dramaturgy
THE WOLVES
The Basics of The World's Most Popular Sport
A typical match begins with the flip of a coin. Players watch as the captain who wins the coin toss decides if their team of eleven will begin by taking the first kick off or by choosing which goal to defend. The team then takes the field with hair tied back, uniforms, shin guards, and cleats on, and begins the first set of what will be a fast paced and exciting game.
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The object is to kick the ball past the opposition, into the goal as many times as possible before the whistle blows. Simultaneously, the team must prevent the other team from doing the same. To accomplish this, teams arrange themselves in strategic formations comprised of defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
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Although the action is constant, and many games last around 90 minutes with the potential for extra time to be added to the end of the game by the referee, goals scored are few and far between, making the average only around two to three goals per game. This style of play makes stamina and speed vital skills for players to possess.
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To read more about the official rules of the soccer, regulations, and more: see FIFA's 2018-2019 'Laws of The Game'.
Player Positions
Midfielders play both offense and defense. They are responsible for preventing the opposing team from making it to the defensive line, getting the ball back and passing it up to the forwards, or scoring if the opportunity arrives.
The defensive players prevent the opposing team from getting to scoring position, assisting the goalie in keeping the ball from reaching the goalie. These players must be adept in throw-ins, goal kicks and corner kicks. They also have the ability to utilize the offsides rule to keep strikers at a good distance from the goal.
Forwards are primarily responsible for offense. Occasionally there will be only on forward called the striker, but often there are additional left and right forwards.They must be able to navigate the ball through opposing midfielders and defenders in order to get in position to score. These are also the players who will perform penalty kicks, and are usually the best at scorers on the team.
The goalie is the last line of defense between the ball and the goal. They do whatever it takes to prevent a the ball from hitting the net, sometimes diving and throwing their bodies in the way to block the kick.
Outdoor vs Indoor
Environment: The key differences in indoor soccer as opposed to outdoor come from the use of space. Indoor by definition creates a confined, scaled down environment in which it is only necessary to have six players on the field: the goalkeeper, two forwards, two defenders, and one striker. The usual eleven in outdoor would consist of twice as many forwards and defenders.
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Uniform: The environment of indoor soccer exchanges grass for Astroturf which makes wearing a different type of cleats necessary for safe play. Additionally, indoor soccer is know to be more lenient on regulations regarding accesories worn by players. While this category of the rules is ultimately up to the referee's best judgement on safety, it is common to see players sporting decorative headbands or small jewelry.
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Numbers: In outdoor soccer, it is common to have the maximum number of eleven players on the field. This lends to configurations of 3-4-3, 4-3-3, or 4-4-2 in which the numbers represent defenders, midfielders, and forwards respectively. However, in indoor as few as six players can cover the smaller field, and use formations of 2-2-1, 1-3-1, or 3-1-1.
Out of Bounds: In an outdoor environment, the ball may sometimes cross the white line separating the field of play from the sideline. When this happens, the ball must be retrieved and thrown back in to restart the action. The time it takes to retrieve the ball is accounted for by the referee and may be added in as extra time at the conclusion of the game. By design of the indoor field, this rule is eliminated due to the presence of walls in which the field is enclosed. The absence of this rule leads to a faster paced game without as many breaks in the action or any throw-ins. These walls are often used by players to pass the ball by bouncing it off the walls, a possibility that does not exist in outdoor soccer.
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Aggressive Tackles: Sliding tackles and other such maneuvers to relieve the opposing team of their possession of the ball are taught in outdoor soccer, but are frowned upon in indoor. The harsh surface of the indoor soccer field would leave players too susceptible to injury if more physical plays were permitted, therefore indoor players can be penalized for such actions. The exact rules regarding which tackles are seen as too aggressive vary by league, and in some adult leagues are used more liberally than in youth sports.
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Penalties: Borrowed from Ice Hockey, indoor soccer players may face the repercussion, which does not exist in outdoor soccer, of sitting in a 'timeout box' leaving their team down a player for as much as two minutes of play. In both indoor and outdoor, players may be issued yellow cards which indicate a caution for minor offenses or red cards which issue a send-off from the field for major offenses. If a player receives three yellow cards, they combine to carry a penalty equivalent to a red card.
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Offside Rule: Nonexistent in indoor soccer, the offsides rule aims to add a level of complexity by making it harder for players to "cherry pick" a goal. The rule states that the ball cannot be passed by and offensive player to a member of their team that does not have more than two 'objects' between themselves and the goal. These objects can be two defenders, including the goalkeeper, or the soccer ball itself and the goalkeeper.