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- Law 1: The Playing Field (Pitch)
- Law 2: The Ball
- Law 3: The Number of Players
- Law 4: The Player's Equipment
- Law 5: The Referee
- Law 6: Assistant Referee
- Law 7: The Duration of the Match
- Law 8: The Start and Stop of Play
- Law 9: Ball in and out of Play
- Law 10: The Method of Scoring
- Law 11: The Offside
- Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct
- Law 13: Free Kicks
- Law 14: Penalty Kicks
- Law: The Throw In
- Law 16: The Goal Kick
- Law 17: The Corner Kick
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- GEORGE VECSEY
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- PHOTO GALLARY
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Some Background
During the 2010 Men's Soccer World Cup in South Africa, many of my soccer challenged friends often asked me to explain what was happening. Generally, they were very sports savvy, but they could not get into the flow of the game. With a minimal amount of instruction, our conversations changed from questions to discussions of the games. Several commented that I should have taught an OLLI course before the tournament started.
Initially, Understanding Soccer was developed as an adult education course for OLLI in the 2011 summer semester prior to the start of the 2011 Women's World Cup. It consisted of three two-hour sessions. Several of the course participants enjoyed the Women's World Cup and become true soccer fans.
Before you proceed, I have a disclaimer: I am not an expert on soccer, just goalkeeping.
I was born in Manhattan, NYC in 1935. I was not aware of soccer until 1948 as a fourteen year old 8th grader at Teaneck Junior High in Teaneck, NJ. I had wanted to play junior varsity football, but you had to be in 9th grade. A friend suggested that I go out for soccer for the year to stay in shape. When I told him that I knew absolutely nothing about soccer, he casually replied, "go out for goalie, you do not have to know anything". As they say, the rest is history.
Since there was very little formal goalkeeper coaching during my career, I was mostly self -taught. However, I was fortunate to have played with and against teams and players of very high caliber. I've utilized a similar "learn as you go" approach in Understanding Soccer. If you are completely new to the game of soccer, you will develop a good understanding by working through the seventeen Rules of Soccer. As you work your way through these rules, or if you already have some soccer savvy, navigating the rest of this site will be informative.
I played four years at Teaneck, and four years at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. While at Lehigh I played for two years with the Mexican Aztec Club, a semi-pro team. I do not know what semi-pro means today, but we passed the hat around at half time for expense money. We played in the Philadelphia German American league where the competition was at a higher level than college. Many teams in the league were preparing to move up to an actual professional league, which considerably raised the quality of play .
Although soccer was well below the United States sports radar in the 1940's and 1950's, there were strong pockets of interest in many communities throughout the country. History.
I was fortunate in that Teaneck played in the NNJIL (Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League), which included Englewood, Hackensack, Leonia, Rutherford and Tenafly. Teaneck, Hackensack and Englewood were perennially battling for the league championship and the level of competition was very high.
Teaneck's non-league games were also against high caliber competition. Our season opened against Army's plebes at West Point, usually with a win. We spent the entire day there and it was quite exciting. After the game we had dinner in the mess hall with the cadets. We used to open against the Army's junior varsity, but that was changed to the plebe team since we always beat the junior varsity.
Kearney High School's soccer teams were a perennial power that won over sixteen NJAIAA Group IV championships since 1946. Kearney had a strong Scottish tradition and soccer was taught in youth leagues at an early age.
Since I was the second string goalie in my sophomore and junior years at Teaneck, I started games only when the starting goalie was not available, which was only twice. My first start was against Kearney, which was very intimidating. It was a great leaning experience and we played them even in a losing 1-0 effort.
I did not receive any formal coaching as a goalie. However, I was fortunate in that my varsity coach at Teaneck was excellent and always open to new things. He was both an educator an a motivator who put the well being of his players first. Since our teams were also ways strong, I made sure that every practice game against the first team was a regular game for us. Coach said that we were tougher than the regular league games.
One day at practice during my sophomore year, coach introduced me to a man standing behind my goal and said that I should listen to what he says. He was a professional goalkeeper who lived across from the field where we played. Coach had asked him to give me some pointers.
A few minutes later, as an attack was approaching, he yelled GO! It was the only practice that he attended, but he jump started my development. He taught me how to play off the goal line, cut the angles and to anticipate breakaways. It was obvious that a goalkeeper had to be pro-active,
The next leap in my education was in my senior year, which was at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT. I was unhappy about leaving Teaneck and not being the first string goalie with all my friends.
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Cheshire had many post graduate students from foreign countries who were preparing for American colleges. A significant number were from Venezuela. Since summer school had less classes than during the the full year, we played soccer daily. The higher caliber of play considerably raised my level.
Our starting lineup consisted of eight Venezuelans, one Cuban and three Americans. Fortunately, the other two Americans played fullback since the rest of the team communicated in Spanish. It was a terrific advantage when playing against other teams, but sometimes confusing for the defense.
Since Cheshire Academy's soccer team played college freshman and other strong prep school teams, I arrived at Lehigh University as a better than average high school goalkeeper.
Freshman were not allowed to play varsity in my day. It seems that my 1953 freshman class of soccer players might have been the start of Lehigh improving its program.
The varsity had lost all eight of its games and only scored five goals my freshman year. We outplayed them in practice and only gave up a goal when our coach said to let one in so we could go home. The varsity coach did not like losing to the freshman and would not end practice until they scored.
The starting lineup my sophomore year consisted of eight sophomore, two juniors and one senior. We all spoke English, but one of the sophomores was Brazilian. We were very competitive during my three varsity years having winning seasons. Although we did not come close to winning our league, we did have our share of upsets and scares. I always played to win, but the real joy was in the competition and playing.
Out of necessity, I developed my own program for improving my skills early in my sophomore season. Our coach was also the swimming coach, a sport that received more attention than soccer.
Not like today when when college soccer teams have several specialty coaches, we only had the head coach. Therefore, I was essentially on my own as a goalkeeper. I asked coach to allow me to be responsible for my own training and he agreed. Therefore, I could experiment and test my limits in practice without being concerned about giving up goals.
Goalkeepers, by the nature of the position, need to be be pro-active. It is always better to break up a play before a shot can be taken. Since I was a sprinter in high school and had quick reflexes, I always was testing my limits.
One example was on crosses. I practiced intercepting as far out as the eighteen. I missed many of them, but with time I got more successful. In a game, my brain (instincts) took over in that I sensed when it was not safe to go out too far. Gradually, my roaming area increased.
Developing one's instincts are probably one of the most important function of practice. All of the fantastic plays that are evident at soccer games are the result of hours and hours of practice. Ability alone is rarely enough.
I also noticed that many shots on goal in practice that I let go were actually not that far out of reach. I made it a practice of going for every ball that was not obviously out of reach. Gradually, I got closer and closer until I was getting my hand on the ball and even catching some. This is another example of developing ones instincts in practice.
How a goalkeeper defends against a breakaway is an excellent measure of their ability. In my coaching of young goalkeepers, I emphasize footwork, cutting the angles and breakaways. If they master this critical skills, all else will fall into place.
While at Lehigh University, I played for the Mexican Aztec Soccer Club in Bethlehem, PA during my junior and senior years (off season) and for a year and a half in graduate school. NCAA rules did not allow us to play for outside teams during the regular soccer season. Therefore, I played during the winter and spring. The only game that I ever regretted being a goalie was when we played a team from Trenton on a frozen field in eighteen degrees, goalkeeper gloves were not in use back then.
The Mexican Aztec team consisted of workers from Bethlehem Steel. Many of them worked out with Lehigh's varsity as it was often difficult for them to field a full team for practice during the week. That is how I came to play for them. There were only two Spanish players on the team, the remainder being from eastern Europe. They were sponsored by the Mexican Aztec Social Club.
The level of play in the Philadelphia German American Soccer League was above that of the college game. (Today, the level of college play is substantially higher). Two important tips that I received in my first practice with them payed off in my first league game. I was instructed to bring one knee up for protection when I went up for a high save. Although it felt awkward at first, it saved me from often being kneed in the groin.
They also said that I should wear elbow pads in addition to the knee pads that I always wore. Naturally, I received kicks to my elbow. These, and so may other things that I learned playing with them, raised the level of my game.
I lost my starting position midway through my final season with the Mexican Aztec team. Although I was steadily improving, I was done in by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Many Hungarian immigrants began working at Bethlehem Steel, including a fantastic goalie. He had played professionally in Hungry, but I'm not sure at what level. He was big, fast, very mature and friendly. He was always showing me how to do things better and I enjoyed playing with him.
I was thrilled to get my master degree (fall 1958) and started work as a metallurgist at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford,CT. Sadly, I ended my playing career when I was at my peak. In hindsight, I do not know why I never played club soccer.
Initially, Understanding Soccer was developed as an adult education course for OLLI in the 2011 summer semester prior to the start of the 2011 Women's World Cup. It consisted of three two-hour sessions. Several of the course participants enjoyed the Women's World Cup and become true soccer fans.
Before you proceed, I have a disclaimer: I am not an expert on soccer, just goalkeeping.
I was born in Manhattan, NYC in 1935. I was not aware of soccer until 1948 as a fourteen year old 8th grader at Teaneck Junior High in Teaneck, NJ. I had wanted to play junior varsity football, but you had to be in 9th grade. A friend suggested that I go out for soccer for the year to stay in shape. When I told him that I knew absolutely nothing about soccer, he casually replied, "go out for goalie, you do not have to know anything". As they say, the rest is history.
Since there was very little formal goalkeeper coaching during my career, I was mostly self -taught. However, I was fortunate to have played with and against teams and players of very high caliber. I've utilized a similar "learn as you go" approach in Understanding Soccer. If you are completely new to the game of soccer, you will develop a good understanding by working through the seventeen Rules of Soccer. As you work your way through these rules, or if you already have some soccer savvy, navigating the rest of this site will be informative.
I played four years at Teaneck, and four years at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. While at Lehigh I played for two years with the Mexican Aztec Club, a semi-pro team. I do not know what semi-pro means today, but we passed the hat around at half time for expense money. We played in the Philadelphia German American league where the competition was at a higher level than college. Many teams in the league were preparing to move up to an actual professional league, which considerably raised the quality of play .
Although soccer was well below the United States sports radar in the 1940's and 1950's, there were strong pockets of interest in many communities throughout the country. History.
I was fortunate in that Teaneck played in the NNJIL (Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League), which included Englewood, Hackensack, Leonia, Rutherford and Tenafly. Teaneck, Hackensack and Englewood were perennially battling for the league championship and the level of competition was very high.
Teaneck's non-league games were also against high caliber competition. Our season opened against Army's plebes at West Point, usually with a win. We spent the entire day there and it was quite exciting. After the game we had dinner in the mess hall with the cadets. We used to open against the Army's junior varsity, but that was changed to the plebe team since we always beat the junior varsity.
Kearney High School's soccer teams were a perennial power that won over sixteen NJAIAA Group IV championships since 1946. Kearney had a strong Scottish tradition and soccer was taught in youth leagues at an early age.
Since I was the second string goalie in my sophomore and junior years at Teaneck, I started games only when the starting goalie was not available, which was only twice. My first start was against Kearney, which was very intimidating. It was a great leaning experience and we played them even in a losing 1-0 effort.
I did not receive any formal coaching as a goalie. However, I was fortunate in that my varsity coach at Teaneck was excellent and always open to new things. He was both an educator an a motivator who put the well being of his players first. Since our teams were also ways strong, I made sure that every practice game against the first team was a regular game for us. Coach said that we were tougher than the regular league games.
One day at practice during my sophomore year, coach introduced me to a man standing behind my goal and said that I should listen to what he says. He was a professional goalkeeper who lived across from the field where we played. Coach had asked him to give me some pointers.
A few minutes later, as an attack was approaching, he yelled GO! It was the only practice that he attended, but he jump started my development. He taught me how to play off the goal line, cut the angles and to anticipate breakaways. It was obvious that a goalkeeper had to be pro-active,
The next leap in my education was in my senior year, which was at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT. I was unhappy about leaving Teaneck and not being the first string goalie with all my friends.
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Cheshire had many post graduate students from foreign countries who were preparing for American colleges. A significant number were from Venezuela. Since summer school had less classes than during the the full year, we played soccer daily. The higher caliber of play considerably raised my level.
Our starting lineup consisted of eight Venezuelans, one Cuban and three Americans. Fortunately, the other two Americans played fullback since the rest of the team communicated in Spanish. It was a terrific advantage when playing against other teams, but sometimes confusing for the defense.
Since Cheshire Academy's soccer team played college freshman and other strong prep school teams, I arrived at Lehigh University as a better than average high school goalkeeper.
Freshman were not allowed to play varsity in my day. It seems that my 1953 freshman class of soccer players might have been the start of Lehigh improving its program.
The varsity had lost all eight of its games and only scored five goals my freshman year. We outplayed them in practice and only gave up a goal when our coach said to let one in so we could go home. The varsity coach did not like losing to the freshman and would not end practice until they scored.
The starting lineup my sophomore year consisted of eight sophomore, two juniors and one senior. We all spoke English, but one of the sophomores was Brazilian. We were very competitive during my three varsity years having winning seasons. Although we did not come close to winning our league, we did have our share of upsets and scares. I always played to win, but the real joy was in the competition and playing.
Out of necessity, I developed my own program for improving my skills early in my sophomore season. Our coach was also the swimming coach, a sport that received more attention than soccer.
Not like today when when college soccer teams have several specialty coaches, we only had the head coach. Therefore, I was essentially on my own as a goalkeeper. I asked coach to allow me to be responsible for my own training and he agreed. Therefore, I could experiment and test my limits in practice without being concerned about giving up goals.
Goalkeepers, by the nature of the position, need to be be pro-active. It is always better to break up a play before a shot can be taken. Since I was a sprinter in high school and had quick reflexes, I always was testing my limits.
One example was on crosses. I practiced intercepting as far out as the eighteen. I missed many of them, but with time I got more successful. In a game, my brain (instincts) took over in that I sensed when it was not safe to go out too far. Gradually, my roaming area increased.
Developing one's instincts are probably one of the most important function of practice. All of the fantastic plays that are evident at soccer games are the result of hours and hours of practice. Ability alone is rarely enough.
I also noticed that many shots on goal in practice that I let go were actually not that far out of reach. I made it a practice of going for every ball that was not obviously out of reach. Gradually, I got closer and closer until I was getting my hand on the ball and even catching some. This is another example of developing ones instincts in practice.
How a goalkeeper defends against a breakaway is an excellent measure of their ability. In my coaching of young goalkeepers, I emphasize footwork, cutting the angles and breakaways. If they master this critical skills, all else will fall into place.
While at Lehigh University, I played for the Mexican Aztec Soccer Club in Bethlehem, PA during my junior and senior years (off season) and for a year and a half in graduate school. NCAA rules did not allow us to play for outside teams during the regular soccer season. Therefore, I played during the winter and spring. The only game that I ever regretted being a goalie was when we played a team from Trenton on a frozen field in eighteen degrees, goalkeeper gloves were not in use back then.
The Mexican Aztec team consisted of workers from Bethlehem Steel. Many of them worked out with Lehigh's varsity as it was often difficult for them to field a full team for practice during the week. That is how I came to play for them. There were only two Spanish players on the team, the remainder being from eastern Europe. They were sponsored by the Mexican Aztec Social Club.
The level of play in the Philadelphia German American Soccer League was above that of the college game. (Today, the level of college play is substantially higher). Two important tips that I received in my first practice with them payed off in my first league game. I was instructed to bring one knee up for protection when I went up for a high save. Although it felt awkward at first, it saved me from often being kneed in the groin.
They also said that I should wear elbow pads in addition to the knee pads that I always wore. Naturally, I received kicks to my elbow. These, and so may other things that I learned playing with them, raised the level of my game.
I lost my starting position midway through my final season with the Mexican Aztec team. Although I was steadily improving, I was done in by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Many Hungarian immigrants began working at Bethlehem Steel, including a fantastic goalie. He had played professionally in Hungry, but I'm not sure at what level. He was big, fast, very mature and friendly. He was always showing me how to do things better and I enjoyed playing with him.
I was thrilled to get my master degree (fall 1958) and started work as a metallurgist at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford,CT. Sadly, I ended my playing career when I was at my peak. In hindsight, I do not know why I never played club soccer.