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The "Offsides Rule" in soccer is perhaps the most confusing to understand for soccer
players and soccer fans.
A player must be offside the moment the ball is played by a teammate. And to be called
offside, the player must also be involved in an "active play" by gaining an advantage by being
offside, or interfere with a play, or an opponent.To be offsides, the player must also be on
the opponent's half of the soccer field, being closer to the opponent's goal line than both the
ball and the next-to-last defender (the goalkeeper is usually the last defender).
A player is not offsides if he is on his own half of the field, or "even" with the next-to-last
defender or the last two defenders. (The goal keeper is usually the last defender, or one of
the last two, but not always; rules usually refer to the last two defenders and make no
mention of the goal keeper). Offsides in soccer can be difficult to call. A player can be "even"
with the next-to-last defender (not offsides), and run past the next-to-last defender
immediately after his teammate makes a pass past the next-to-last defender. This is not
offsides, because the soccer player was not offsides the moment the ball was passed.
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