Offside is a minor foul in American football caused when a player crosses the line of scrimmage ahead of the snap of the ball. The penalty associated with the infraction is the advancing of the ball five yards and a replay of the down). In soccer (football), the offside rule mandates that during a move, an attacking player, when in the opposition half, must have at least two opposition players, including the goalkeeper, between him and the opposition goal when a pass is being played to him. If an attacking player is in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a teammate, they are only penalized on becoming involved in active play by interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate or interfering with an opponent by preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball. Here are some key points to understand about the offside rule in soccer:

• Only the team with possession of the ball can be offside, so the defending team cannot be called offside.
• It can only occur on the attacking side of the field.
• An attacking player must have at least two opposition players, including the goalkeeper, between him and the opposition goal when a pass is being played to him.
• An attacking player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately played the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.
• If a player moving from, or standing in, an offside position is in the way of an opponent and interferes with the movement of the opponent towards the ball, this is an offside offense if it impacts on the ability of the opponent to play or challenge for the ball.