ADVANTAGE RULE -- a referee can decide not to call an infraction if allowing play to continue creates an advantage for the fouled team.

AFC -- the governing body of soccer in Asia; acronym stands for Asian Football Confederation; based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; president is Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah of Malaysia and general secretary is Peter Velappan also of Malaysia; founded in 1954; current membership stands at 41 nations; has three guaranteed slots in the 1998 World Cup, and Iran claimed a fourth spot by eliminating Australia from the Oceania zone.

ADVANTAGE LAW: A clause in the law that directs the referee to refrain from stopping play for a foul if a stoppage would benefit the team that committed the violation.

ADVANTAGES: Situations where a team has possession of the ball and outnumbers the opposition near the opposing goal.

ANGLE OF RUN; The angle at which a player runs, sometimes applied in relation to the ball and sometimes in relation to the goal.

ANGLE, ALTERING THE ANGLE OF ONE MOVEMENT: Applied to a player controlling the ball and moving it two or three yards to the side and then passing on the second touch.

ANGLE, NARROWING; Applied to defenders, especially the goalkeeper, moving nearer to the ball in order to reduce passing or shooting angles.

ANGLE, PASSING; Applied to the line of the pass, i.e. angling the ball to the right or left of a player.

ANGLE, WIDENEING; Usually applied to supporting players moving into a position where the point of attack can be changed, thereby creating a better angle for a forward pass.

ATTACKER: Any player on the team that has possession of the ball. 2. All players on the team are attackers / attacker.

ATTACKING TEAM: The team that has possession of the ball.

BACK HEADER: A player's use of his head to direct the ball backwards.

BACKS -- nickname or abbreviation of the name given to the defenders who line up in the rear, in front of the goalkeeper; the name refers to the left and right fullbacks as well as the centerbacks, also known as sweepers.

BANANA KICK -- a kick with exceptional curve.

BALANCE; Positioning defenders away from the ball to protect the vital space behind the defense.

BALL CARRIER: A player that has possession of the ball.

BALL WATCHING; Player focuses solely on the ball and loses sight of the opponent he or she is supposed to mark.

BEAT: To get the ball through or around an opponent by dribbling or shooting.

BICYCLE OR SCISSORS KICK -- a strike where the player's body is horizontal in mid-air and the ball is struck over the player's head; this type of kick was popularized by Brazilian great Pele.

BOOKED -- a term referring to a player's name being written down by a referee for either a yellow or red card infraction.

BOOTS -- soccer cleats.

BLIND SIDE; The opposite side of a defender to the ball.

BREAK: When a team quickly advances the ball down the field in an attempt to get its players near the opponent's goal before the defenders have a chance to retreat.

BREAKAWAY: When an attacker with the ball approaches the goal undefended; this exciting play pits a sole attacker against the goalkeeper in a one-on-one.

CAF -- represents African soccer; acronym stands for Confederation Africaine de Football; based in Cairo, Egypt; president is Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and general secretary is Mustapha Fahmy of Egypt; founded in 1956; current membership stands at 51 nations; will be represented by five nations in the 1998 World Cup.

CAP -- represents an appearance in a national team match for a player.

CARRYING THE BALL: A foul called on a goalkeeper when he takes more than 4 steps while holding or bouncing the ball.

CENTER -- when a ball is passed from the wings into the penalty area of the field; also known as a cross.

CENTER CIRCLE: A circular marking with a 10-yard radius in the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game.

CENTER FORWARD -- striker who leads the attack.

CENTER HALF MIDFIELDERS -- creative force in the midfield; generally where plays are started.

CENTER PASS: A pass from a player located near the sideline towards the middle of the field; used to get the ball closer to the front of the goal.

CENTER SPOT: A small circular mark inside the center circle that denotes the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game.

CHECKING; Making a movement in one direction, stopping, and then moving off in the opposite direction.

CHECKING, RUN; Movement used to create space between the player with the ball and the marking opponent.

CHEST TRAP: When a player uses his chest to slow down and control a ball in the air.

CHIP PASS: A pass lofted into the air from a player to a teammate.

CHIP SHOT: A kick lofted into the air to try to sail the ball over the goalkeeper's head and still make it under the crossbar into the goal.

CLEAR -- a defensive kick that attempts to get the ball out of a scoring area, particularly the penalty area.

CLEATS: The metal, plastic or rubber points in the bottom of a soccer/football shoe used to provide a player with traction.

CLEARING: The act of moving the ball out from within scoring range. A defensive measure.

CONCACAF -- represents the region of North and Central America and the Carribean basin; acronym drawn from full name -- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football; based in New York; president is Jack Warner of Trinidad & Tobago and general secretary is Chuck Blazer of the United States; founded in 1961; current membership stands at 30 nations; will be represented by three nations in 1998 World Cup.

CONMEBOL -- represents South American soccer region; acronym drawn from full name -- Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol; based in Asuncion, Paraguay; president is Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay and general secretary is Eduardo Deluca of Argentina; founded in 1916; current membership stands at 10 nations; will be represented by four qualifying teams plus defending champion Brazil in 1998 World Cup.

COPA AMERICA -- one of the oldest international soccer events, the Copa America pits the national soccer teams of the CONMEBOL; recently two teams from the CONCACAF -- the United States and Mexico -- have competed as invited members; the tournament began in 1917 and has been played at least every four years but often special editions are scheduled in off years; the tournament takes place in a host country; Argentina has dominated this tournament.

COPA LIBERTADORES -- a club competition that matches the winners of the 10 South America soccer associations; the tournament began in 1960 but has undergone several format changes; Argentine clubs have had more success (16 titles through 1996) than any other two South American national leagues combined.

CONTROL, CUSHION; Control of the ball by withdrawing the surface in contact with the ball on impact, e.g. the thigh.

CONTROL, WEDGE; Control of the ball with the use of a rigid surface, e.g. the sole of the boot.

CONTROLLING, SURFACE; The surface of the body in contact with the ball to bring the ball under control.

COOL DOWN; The portion of practice devoted to stretching muscles and returning body functions to their normal state.

CORNER ARC: A quarter-circle with a radius of 1 yard located at each of the 4 corners of the field.

CORNER FLAG: The flag located at each of the 4 corners of the field.

Counter attack: An attack launched by a defending team soon after it regains possession of the ball.

COVER; 1. Defensive support. 2. To take a position close to your opponent so as to challenge his/her efforts.

CROSS, DIAGONAL; Usually applied in the attacking third of the field to a pass played well infield from the touch-line and diagonally forward from right to left or left to right.

CROSS; FAR POST; A pass made to the area, usually beyond the post, farthest from the point from which the ball was kicked.

CROSS, FLANK (WING); A pass made from near to a touch-line, in the attacking third of the field, to an area near to the goal.

CROSS, HEADERS; 64% of all goals from crosses are scored by headers.

CORNER KICK -- a free kick taken by an attacking player whenever a defender last touches the ball before it crosses the goal line.

CROSS, MID-GOAL; A pass made to the area directly in front of the goal and some six to twelve yards from the goal-line.

CROSS, NEAR-POST; A pass made to the area four to six yards infield from the post nearest to the point from which the ball was kicked.

CROSSBAR: The horizontal beam that forms the top of a goal and sits on top of the two posts; it is 24 feet long and supported 8 feet above the ground.

CROSSES, PRIME TARGET AREA: 4 out 5 goals are scored from crosses into the prime target area.

CUT DOWN THE ANGLE: When the goalie comes out of the goal several feet to make himself closer and larger to an attacker, leaving the attacker less net to shoot at.

DANGEROUS PLAY -- an action on the field ruled by the referee that will likely cause an injury; will at minimum draw a yellow card but could draw a red card for the offending player.

DEFENDER, COMMITTING THE; Attracting the exclusive attention of a defender by moving towards him with or without the ball.

DEFENDERS: 1. The players on the team that does not have possession of the ball. 2. All players on the team are defenders / defender. Defending team: The team that does not have possession of the ball.

DEFENSE, BACK OF THE; The space between the goalkeeper and the defender nearest to him.

DEFENSE: A team's function of preventing the opposition from scoring.

DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: When one or more defenders closely mark a ball carrier to harass him into losing the ball.

DEFLECTION: The ricochet of a ball after it hits a player.

DFK --direct free-kick

DIRECT FREE KICK -- awarded as the result of a foul, such as kicking, tripping, holding or pushing; the kick is taken from the point of the infraction and the designated player taking the kick may score directly without another player having to touch the ball.

DROPPED BALL -- the referee drops the ball onto the ground between two opposing players; it signals the resumption of play after the referee has stopped it for an infraction other than a foul. (Example: play will be halted due to an injury to a player.)