In soccer (or football, as it is called in the majority of the world), most individuals on the field are only able to touch the ball with their legs, chest and head. Arms and the hands are completely off limit, as it is easier to direct the ball with the assistance of hands. Outside of throw ins after the ball goes out of bounds, the players are not able to touch the ball with the hands, outside of the goal keeper.

Soccer is unique in contrast to other sports. The clock does count down having a set time for how long a period lasts. That means to the extent of maybe 20 minutes for hockey to count down until the next period or 15 minutes for football. With soccer, however, the clock tends to go up instead of down as anything could happen in a soccer game.

Soccer is unique in contrast to other sports. The clock does count down having a set time for how long a period lasts. That means to the extent of maybe 20 minutes for hockey to count down until the next period or 15 minutes for football. With soccer, however, the clock tends to go up instead of down as anything could happen in a soccer game.

Are substitution players sometimes limited? Yes, and there are a multitude of reasons behind this. For starters, substitution players are not the authentic player, so there is going to be obvious set backs to this. Stats are going to be different, even little things that can end up making a big impact, like the way substitution players interact with the team.

Soccer is an easy sport to understand once you learn the basic rules. Here are a few of the most important ones to know:

Soccer matches last 45 minutes. The clock doesn't stop for injuries, substitituions, or if the ball goes out of play. Overtime periods last 15 minutes. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime, players take turns with penalty kicks to determine the winner.

The US men's soccer team has had an up and down time over the past few years. There have been highs and lows and the sacking of their coach. Hopefully this time will be a learning curve for the players and staff so that they can go to greater heights in the next four or five years.

The World Cup of 2010 was certainly a positive.

In her soccer career, Mia Hamm became the most prolific scorer the sport has ever seen. That is saying a lot for a woman who began life with a club foot and corrective shoes. Hamm began playing soccer at a young age and made the United States National Team at the age of 15. She is the youngest ever to make the squad.

Soccer has come a long way in America, but the MLS can still not compete with the excitement and fan devotion that exists in the foreign leagues. Part of soccer-s problem in America is that it is not popular; the majority of the stadiums are empty when MLS games are being played. This does not mean the MLS lacks quality and skilled players; there are many high-quality players, and during the off-season they often find themselves playing for teams in Europe.

The US isn't exactly known for its soccer fans but with the World Cup last year viewership is on the rise. Even though you may have a www.direct.tv satellite package that gets you all the games at home you might want to venture out to one of the country's best soccer pubs if any are nearby. Here are three of our favorites.

Although American soccer is growing in stature and status, many of its top players continue to ply their trade overseas in foreign leagues, most notably in Europe. There are many reasons why this happens, but the two main reasons tend to be money, and quality.

Financially, American professional soccer can not compete with the likes of the English Premiere League, La Liga in Spain, or Italy's Serie A.

In order to watch a soccer game and have any idea of what you are watching, it's important to have a basic grasp on the rules. Here are a short list to clarify any misconceptions.

Number of players
A team can bring 10 outfield players and one goalkeeper onto the pitch. Substitutions allowed in a match vary with the game played.

Football, originally known as Association football and commonly called soccer, has no real origin. There are records of the Chinese around second century B.C. playing a game called Tsu' Chu that involved kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a silk cloth strung between two large poles. This was believed to help train the military.