How to Speak Soccer ─ From Assist to Woodwork: An Illustrated Guide to Pitch-Perfect Jargon

From “assist” to “woodwork,” How to Speak Soccer includes over 125 terms paired with funny and charming illustrations that decode the words and phrases that sail around a soccer field. With the 2015 U.S. Women's World Cup championship game being the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history, interest in soccer has never been higher, and there's sure to be more newcomers discovering the game who will want to learn the lingo as well as the fascinating anecdotes and bits of trivia shared throughout the book.

How to Speak Soccer covers well-known words like “corner kick” and “dive,” as well as the more uncommon words and phrases such as:

-Banana kick: A unique kick used frequently on corner kicks that causes the ball to take a curved path.
-Daisy cutter: A type of low, hard shot that either stays completely on the ground or sails just above it.
-Rabonna: A type of pass where the kicking leg wraps around the back of the standing leg.

How to Speak Soccer is the perfect blend of knowledge and entertainment and makes a fantastic gift book for soccer fans, children and adults playing in soccer leagues, and any of the growing number of fans who are gravitating toward this exciting sport!

SALLY COOK is the author of How to Speak Golf and How to Speak Football, and with James Charlton of How to Speak Baseball. She coauthored with legendary football coach Gene Stallings the New York Times bestsellerAnother Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son.

ROSS MACDONALD's illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, and Vanity Fair. He has also written and illustrated several books for children and adults.