The Offside Rule Explained — With Diagrams
Offside is not complicated once you separate the position from the offence. Here is the rule as the Laws actually write it, with diagrams and the youth-soccer version.
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4 Notre Dame
10 Virginia
Jackson St.
Prairie View
FDU
Stonehill
Quinnipiac
Siena
Central Conn. St.
Wagner
2 North Carolina
12 Duke
Alabama A&M
Texas Southern
North Dakota St.
South Dakota
Columbia
Princeton
UT Martin
SIUE
Southern Ill.
Illinois St.
Arkansas
Texas
Lamar University
UIW
Grambling
Southern U.
Niagara
Fairfield
Southeast Mo. St.
Southern Ind.
Oral Roberts
St. Thomas (MN)
11 South Carolina
Alabama
Drake
Murray St.
Dartmouth
Brown
Houston Christian
Northwestern St.
Alcorn
Alabama St.
13 Purdue
3 Michigan St.
· TBD
Liberty
Western Ky.
Northern Colo.
Northern Ariz.
All 54 matches →
Play Soccer
More Americans play soccer than follow any one professional league closely — and a lot of them are eight years old, or the parent who got handed the bag of cones. This side of 4Soccer is for them: the laws explained properly, the sizes and ages sorted out, somewhere to play, and two tools that make a Saturday morning easier.
🧮 Line-up & substitution plannerEnter your squad and the format; get a rotation that gives every child equal playing time. Prints on one page. Nothing is sent to us. 📐 Field & ball size referencePick an age group: field, goal, ball, players and match length, drawn to scale.
📍 Find a place to playYouth clubs, adult leagues, pickup, futsal, camps and referee courses — state by state. 🥾 Gear guideCleats by surface, ball sizes, shin guards and keeper gloves, with live shopping results. 🎯 Skills & drillsFirst touch, passing, shooting, defending, goalkeeping — a coaching cue plus video.
Guides
Soccer Field, Goal and Ball Sizes by Age
How big a soccer field really is, what changes for 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9, and which ball a child should be kicking at each age — with the numbers the Laws actually set.
Soccer Rules for New Players and Parents — the 17 Laws in Plain English
The whole rule book, one law at a time, in language you can use on the sideline — plus the places American youth, high school and college soccer differ.
Your First Season as a Volunteer Soccer Coach
You said yes, and now you have a bag of cones and eleven eight-year-olds. Here is a practice plan that works, the rules you have to follow, and the one thing that matters most.
Choosing Soccer Cleats by Surface — and Fitting Shin Guards
FG, AG, SG, TF, IN — the letters on the box are the only thing that matters, and they refer to the ground you play on. Plus what the Laws actually require.
Futsal and Indoor Soccer — How the Rules Differ
Futsal is a FIFA game with its own Laws; American arena soccer played off the boards is something else entirely. Here is what changes, and why futsal is worth your winter.
How to Become a Soccer Referee in the United States
The entry licence is called Grassroots, you can start at 13, the course is about ten hours, and it pays. Here is what the process actually involves.
Heading, Heat and Hydration — Youth Soccer Safety Basics
The heading limits by age, what to do about a suspected concussion, and how to handle heat and lightning — with the governing bodies' own guidance rather than ours.