NISOA

Last updated

The National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) is the organization responsible for improving the quality of officiating at college soccer matches in the United States.

In association football, the referee is the person responsible for enforcing the Laws of the Game during the course of a match. He or she is the final decision-making authority on all facts connected with play, and is the only official on the pitch with the authority to start and stop play and impose disciplinary action against players during a match. At most levels of play the referee is assisted by two assistant referees, who are empowered to advise the referee in certain situations such as the ball leaving play or infringements of the Laws of the Game occurring out of the view of the referee; however, the assistant referees' decisions are not binding and the referee has authority to overrule an assistant referee. At higher levels of play the referee may also be assisted by a fourth official who supervises the teams' technical areas and assists the referee with administrative tasks, and, at the very highest levels, additional assistant referees and/or video assistant referees.

College soccer form of soccer

College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in South Korea and Canada. The institutions typically hire full-time professional coaches and staff, although the student athletes are strictly amateur and are not paid. College soccer in the United States is sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the sports regulatory body for major universities, and by the governing bodies for smaller universities and colleges. This sport is played on a rectangular field of the dimensions of about 64m (meters) - 70m sideline to sideline (width), and 100m - 110m goal line to goal line (length).

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Related Research Articles

Major League Soccer Professional soccer league

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 24 teams—21 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada and constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries. The regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. Fourteen teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup. MLS teams also play in domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League. The league plans to expand to 27 teams with the addition of Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC in 2020 and Austin FC in 2021, with further plans to expand to 28 teams by 2022 and 30 teams at a later date.

United States Soccer Federation official governing body of soccer in the United States

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. With headquarters in Chicago, the FIFA member governs U.S. amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, beach soccer, futsal, and Paralympic national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup, which was first held in 1914.

U.S. Open Cup association football knockout tournament in the USA

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knock-out cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. The 105th edition, held in 2018, was contested by 97 clubs from the two professional leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation: Major League Soccer (MLS), and the United Soccer League, and also amateur clubs in the earlier rounds of the tournament after qualifying through their leagues. The overall champion earns a total of $300,000 in prize money, while the runner-up receives $100,000, and the furthest-advancing team from each lower division league receives $25,000. In addition, the tournament winner qualifies for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.

United Soccer League American sports governing body

United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States and Canada. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two and the youth Super Y League. It is directly affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation, the United States Adult Soccer Association and the Canadian Soccer Association. The USL is headquartered in Tampa.

United States mens national soccer team Mens national association football team representing the USA

The United States Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT) is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. The team has appeared in ten FIFA World Cups, including the first in 1930, where they reached the semi-finals. The U.S. participated in the 1934 and 1950 World Cups, winning 1–0 against England in the latter. After 1950, the U.S. did not qualify for the World Cup until 1990. The U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup, where they lost to Brazil in the round of sixteen. They qualified for five more consecutive World Cups after 1994, becoming one of the tournament's regular competitors and often advancing to the knockout stage. The U.S. reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, where they lost to Germany. In the 2009 Confederations Cup, they eliminated top-ranked Spain in the semi-finals before losing to Brazil in the final, their only appearance in the final of a major intercontinental tournament. The team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, having been eliminated in continental qualifying, ending the streak of consecutive World Cups at seven. United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, the automatic qualification of all three teams is likely as co-hosts.

United States womens national soccer team womens national association football team representing the United States

The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning three Women's World Cup titles, four Olympic women's gold medals, eight CONCACAF Gold Cups, and ten Algarve Cups. It medaled in every single World Cup and Olympic tournament in women's soccer history from 1991 to 2015, before being knocked out in the quarterfinal of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The team is governed by United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF.

Soccer-specific stadium Type of sports stadium

Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose stadium which is for a variety of sports. A soccer-specific stadium may host other sporting events and concerts, but the design and purpose of a soccer-specific stadium is primarily for soccer. Some facilities have a permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for staging concerts.

The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation typical in soccer elsewhere. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by USSF not having an official designated level or division.

National Premier Soccer League sports league

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American soccer league commonly recognized as being a fourth tier league although it has been given no official designation by U.S. Soccer. Although the league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup through USASA channels, the league is generally considered to be at the fourth tier of competition in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer (MLS), the USL Championship (USLC), USL League One (USL1), and roughly equal with USL League Two (USL2). It is the successor of the Men's Premier Soccer League, a regional league originally based in the Western United States, which has now expanded nationwide to encompass teams from 29 states. The league's motto is "A National League with a Regional Focus". Some of the clubs are former NASL clubs.

This is a list of the richest association football clubs in the world as ranked by Forbes magazine on their worth in U.S. dollars.

Major Arena Soccer League American indoor soccer league

The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American indoor soccer league representing the highest level of professional arena soccer in the world. The MASL features teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Alex Morgan American association football player

Alexandra Patricia Morgan Carrasco is an American soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She is a forward for Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. Since 2018, she co-captains her national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.

Mike Balson is an English retired professional association football defender who played professionally in England, South Africa and the United States. He currently lives in the United States where he has served several decades as a referee as well as a team and league executive. He is a member of both the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association Hall of Fame and the United Soccer Leagues Hall of Fame.

Gary Hindley is an American soccer coach. He has coached youth soccer, high school, college and professional teams. He won Coach of the Year honors in 1984 in the United Soccer League, 1991 American Professional Soccer League and 1998. He won the 1993-94 National Professional Soccer League championship with the Cleveland Crunch. His overall coaching record in professional, collegiate and scholastic soccer is 419-296-28 (.586).

Paul Tamberino is a retired American soccer midfielder and referee who officiated on the collegiate, professional and international levels. He was the 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Major League Soccer Referee of the Year and is currently working for Major League Soccer.

USL Championship professional soccer league in the USA and Canada

The USL Championship (USLC), formerly known as United Soccer League (USL) and USL Pro, is a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II Professional League since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa. Until 2016 it had Division III status.

United Premier Soccer League

The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is a full season, American adult professional soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by Santa Ana Winds FC club owner Leonel López as a regional league for teams in Greater Los Angeles, but expanded to include teams from 32 states as of the 2019 UPSL season.

Francis "Frank" J. Doyle III is the dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and John A. & Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering & Applied Sciences. He is an affiliated faculty member in the Division of Sleep Medicine in the Harvard Medical School, and is a faculty member in the Systems Biology PhD Program.

The 2019 Major League Soccer season is the 24th season of Major League Soccer. The regular season began on March 2, 2019, and will end on October 6. The MLS Cup Playoffs will begin on October 19, and conclude with the MLS Cup 2019 on November 10, under a new format that differs from previous seasons. The playoffs will use single-match rounds and include 14 teams.

Robert (Bob) Evans was a Welsh-American soccer player, coach, and referee, author, and research geologist who represented the United States Soccer Federation as an international (FIFA) referee from 1980 to 1988. He also served as U.S. Soccer's National Director of Referee Instruction from 1988 until 1992 and is often credited with being the father of its national referee instruction program.