First Team (association Football)

Association football (more commonly known as football) was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier."History of the FA"
The Football Association. Archived fro
the original
on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2007. A large number of football-related terms have since emerged to describe various aspects of the sport and its culture.

The evolution of the sport has been mirrored by changes in this terminology over time. For instance, the role of an inside forward in variants of a 2–3–5 formation has many parallels to that of an attacking midfielder, although the positions are nonetheless distinct. Similarly, a 2–3–5 centre half can in many ways be compared to a holding midfielder in a 4–1–3–2."The Question: Are Barcelona reinventing the W-W formation?"
''The Guardian''. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

In many cases, multiple terms exist for the same concept. One reason for this is the progression of language over time. The sport itself, originally known as association football, is now more widely known by the shortened term ''football'', or ''soccer'', derived from the word ''association''. Other duplicate terms can be attributed to differences among varieties of English. In Europe, where British English is prevalent, the achievement of not conceding a goal for an entire match is known as a clean sheet.Smith, Frank (29 November 2010)
"England goalkeeper Scott Loach says Watford's clean sheet at Barnsley feels like a hat-trick"
''Watford Observer''. Retrieved 20 May 2011. In North America, where American and Canadian English dominate, the same achievement is referred to as a shutout.MLS' "Sounders stay unbeaten with 2–0 win over Toronto"
''USA Today''. Associated Press. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

Occasionally the actions of an individual have made their way into common football parlance. Two notable examples are Diego Maradona's goals in Argentina's 1986 World Cup quarter-final win against England. After the match, Maradona described his first goal—a handball that the referee missed—as having been scored "a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona". His second goal was subsequently voted in a 2002 FIFA poll as the Goal of the century. Both phrases are now widely understood to refer to the goals in that match.

Inclusion criteria

This glossary serves as a point of reference for terms which are commonly used within association football, and which have a sport-specific meaning. It seeks to avoid defining common English words and phrases that have no special meaning within football. Exceptions include cases where a word or phrase's use in the context of football might cause confusion to someone not familiar with the sport (such as clean sheet), or where it is fundamental to understanding the sport (such as goal). Entries on nicknames relating to specific players or teams are actively avoided. Other phrases without entries are specific clubs, rivalries, media organisations or works, unless the name also has a more general meaning within football, as is the case with El Clásico and ''Roy of the Rovers'' stuff.

0–9

* 12th man: This expression has two different definitions. It usually refers to fans who are present at a football match, especially when they make such noise as to provide increased motivation for the team. The metaphor is based on the fact that a team numbers 11 active players at the start of a game. The term can also be used where a referee is perceived to be biased in favour of one team. "They had a 12th man on the pitch", is a complaint made by fans. It also may refer to a player that's not usually part of the starting eleven, but comes off the bench most of the matches, a concept similar to the sixth man in basketball.
* 2–3–5: common 19th- and early 20th-century formation consisting of two defensive players (previously known as full backs), three midfield players ( half-backs), and five forward players. Also known as the ''pyramid formation''. Variations include the 2–3–2–3 (the ''Metodo'' or ''WW formation''), where the inside forwards take up deeper positions.
* 3 points for a win: see Three points for a win.
* 39th game: see game 39.
*4–4–2: common modern formation used with four defenders, four midfielders, and two attacking players. There are many variants of this formation, such as the 4–4–2 diamond, where the four midfielders are assembled in a diamond shape without wide midfielders, and the 4–1–3–2, where one midfielder is expected to adopt a defensive position, allowing the other three to concentrate on attacking.
*4–5–1: common modern formation used with four defenders, five midfielders and one striker. By pushing the wingers forward, this formation can be adapted into a 4–3–3; teams frequently play 4–3–3 when they have the ball, and revert to 4–5–1 when they lose possession. Variants include the 4–4–1–1, where a striker drops deep or an attacking midfielder pushes forward to play in a supporting role to the main striker, the 4–2–3–1, where two holding midfielders are used, the 4–3–2–1 (or ''Christmas Tree''), which uses three central midfielders behind two attacking midfielders and 4-6-0 which utilizes four defenders and six midfielders deployed as one holding player, two wing-backs and three who rotate between attack and defence positions.Ray, Joh
Sam Allardyce's 4-6-0 and the end of Modern Football
Afootballreport.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013
*4th place trophy: The achievement of qualifying for the UEFA Champion's League by finishing in the top four places in the English Premier League. The term was coined by Arsene Wenger, who said that "For me, there are five trophies, the first is to win the Premier League... the third is to qualify for the Champions League,".
*50-50: see fifty-fifty
* 6+5 rule: proposal adopted by FIFA in 2008. Designed to counter the effects of the Bosman ruling, which had greatly increased the number of foreign players fielded by European clubs, the rule required each club to field at least six players who are eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club."FIFA Congress supports objectives of 6+5"
FIFA. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2012. The European Parliament prevented the rule from coming into effect in the European Union, declaring it inco