering the sport takes more than just quick feet and a powerful kick—it’s a game of strategic smarts. Maybe that’s why soccer is so popular. It can be a fun and easy game to play among friends; yet it can also be extremely challenging as professional teams pit their skills against each other.
SOCCER BASICS Type of Play: Team sport, with up to 11 players on a team Object of the game: Score more goals than your opponent. Field of Play: Just about any open space, from indoor stadiums to outdoor pitches, parks, backyards, and even the beach Key Rule to the Game: Players cannot use their hands (except for the goalkeeper) while the ball is in play.
LAYING DOWN THE LAW While kicking the ball around with friends, you probably only worry about the most basic rule of the game: getting the ball in the goal to score. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the organization that oversees how the game is played around the world. Formed in 1904, FIFA has a set of rules, called Laws of the Game, that leagues worldwide follow so that everyone is playing the same basic game. FIFA also holds the largest soccer tournament in the world, the World Cup.
KICKIN’ IT
A HEADER IS A GOAL SCORED FROM A HEAD BUTT TO THE BALL.
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THE FIELD OF PLAY A soccer field is called a pitch. The reason why is somewhat of a mystery, but it is thought to be based on the idea of staking poles into the ground, like you would to “pitch” a tent, to mark the playing area. The game of cricket was set up this way, and soccer players borrowed the term in the 1880s.
SOUND LIKE A SOCCER PRO Understanding soccer lingo makes it easier to play or watch the game. Here are some common soccer terms: Breakaway—A sudden play in which one (or more) attacking players race downfield with the ball ahead of the defenders Defender—A player who is trying to prevent a goal from being scored draw—Tie game or match Football club (FC)—A soccer team Goal Lines—The sidelines of a soccer field Header—Hitting the ball with your head kit—A player’s equipment match—A soccer game Pitch—A soccer field Striker—A player who is trying to score a goal TouchLines—The lines on either side of the play area
SOCCER
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L A B O L G A
GAME
AS OF 2013, FIFA HAD 209 MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS around the world. Soccer leagues exist on all continents (except Antarctica). Many countries also have professional leagues in which local teams play each other. There are also hundreds of thousands of amateur leagues, school teams, and youth associations. Not everyone can be a soccer star, but nearly 300 million soccer players throughout the world are out there playing their favorite sport—making soccer truly a global game.
UNITED STATES While the United States men’s team has never finished better than third in the World Cup, the women’s team has never finished worse than third. The women won in 1991 and 1999. They have also racked up four Olympic gold medals and one silver.
NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES
SOUTH AMERICA
PIC SOCCER TEAM YM L O ’S EN M O W S. 2012 U.
URUGUAY Not only did Uruguay host the first World Cup in 1930, but its men’s national team also won that championship. Estadio Centenario was built specifically for the first World Cup, and Uruguay paid the travel costs of the 13 teams that competed. Uruguay’s national team won again in 1950 and came close with a fourthplace finish in 2010.
EXPLORER’S CORNER Soccer is the world’s sport because all you really need is a ball. This makes it affordable to play and easy to throw together a game with friends. And anything can be used for the goal: two shoes, garbage cans, a couple of trees. Soccer is also attractive to kids because it’s a team sport with a lot of opportunities to play, from pickup games to amateur leagues. That’s helping its popularity grow in the U.S. and around the world.
URUGUAY
WORLD CUP WINNERS men Brazil 5 Uruguay 2 Italy 4 France 1 Germany 3 England 1 Argentina 2 Spain 1
A
women Germany 2 United States 2 Norway 1 Japan 1
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WEMBLEY STADIU M
ENGLAND Wembley Stadium is one of the world’s most famous soccer stadiums and the scene of soccer championships, the 1948 Olympic Games, and many rock concerts. Soccer star Pelé called Wembley the “capital of football.” The original stadium was built in 1923 and demolished in 2003. The new Wembley, opened in 2007, holds 90,000 people and is England’s national stadium. UNITED KINGDOM INGDOM
SPAIN
R O P E E U
A
S
I
A JAPAN
AFRICA
SPAIN Spain’s Real Madrid is the world’s richest football club. The club makes enough money to sign some of the world’s top players. England’s David Beckham, France’s Zinedine Zidane, and Brazil’s Robinho and Ronaldo have all played for Real Madrid. Real Madrid signed star player Cristiano Ronaldo to the sport’s richest contract— $206 million for five years, in 2013.
JAPAN The World Cup was held for the first time in Asia in 2002. Teams played in stadiums across South Korea and Japan. Since then, Japan’s national teams have taken off. Their men’s team lost the bronze medal match to Korea in the 2012 Summer Olympics. The women’s team was masterful in defeating the United States for the World Cup in 2011, and won a silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
A
VUVUZELA
AUSTRALIA SOUTH SO OUTH AFRICA AF RICA A
SOUTH AFRICA No African country has won the World Cup. None have even made it to the semifinals. Yet in 2010, South Africa became the first African country to host the World Cup, at stadiums in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. South Africa’s national men’s team has appeared in three World Cups.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
ANTARCTICA TARCTICA
KICKIN’ IT
TINY URUGUAY, WITH ONLY 3.3 MILLION PEOPLE, HAS WON THE WORLD CUP TWICE.
SOCCER 17
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