In soccer, the coin toss is a procedural element at the beginning of each match to decide which team gets to start the game with the kick-off and which direction they will attack in the first half.
Here’s how it generally works
- Before the Match: The referee and the two team captains meet at the center of the field.
- The Call: Traditionally, the visiting team’s captain calls “heads” or “tails” before the referee tosses the coin. However, this isn’t a strict rule and the referee can decide which team calls it.
- The Options: The team that wins the coin toss has two choices:
– Choose which goal to attack in the first half: This can be a strategic decision based on factors like sun, wind, or slope of the field.
– Elect to take the first half kick-off: According to footballrules.com, this allows a team to potentially gain momentum or control possession early on.
- Consequences: The team that doesn’t win the toss gets the remaining option. For instance, if the winning team chooses which goal to attack, the other team gets the kick-off, and vice versa. The team that chose which goal to attack in the first half will then kick off the second half, and the teams switch sides for the second half.
While it might seem like a small detail, the coin toss can carry strategic weight:
- Field Advantage: Choosing which goal to attack allows teams to account for potential advantages or disadvantages related to sun, wind, or the condition of the pitch itself.
- Kick-off Strategy: Some teams prefer to start with possession to try and build momentum or control the game from the outset, [notes Quora].
In conclusion, the soccer coin toss serves as a fundamental procedure for initiating the game, providing an element of fairness and allowing teams a strategic choice before play even begins.
How to do the coin toss in soccer?
Before the game starts, and before the start of extra time (when played), the referee calls the two captains together for the coin toss to decide which team will take the kick-off. If the captain who wins the coin toss: chooses which goal to attack in the first half, the other team takes the kick-off.
Who calls coin toss in soccer?
A soccer game starts with a coin toss. The captain of the away team calls heads or tails, and the winning captain gets to choose whether their team will take the first kickoff. In the second half, the kickoff is taken by the side that did not take it in the first.