Legendary Soccer Commentator Sir Ian Darke

I’ve always been torn on whether or not I should use “soccer language” when discussing the Beautiful Game. Silly thought maybe, why not use the language of the game to describe the game itself? But in North America we have our own brand of sports language which conflicts with soccer sayings from across the pond. Americans call athletic shoes cleats, but Brits refer to soccer footwear as boots. I have always referred to a playing surface as a field, but in soccer (or “footy” as some say) it is the pitch. The list of little differences in sports language when comparing American English with England’s is endless:

USA Version = English Version
Cleats = Boots
Field = Pitch
Sideline = Touchline
Doctor = Physio
Coach = Manager
Team/Franchise = Club
Fans = Supporters
Speed = Pace
Mental Toughness/Bravery = Bottle
Amazing/Incredible = Brilliant

Okay, that last one was a half joke. The point of this column is that I am especially torn when it comes to the grammar I should use when discussing teams (clubs). In American sports, teams are often referred to in the singular form, for example:

“FC Dallas is a really classy club.”

But in footy language, soccer clubs are referred to in the plural.

“FC Dallas are a really classy club”

My concern is that I would hate for a friend, colleague, potential employer etc. to read this blog and think it is filled with grammatical errors. That is why I am writing this column, because from here on out I will be saying “FC Dallas are a classy club” – just as the rest of the soccer world would. And hopefully, for those who come across this blog and aren’t entirely familiar with the language of the game, they will see this post before coming to any conclusions. Despite my new found commitment to using the language of the game, I will still use the word soccer and reserve the word football for the American version.

While on the subject, I’d like to add that saying “the MLS” is becoming a real problem. It is Major. League. Soccer. Unless your are referring to the MLS Draft or the MLS Cup, it’s just MLS, no the is necessary, unless you want to say “The Major League Soccer is good. I really like the Major League Soccer “

Like I said, the list is truly endless:
game = fixture
standings = table
tie = draw
skill = quality
playing well = good run of form
appearance = cap