Covering Soccer

Just make sure you don't call it "offsides." That's in football.

In soccer, the proper term is "offside." Take it from a scribe who spent five years as a youth soccer referee.

 

For a rookie, this is a quality line.

 

Do not take any over the counter drugs that may cause drowsiness when covering soccer.

 

Refrain from using the phrase "Communist Kickball" to describe soccer.

 

Or as one of my colleagues once said to a soccer-loving colleague: "Third-world kickball."

 

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky they kicked it here , they kicked it there, they kicked it everywhere but in the net."

 

-Confirm with team stat keepers as to who scored the goal or goals. Sometimes it's hard to tell who to credit a goal to, especially if the field is a little muddy and the numbers aren't real clear on the back of the jerseys.

-If you're regularly covering a team, gamers will be a breeze after a while. You'll know everybody's tendencies and personalities, so just base a lot of what you do off that.

-If anything quirky happens in the game, focus on that. For instance, I once covered a game where a high school boys team scored a goal less than 10 seconds after the kickoff. I knew it must've been one of the quickest goals in state history, so I consulted the state records for quickest goal online and I was right. It was right up there.

-If it's a scoreless draw in high school, weather or field conditions might have a lot to do with it.

-If a particularly bad injury happens or there are red cards, please don't forget to mention those. Keep tally of yellow cards too. That's a stat parents love to see. ;D

 

Gee, the usual suspects are out in force to bash soccer. Color me shocked.

Soccer is like anything else you cover. Attitude is half the battle. In any game, there will be something to write about .. a defensive breakdown that led to the winning goal, for instance.