Soccer 101: Everything a new Sounders FC fan needs to know

Sounders FC soccer is the hottest team and the hottest ticket in Seattle, its first three home games sold out.

You want to be there to see just what the buzz is all about. You want to bask in the crowd at Qwest Field. You want to get tickets to this show on turf and shake a scarf, soccer's version of a rally towel or pompom.

Except there's one problem — you're new to the game, and your soccer knowledge goes no further then two nets, a ball and two teams kicking it back and forth until one team manages to score a goal.

Fear not, wannabe Seattle soccer enthusiast. This primer gives you enough basic knowledge of the game to feel like you can hang with the many knowledgeable fans sitting around you at Qwest Field. And we won't forget you, either, season-ticket holder and/or hoarse-voiced member of one of the supporters groups who loves Sounders FC and another club team in Europe with a passion. You have a place in this Soccer 101 course, too.

"Just engulf yourself in the beauty of the game," Sounders FC defender James Riley said when asked what advice he'd give to those new to the sport. "The game's very dynamic. There's no set plays. A lot of things happen on the fly.

"It's almost kind of like real life. You never know what's going to happen."

Five questions and answers for a new fan:

1. What does "F.C." stand for?

"Football Club." It's a nod to the European influence on the sport — top clubs in England, for example, use FC at the end of their names.

2. What's the most common question players get about the rules of soccer?

"What is offside?" Offside is called by an official when a player on the offensive team does not have either the ball or two defensive players between him or her and the goal. It nullifies a lot of scoring chances and is sometimes a very close call.

3. Why does the game clock stop at 45 minutes and 90 minutes, even though the game is still going on?

The referee is the official timekeeper of the match, and can allow extra time (also called stoppage time or injury time) to the end of both halves if he or she feels it is warranted. So the game continues until the referee blows the final set of whistles that ends the half or game.

4. Why does the game end, even if the score is tied?

A winner does not need to be produced in a regular-season game. Ties, or draws, count in the regular-season standings, so if a team's record is 2-2-1, it has two wins, two losses and a tie. The draw is worth one point (three for a win, zero for a loss) and in MLS, playoff berths are determined by points in the final regular-season standings. Therefore, Sounders FC's nine points (three wins) is very important.

5. Why all the nonstop chanting and singing from the crowd?

That's how fans around the world show support for their team. No artificial sound effects, just natural, creative, original noise.

Five "Did You Knows?" for the avid fan:

• Did you know ... that Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall has the names of his four kids (Derby, Morgan, Marley and Kingston) tattooed near both shoulders and that he touches the tattoos and crosses himself every time he takes the pitch for a game?

• Did you know ... that midfielder Freddie Ljungberg puts his right shoe on first before a game? And that midfielder Steve Zakuani always listens to English rap and R&B before games?

• Did you know ... that coach Sigi Schmid has brought his scarf-wearing tradition over from his former team, the Columbus Crew? Schmid donned a scarf as a good-luck charm for every game, no matter the weather, as the Crew went on to win the MLS championship. He's worn a Sounders FC scarf of some type for every game. "That's something that really wasn't planned and something that sort of happened and evolved," Schmid said.

• Did you know ... that goalkeeper Kasey Keller doesn't have any pregame superstitions, preferring to follow the same routine before every match? "Repetition more than superstition," he said.

• Did you know ... the three officials on the field are able to communicate with one another with an earpiece and a receiver with an activation button attached to their sides? The head referee and the two assistant referees, who are the people on the sidelines with the out-of-bounds flags, use the communications devices for game purposes only.

Glossary

A glossary of soccer terms to impress your neighbor and help you can hang with the hardcores (some information taken from the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Soccer"):

4-1-3-2: The player formation that Sounders FC has used to start games. The numbers refer to defenders, midfielders and forwards on the field from back to front, not including the goalkeeper. Seattle has used the following lineup in front of goalkeeper Kasey Keller — James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyrone Marshall and Zach Scott as defenders, Osvaldo Alonso as the defensive center midfielder in front of the defense, Steve Zakuani, Brad Evans and Sebastien LeToux as midfielders and Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua at forward.

Corner kick: The reward for a ball that is knocked over the end (goal) line by the defense, which allows the attacking team an opportunity to place the ball in a corner near the opposing goal and kick it back into play. Some of the best goals come off corner kicks, as a high-arcing ball can be headed into the goal or some kind of chaos could ensue in front of the goal, with the ball finding its way in.

Throw-in: When the ball goes out of bounds along the sideline, the team that did not cause it to go out of bounds gets to inbound the ball with a two-handed toss from where it went out.

Penalties (penalty kicks): Free, non-defended kicks on goal that pit a shooter against the opposing goalkeeper, one-on-one, from a specifically marked spot in front of the goal. These are either the result of a foul in the goal box or used to determine the winning team of a match when one is required.

Center or cross: A pass from a player on the wings toward the middle intended for a teammate, usually in front of the goal.

Caution: A yellow-card warning issued to a player by the referee for a particularly hard foul. If another yellow card is issued, it results in a red card and the player is ejected. In MLS, once a player picks up his fifth yellow card, he is suspended one game, regardless of why or how the caution was given. At the eighth yellow card, another suspension, and at card No. 11, a third game. However, if a player goes three games without receiving a caution, he can have one of his previous cautions wiped away, but only once a season.

Own goal: When a defender knocks the ball into his own team's goal accidentally. It counts as a goal for the other team.

Slide tackle: To slide and attempt to steal the ball from an opposing player.

Nutmeg: Putting the ball through another player's legs.

Penalty box: 18-yard area in front of the goal within which a goalkeeper can use his hands to touch the ball. A foul here against an attacking player results in a penalty kick.

Foul: Contact ruled hard enough by the referee to award the ball to the team that was fouled.

Clean sheet: Soccer's version of a shutout, e.g, Kasey Keller has three clean sheets this season.