soccer usages

[Scott Swanson]

I used to coach youth soccer in Montana. The positions were officially
designated as Fritz indicates; however, my players preferred the more
exciting sounding 'striker' for 'forward'. Sometimes we also used
'halfback' in place of 'mid'. When I played intramural in California
(years ago!) 'fullback' was more prevalent than 'defender'. As to
'goalie', AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) issued an edict one
year that we were to say 'keeper' or 'goalkeeper' instead - but of course,
nobody paid any attention! 'Teams' and 'games' were the usual usage in our
league.

Scott Swanson

On Wed, 23 Oct 2002, Fritz Juengling wrote:

> I have been curious about various soccer terms on both sides of the pond for
> some time.  I have had kids playing soccer and I have been a coach for years.
>  I do not know whether the terms we use are common in the US or just Oregon
> (or just Salem); I hope others will chime in.  The positions we have are
> forward, midfielder (usually shortened to 'mid') and defender.  We also have
> a 'goalie', altho I do quite often hear 'keeper.'  We often preface each
> position with 'left, center or right'. We also have soccer teams and games.
> A club to me would suggest the organization or league in which a team plays.
> BTW, our goalie defends the OTHER team's goal, not ours.
> Fritz
>
>