71. Soccer or Football, Is It the Same Game?

From VOA Learning English, this is As It Is. I'm Anna Matteo in Washington! Children all over the world¹ spend countless hours² outside kicking around a ball³ on the ground.  Soccer is a game beloved⁴ from South America to Europe, from Africa to Asia.  At its simplest⁵, soccer involves a foot and ball.  But in the United States soccer can involve much more than that – parent,  schedules⁶, mini-vans!  Let’s just say … it’s complicated. ​Mario Ritter explains.      

                                            

For many around the world, playing soccer is as natural as breathing⁷.  The fact that the game is so pure is part of its beauty⁸.  All you need is a ball.  And even⁹ that does not stop a child who wants to play.  They will just make one.  Soccer’s free spirit is captured in a new children’s book called, Goal¹⁰!  The book’s colorful¹¹ photographs by Caio Vilela show soccer at its simplest and most spontaneous, or unplanned¹².  All the photographs share¹³ two things in common: a soccer ball and big smiles¹⁴ of children.

Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as¹⁵ Zico, is now a soccer coach¹⁶.  But in the late 1970s¹⁷ and early 1980s¹⁸, he was one of the world’s top soccer players¹⁹. In the introduction to Goal!, Zico says the book reminds²⁰ him of playing soccer as a child, and how the spontaneous games are where he really learned to play²¹.

“The spontaneous game means everything²² for a soccer player. That’s where you polish your skills²³.  You learn to find vacant spaces²⁴ in the ground²⁵, you get to find your place in the game and finally you’re taught²⁶ how to score the most amazing goals²⁷. We played with rubber²⁸ balls, plastic ones, with balls made of socks²⁹.” Zico says that he believes this is what true soccer is all about³⁰—pure spontaneous play.  No commitment³¹, no money.  Yet³² that is very different from mainstream soccer³³ culture in the United States.

Soccer for most children in the U.S. is a planned activity for the whole family³⁴.  U.S. kids³⁵ usually join³⁶ a soccer league organized by parents³⁷ or a school.  There are fees to pay³⁸ and soccer uniforms to buy. They have planned practice times and a parent, often a mother, takes kids to their practices and games.  Even³⁹ snacks and drinks⁴⁰ are organized by a parent volunteer⁴¹, sometimes called a “soccer mom.” 

Allison Merten is a soccer mom in Washington, D.C.  She has been the manager⁴² of her 7-year-old daughter’s soccer team for the past three years.  She says it is a lot of work.

“I’ve been the team manager for a couple of seasons⁴³ and I’m now going to hand that off to someone else⁴⁴ because it’s a lot of work to organize and get everyone to the games and practices and coordinate the schedules and make sure everyone knows⁴⁵ when their snack day, and drink day is, and organizing the end-of-year party and the coach’s gift⁴⁶ and you know … it’s a lot of details and a lot of work that goes into planning soccer for little kids.

The term “soccer mom” is often used in a negative way⁴⁷ to describe a parent who is too controlling⁴⁸ and too involved in the lives of their children.  But Ms. Merten sees it differently.  “I think, really, a Soccer Mom just means⁴⁹ a mom who is involved with their kids’ activities and who was willing to⁵⁰ volunteer and pitch in⁵¹ and try to make their experience positive.”

All this planning and scheduling might be killing⁵² the free spirit of soccer.  But Allison Merten says she feels structured play is normal in the U.S. today. “Our kids’ play is a lot more structured nowadays⁵³ because they are not hanging out⁵⁴ after school in the neighborhood unsupervised⁵⁵.  And we have to structure almost all⁵⁶ their activities.”

Many parents want their children to have a team sport experience.  Ms. Merten says that some parents even  try to bribe⁵⁷ their kids to play.  “I’ve heard … I’ve heard⁵⁸ of parents bribing their kids to play the game and play it well and they’ll get an ice cream afterward⁵⁹.” It is unclear⁶⁰ if too much organization hurts⁶¹ the true spirit of soccer in the U.S.  

That probably does not concern⁶² parents.  What does concern parents is that their kids have the opportunity to play outdoors⁶³ and to play on a team.  And, they will take these experiences any way they can get them⁶⁴.

Vocabulary

1. Children all over the world = crianças do mundo todo
2. spend countless hours = passam horas incontaveis
3. kicking around a ball = chutando uma bola
4. beloved = querido, adorado
5. At its simplest = na sua forma mais simples
6. schedules = agendas
7. as natural as breathing = tão natural quanto respirar
8. beauty = beleza
9. even = até mesmo
10. Goal = meta, objetivo
11. colorful = colorido(a)
12. unplanned = não planejado
13. share = dividir ,compartilhar
14. smiles = sorrisos
15. better known as = melhor conhecido como
16. soccer coach = tecnico de futelbol
17. late 1970s = final dos anos 70
18. early 1980s = inicio dos anos 80
19. players = jogadores
20. reminds = lembra (faz lembrar)
21. learned to play = aprendeu a jogar
22. means everything = significa tudo
23. polish your skills = abrilhantar (aperfeiçoar) suas habilidades
24. find vacant spaces = encontrar espaços vagos
25. ground = campo
26. finally you’re taught = finalmente voce é ensinado
27. score the most amazing goals = marcar os gols mais impressionantes
28. rubber = borracha
29. made of socks = feitas de meias
30. what true soccer is all about = este é o verdadeiro futebol
31. commitment = compromisso
32. Yet  = porém
33. mainstream soccer = futebol convencial
34. whole family = família toda
35. U.S. kids = garotos americanos
36. join = entrar para
37. parents = pais
38. fees to pay = taxas para pagar
39. Even = Até mesmo
40. snacks and drinks = lanches e bebidas
41. volunteer = voluntário
42. has been the manager  = tem sido a gerente
43. a couple of seasons = algumas temporadas
44. hand that off to someone else = entregar isso para alguma outra pessoa
45. make sure everyone knows = certificar-se de que todos saibam
46. coach’s gift = presente do tecnico
47. in a negative way = de uma forma negativa
48. too controlling = controlador(a) demais
49. means = significa
50. willing to = disposto(a) a
51. pitch in = envolver-se com
52. might be killing = pode estar matando
53. nowadays = hoje em dia
54. hanging out = saindo
55. unsupervised = sem supervisão
56. almost all = quase todos(as)
57. try to bribe = tentam subornar
58. I’ve heard = eu já ouvi falar
59. afterward = depois
60. unclear = incerto
61. hurts = prejudica
62. concern = preocupa
63. outdoors = ao ar livre
64. any way they can get them = de qualquer forma que eles possam obte-los