Q: What exactly is offsides in soccer? -Josh Smith, 2007
A: An offside in soccer occurs when an offensive player (a player with the ball, obviously) does not have enough defenders between she and the goal.
For a player to be onside, there must be at least two players between her and the goal. One of those defenders is almost always going to be the goalkeeper, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the keeper.
Offsides can be called anywhere in the defensive side as long as there is only one defender between the attacker when the ball is passed to her, even if it is just past midfield.
The call is generally called by the linesman official who has the best view of the play when it develops.
The defensive team is awarded an indirect free kick from the spot of the foul.
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule such as if a player receives a pass in an offside position, but was onside when the ball was kicked, there is no penalty.
Also, if a player in an offside position intercepts a pass from an opposing player, she is not offsides.
Players cannot be offsides on throw-ins or corner kicks.
If a player is in an offsides position when his or her team scores, but did not influence the play in any way, the goal will count.
Offsides only applies to outdoor soccer. There is no offsides penalty in indoor soccer.