Whether it is a recreational soccer team for young children or a World Cup champion national team, one thing that all soccer teams have in common is a coach.

Ankle injuries account for about 20 percent of all sports injuries, notes Roald Bahr, a prominent researcher of sports medicine at Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center in Norway.

For many kids in the United States, playing football is a natural choice as far as a team sport. But for millions of players across the globe, soccer is the better option.

The basic elements of soccer shoes are similar for men and women; both contain cleats on the bottom for traction and stability and allow for fast, quick movements or a sudden change in direction. The differences in the shoes play out in the size, biomechanics and color schemes.

Soccer in France is known as football and the national league is one of the most successful international teams in the world. The sport gained popularity in the country after the first World War. Soldiers played the game in the trenches during extended periods of downtime.

Artificial-turf fields, typically harder and shallower than natural-grass surfaces, have been blamed for increases in serious knee injuries and lower-body ligament strains to athletes using the surface.

The U.S. Youth Soccer organization is a nonprofit agency that uses the sport of soccer to ignite a youth's physical, emotional and mental growth. The American Youth Soccer Organization provides youth soccer programs in a fun, family environment.

Soccer, or football as it is known in most of the world, is without question the world's most popular sport. More people are involved with soccer, as players or spectators, than any other sport. However, to ensure a fair match, soccer balls must conform to certain standards.

Whether planning a birthday party for your soccer player or coordinating a team gathering, include party games to provide entertainment. Soccer party games can differ from the actual game played on the field, shifting the emphasis from winning the game to simply playing for fun.

A scholarship is a type of full or partial financial aid awarded to a student who exhibits outstanding performance in a specific academic field or sport. Athletic scholarships are regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

In Spain, football -- the sport known in the United States as soccer -- is the most popular sport. The Spanish national football team won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and also has been successful in the UEFA European championship and multiple Olympic tournaments. The Spanish word for football is "futbol."

In its early years, Major League Soccer in the United States briefly modified FIFA’s Laws of the Game to avoid ties in the regular season. As of 2010, soccer in the United States had dropped this and other modifications to stay in step with FIFA.