Andrew Khoury is a kinesiology student at Charleston Southern University in North Charleston, South Carolina. During his time in high school at Oak Hill, Andrew Khoury, a standout soccer player, was named captain of the soccer team and most valuable player for the 2012-13 season. Away from his studies, he serves the Charleston Battery soccer team in South Carolina as a stadium- and field-setup manager.
The offside rule is one of soccer’s most complex and, at times, controversial rules. An offside infraction is called when an offensive player receives a pass or otherwise handles the ball while positioned closer to the opposing goal line than the ball and the last defender, with the exception of the goalkeeper. The rule has been designed to prevent offensive players from staying near the goal and receiving long distance passes that lead to easy scoring opportunities.
There are a few aspects of the offside rule that players and spectators should be familiar with. For example, a ruling of this kind cannot be made on a throw-in pass, nor can it be made when a player is in his or her own half of the field. It should also be noted that a player isn’t called offside based purely on positioning. For instance, a player engaged in a fast break alongside teammates can run ahead of the play so long as the player is not targeted by a teammate’s pass.
