While Americans refer to this sport as soccer, it is called football or association football outside the United States. Two teams with 11 players each try to kick the soccer ball into a net and score more goals than the other team. The match is 90 minutes long and divided into two 45-minute halves but if the contest is tied at the end of 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time is granted to illicit a winner. If, after extra time, the match is still tied, a penalty shootout will occur. Each team gets five penalty kicks to break the tie but if the score is still tied then the match goes to sudden death where each team gets single rounds of one kick until there is a winner.
Penalties are part of the game but they vary in enforcement. If a player is fouled the referee may stop the game. However, if the team that was fouled gets no benefit from stoppage of play, the referee will allow play to continue. A free kick can be awarded after a foul has occurred. A free kick is awarded to a team if their opponents commit a foul outside their penalty area (a rectangular zone in front of the goal). Free kicks can be direct — shot directly at the goal — or indirect — the ball must touch another player before scoring a goal. A penalty kick — one kick at the goal from 12 feet away with only the goalkeeper defending the goal — is awarded to a team if their opponents commit a foul inside their own penalty area.
A yellow card held by the referee indicates a player has committed a cautionable offense. If the player commits another cautionable offense after already receiving one yellow card, he will get a second yellow card. A third offense will result in a red card and the player must leave the game. A serious offense may go straight to a red card without any yellow card given to that player. A team may not substitute another player for the player who received the red card.
Why should I care?
OK, it stinks that the men's team didn't qualify for the Summer Games in London but we still have the women to root for and they define "winners." Olympic soccer for women was added to the Summer Games in 1996 and the American women have dominated the sport ever since. The American women have won twice as many Olympic medals (4) as the American men (2) and only the women have won Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004 and 2008).
Controversies?
Yep. In fact, soccer is famous for players feigning injury, also known as "diving" or "flopping" in order to get an advantage over the other team. The benefit of "diving" is that a referee may call a foul and the "diver" may get a free kick.
OK, so who should I watch?
Hope Solo, the goalkeeper, is one of the most visible members of the US women's team. Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Heather Mitts and Heather O'Reilly are also fun to watch. Amy Rodriguez can be a prolific scorer — she scored five goals against the Dominican Republic in the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying match.
What chance do the Americans have to win?
The US women’s team could bring home the gold. They rock the red, white and blue.
