El fútbol

     While many sports are played throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the most popular by far is soccer (fútbol), the Beautiful Game. The US is only just beginning to learn about football (that's what the rest of the English-speaking world calls it), and is developing clubs, players, and a fan base. Every country has club teams. In the US and Canada we have the MLS (Major League Soccer), with teams like D.C. United, the L.A. Galaxy, or Toronto F.C. Many people around the world watch European soccer, where the English Premier League and the Bundesliga enjoy prestige and draw some of the best players in the world. However, the best players play for their clubs only part of the time, and for their national teams the rest of the time. Currently the US is participating in the Gold Cup, a tournament that includes the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football) teams, and has moved on to the quarter finals. In South America there is CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol), which is a viciously competitive league. And every four years (next time is 2014 in Brazil) we have the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup. In fact, national teams spend the majority of those four years between World Cups trying to qualify for the next one, and things are heating up now because there is not much time left for teams that are unsure if they will qualify. It's getting exciting, so watch some fútbol!
     It's fun to watch in Spanish, not only because you learn terminology and hear the commentators speak at a hundred miles per hour, but also because when a goal is scored, you get to hear ¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL! ¡GOL! ¡GOL! ¡GOLAZOOOOOOO! Below are some terms that might help you follow along, if you decide to watch in Spanish. And here is a link to a great National Geographic article about the Beautiful Game.
the ball..........la pelota/ el balón
the net..........la red
the goal..........el arco
the pitch..........la cancha
a goal..........un gol
to kick..........patear/ dar una patada
a header..........un cabezazo
to head the ball..........dar un cabezazo
to run..........correr
to win..........ganar
to lose..........perder
to tie..........empatar
a tie...........un empate
to beat..........derrotar/vencer
the player..........el jugador/ la jugadora
the goalie/ the keeper..........el arquero/ el portero
the forward..........el delantero
midfielder..........el centrocampista
the defense..........la defensa
the team..........el equipo
the coach..........el entrenador
the referee..........el árbitro/la árbitra
to pass..........pasar
the pass..........el pase
to block..........bloquear
the first half/ second half..........el primer tiempo/ segundo tiempo
a foul..........una falta
a free kick...........un tiro libre
the penalty box..........el área de meta
a penalty kick...........un tiro penal
a yellow card...........una tarjeta amarilla
a red card..........una tarjeta roja

Click here for a longer list of football terms.
Click here for a fun list of useful soccer terms (not always polite, but fun).

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