If there’s one way that I know to kick off a guide to soccer for Americans, it’s by pairing the most mystifying technicality of the sport with a long-forgot Laurel and Hardy bit. It’s 2019 and I’m bringing back an OG meme to talk soccer. The offside rule, to non-soccer fans, is probably up there with diving and the concept of extra time that often draws the most groans and confusion. For those who take the chance to watch a game at the stadium or on TV, I’m sure they’ve seen beautiful plays end with a stunning goal only to have it taken back by some ref with a ruthlessly stern face raising a flag half-mast style. The players on defense are raising their hands like the most eager school children on their first day of classes. The guy who had his goal taken way looks like he just heard that his puppy died. Fans are either screaming obscenities or breathing a sigh of relief, and you’re just wondering what happened in the span of about ten seconds. Play has resumed with the team that was on defense is now on offense, and now you’re wondering if goals are awarded or taken away arbitrarily.

I can assure you that goals are not awarded or taken away on a whim, but I'm sure some teams' supporters would argue otherwise. What was just witnessed was the offside rule in effect. It’s difficult explain one of soccer’s most baffling rules. Luckily, in this age of the internet, I can combine visuals with a punchy writing style to help you understand how the offside rule works in soccer. I hope you will come away with this with a better understanding of the rule and decide to keep coming back for more.

Terms to remember:

Thirds of the Field: There are three sections of a soccer field for both teams. It starts with the defensive third, then the middle third, then the attacking third.

Back line/Defenders: They are the last bastion ahead of the goalkeeper. Typically this group consists of a line of four players from sideline to sideline. They live in the defensive third. An example of a defensive back line player is central defender and Spanish heart-throb, Sergio Ramos.

Midfielders: These guys are the anchor of the middle third. They make the passing plays that make the strikers look good. An example of a midfielder would be World Cup darling a hero of Croatia, Luka Modric. These guys are secretly the most important players on the field. Don’t tell the forwards.

Strikers/Forwards: They’re the guys like Barcelona FC’s Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar. They're the stars. They score the goals. They are the kings of the attacking third.

Let's talk About the Field

Visually, the game of soccer looks as though everything sort of happens fast and the rules are enforced loosely. That style is often what separates soccer from, say, baseball. Where baseball is segmented into plays with a clear distinction between offense and defense, soccer has a more fluid style where defensive players can start offensive plays, and offensive players can make defensive plays. Weird! But it's easier to think of positions as inhabiting three areas of a field. There's the defensive third where the goalkeeper and defensive back line players live. There's the middle third where the midfielders anchor the halfway line of the field. Finally, there's the attacking third where the strikers, or forwards as they're also called, like Messi and Neymar bag the goals.

The last line of defense

Now that we've briefly made a distinction of what the field, the defense, and offense looks like during a game of soccer, now we can really dig into the offside rule. In the defensive third, a typical line of four players called the back line will try their best to stop the likes of Messi and Neymar from scoring goals. Defenders sometimes play in a straight line from sideline to sideline, or they may make a crescent shape depending on where the ball is on the field.

When the strikers start attacking the defensive third of the field, the defenders will create a straight formation and stay tight to the strikers. The attacking midfielders will be working the ball into the attacking third and will be looking to pass to their striker who will try to get past that defenders and have an easy shot at goal. Now, this is where it gets tricky for the offense who must keep their striker onside to receive the pass.

If the striker runs into the space between the very last player of that defensive back line and the goal keeper before a pass is made to them, they are offside. Even if the striker receives the ball and puts it in the net, that goal doesn't count. The play is called dead, and the opposing team gains possession of the ball where their goal keeper will perform a goal kick so their team can start their own attack.

What do we say to the ref? Not today!

Okay, so it can be easy to avoid the dreaded offside penalty as long as the offensive players can maintain their awareness and positioning. The midfielders will keep a steady eye on their strikers to see if they can find a positional weakness and a passing lane in the defense. The strikers will start a run to catch the defenders flat-footed. If the midfielder is aware of what the striker is doing, they will time the pass to make sure that the ball away before the striker gets past the back line. If the passing play works for the attackers and there's no offside call, the striker can score a goal and do their funny Fortnite dance (or whatever future meme becomes hot).

And that's pretty much how the offside rule works in a nutshell. There are a ton of nuances that referees must consider when calling an offside penalty, but as long as you understand that the space between the goal keeper and the defenders is a no-go for a striker, or any player on offense, if the ball has not yet been passed. That’s it!

Still confused? Got feedback? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Got a different question you’d like addressed in a future post or directly? Send me an email at info@danielofdc.com.

While there are a ton of rules, strategies, and history of soccer to absorb, I'm going to keep things pretty fresh and easy to understand as I help people understand more about soccer and help soccer fans explain the game in a better way to their friends. I can't wait to continue this journey, and I hope you'll stay on this ride with me. While Soccer Made Simple content will live on this website, I also send a weekly newsletter to help get people into the mood to watch some soccer or at least learn more about the sport, its players, and its history. You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter here. You can also follow my on-and-off-topic tweets here.