Football Glossary, Letter N

Narrowing the angle

A goalkeeping move where the keeper goes closer to an attacker or moves to a certain spot in order to limit the angle he can shoot at

NASL

(a) North American Soccer League, a former professional league in the United States and Canada (1968-1984);
(b) A league founded in April 2011 with teams from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico

National team

The set of soccer players that represent a country in international competitions; only a citizen of a country can be called into the national team

Near corner

The corner nearest to the location of the ball

Near post

The goalpost closest to the location of the ball; the near and far posts are always relative to the ball position

Near stopper

The defender positioned at the center of the defensive line, typically the most gifted defender of a team; also called center back

Netting

The act of finishing, to score or attempt to score a goal after a pass is made

Neutral venue

When a game takes place in a stadium that is not home to either of the competitors, then it is staged in a neutral venue

Nil

British word for “zero”

Non-league football

In England, any club that does not play in the Football and Premier Leagues, the two highest football divisions of the country; called such because all top clubs formerly belonged to the Football League and so the rest were non-league

Nutmeg

A move where an attacker kicks the ball in between the legs of an opponent to get around him