The World Cup games are underway! Who will take home the gold this year? With soccer tournaments this big, some teams are willing to do anything to win. Let’s take a look at one type of soccer tactic that might prevent someone from scoring – the so-called Abseitsfalle.
In German, the word Abseits means “offside” and Falle means “trap.” Abseitsfalle therefore means “offside trap”, and refers to a tactic used primarily by a team’s defense to maneuver an opposing player into an offside position.
For those of you unfamiliar with soccer, an attacking player is in an offside position when he is closer to the opposing goal than the opposing defenders, as well as the soccer ball. If the attacker receives the ball while in an offside position, the opposing team is awarded a free kick – a good way to get the ball back to the other side of the field.
In some cases, defenders work together to push an opposing player into the offside, therefore winning a free kick for themselves. But as you can imagine, this is a risky maneuver. In order to successfully push an attacker into an Abseitsfalle, defenders must move forward at the same time while the attacker is about to receive the ball. If one defender stays back or moves too slowly, the attacker may obtain the ball – without being offside – and attempt to score while the goal is unguarded by its defense.
In the World Cup, a successful Abseitsfalle has the potential to prevent a goal. But of course, having a strong and deeper defense is always a safer way to play. A well-executed Abseitsfalle, however, can make a game much more interesting to watch – especially in the World Cup. Let’s see how many Abseitsfallen we can spot during the games!
By Nicole Glass, Editor of The Week in Germany
