r Abstieg relegation, moving down

abseits (adj.) offside

e Abwehr defense

e Ampelkarte "traffic light" card (yellow/red)

r Angreifer attacker, forward

r Angriff attack, offensive move

r Anhänger (-) fan(s), follower(s), devotee(s)

r Anstoß kickoff
   Welche Mannschaft hat Anstoß? Which team/side will kick off?

e Aufstellung lineup, roster

r Aufstieg promotion, moving up

r Ausgleich tie, draw
   unentschieden (adj.) tied, a draw (undecided)

auswärts, zu Besuch on the road
   zu Hause at home, home game

auswechseln (v.) substitute, switch (players)

B

r Ball (Bälle) ball

e Bank bench
   auf der Bank sitzen sit on the bench

s Bein leg
   For more body vocabulary, see Lesson 15 of German for Beginners: Der menschliche Körper (the human body).

bolzen (v.) to kick the ball (around)

r Bolzplatz (-plätze) amateur football/soccer field

r Bombenschuss a difficult shot, usually from a long distance

e Bundesliga German professional soccer league

D

r DFB (Deutscher Fußballbund) German Football (Soccer) Federation

r Doppelpass one-two pass, give and go pass

s Dribbling dribbling

e Drittkette/Dreierkette straight three-man backfield (free-kick defense)
   e Viertkette/Viererkette four-man backfield defense

E

r Eckball corner ball (kick)
e Ecke corner (kick)
r Eckstoß corner kick

r Einwurf throw-in, toss

e Elf the eleven (players), soccer team

r Elfmeter penalty kick (from eleven meters)

e Endlinie endline, goal line

r Europameister European champion
e Europameisterschaft European championship

F

e Fahne (-n) flag, banner

r Fallrückzieher bicycle kick, scissors kick

fäusten to punch (the ball)

fechten to parry (the ball)

s Feld field, pitch

FIFA International Football (Soccer) Federation

e Flanke cross, center (e.g., into the penalty area)

r Flugkopfball diving header
   r Kopfball, r Kopfstoß header shot

r Freistoß free kick

r Fußball football, soccer; soccer ball
e Fußballmannschaft football/soccer team

r Fußballschuh (-e) soccer shoe

s Fußballstadion (-stadien) soccer stadium

G

e Gäste (pl.) visiting team
   s Heim home team

r Gegner (-) opponent, opposing team

gelbe Karte caution, yellow card (for foul)

gewinnen (v.) to win
   verlieren to lose

e Grätsche sliding trip, straddle vault
grätschen (v.) to straddle, tackle, trip (often a foul)

H

e Halbzeit halftime
e Halbzeitpause halftime break (15 minutes)

e Hälfte half
   erste Hälfte first half
   zweite Hälfte second half

halten to save (keeper)
   gut halten to make a good save

s Heim home (team)
   e Gäste (pl.) visiting team

e Heimmannschaft home team

r Hexenkessel an unfriendly stadium ("witch's cauldron"), usually the opponent's home stadium

e Hinrunde/s Hinspiel first round/leg
   e Rückrunde/s Rückspiel second round/leg

r Hooligan (-s) hooligan, rowdy

J

r Joker (sl.) sub who comes in and scores goals

K

r Kaiser "the emperor" (nickname for Franz Beckenbauer, Kaiser Franz)

r Kick kick (soccer/football)

r Kicker soccer player

The noun der Kicker/die Kickerin in German refers to a soccer/football player, not just someone playing the position of "kicker." The verb "to kick" can take several forms in German (bolzen, treten, schlagen). The verb kicken is usually limited to sports.

r Konter counterattack, counteroffensive

L

r Leitwolf "lead wolf," a player who inspires the team

r Libero sweeper

r Linienrichter linesman

M

e Manndeckung one-on-one coverage, man coverage

e Mannschaft team

e Mauer defensive wall (of players) during a free kick

mauern (v.) to form a defensive wall; to defend aggressively

e Meisterschaft championship

s Mittelfeld midfield

r Mittelfeldspieler midfielder