When news broke Friday that Montreal is the next destination for MLS expansion, we were tongue-tied. More than half of the population in Montreal speaks French, meaning that a whole new vocabulary is in order for the league’s non-francophone supporters to make sure nothing gets lost in translation by 2012.
Here are the French translations of some of the most common soccer terms:
cleats:les crampons
coach:un entraineur
corner kick:un corner
defender:un défenseur
forward: un avant
game or match:le match
goalkeeper:un gardien de but, goal
goal kick: six mètres
halftime:la mi-temps
hand ball:une faute de main
header: une tête
offside: hors-jeu
pass:une passe
penalty kick:un pénalty
player:un joueur/un footballeur
playing field or pitch:le terrain de jeu
red card:le carton rouge
referee: un arbitre
to score (a goal):marquer (un but)
to shoot:tirer
to save (to make a save):faire un arrêt
soccer: le football, le foot
stoppage time:les arrêts de jeu
striker:un buteur
team: une équipe
yellow card: le carton jaune
