NCAA SOCCER
TACTICAL FOULS
TACTICAL FOULS
A tactical foul is a foul that breaks up a promising attack or denies a goal
scoring opportunity
• When deciding whether or not to caution for a tactical foul take the following into
consideration:
• Chance to score a goal
• Distance between the incident and the goal
• Number of defenders involved in the play
• Location of defenders
• Number of attackers involved in the play
• Location of attackers
• Direction of the play
• Does the attacker have control of the ball?
• Can the attacker gain control of the ball?
• Options to pass the ball
• Skill of the player
ANALYSIS:
• This is an example of tactical foul that must be cautioned
• The defender in this play blatantly holds the opponent and drags
him to the ground as the defender is clearly beat
• If this foul is not committed, the attacking team will be moving with
space, time, and numbers into the attacking third
• This is a tactical foul and must be punished with a yellow card
caution for unsporting behavior
• The referee here has no other options on this play
ANALYSIS:
• This is an example of a tactical foul that must be cautioned
• The defender in this play blatantly holds the opponent and pulls him
to the ground
• The attacker has control of the ball and if this foul is not committed,
the attacker would have an advantage moving into the attacking
third of the field
• The referee here has no other options on this play
ANALYSIS:
• Not as obvious, but this is an example of a tactical foul as it breaks
up a promising attack
• The foul in nature and severity is simply careless. However, the
foul is designed to take away attacking options from the black team
• The foul is committed tactically by the white player because many
of her teammates are still in the penalty area as a result of the prior
corner kick. The speedy counter attack is prevented, and her white
teammates are able to get back on defense
• The referee has options on this play however the recommendation
is to lean toward a yellow card for unsporting behavior (a tactical
foul)