Paul Gilvary is a math teacher at Saint Raymond’s High School in the Bronx, New York. In addition to his work as an educator, Paul Gilvary leads the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) as chairman of basketball, chairman of soccer, and as an umpire assignor.
For fans and new players, soccer’s offside rule can be difficult to understand, particularly as it plays out in real time. While the rule might at times seem to exist only to stop exciting fast break goal scoring opportunities, it has actually been designed to prevent offensive players from camping near an opponent’s goal and waiting for a long downfield pass to take a virtually uncontested shot on goal.
There are two key elements to the offside rule in soccer, the first being the offensive player’s positioning. A player is at risk for an offside call if they have positioned themselves closer to the opposing goal line than both the ball and last defender, excluding the goalkeeper. However, standing in this position does not automatically constitute an offside violation.
The second aspect of the ruling maintains that a player should only be called offside if they are targeted for a pass. In other words, a player can in fact remain next to the opponent’s goal, as long as they do not receive the ball.
There are a few other important elements of the offside rule. For instance, a player cannot be called offside if they receive the ball in their own half of the field or are receiving the ball from a throw in. Furthermore, if the offensive player is in essentially the same position as the second to last defender, he or she is not offside.
