Question Number: 29489

Law 11 - Offside 6/20/2015

RE: Travel Under 19

JR of Herndon, VA USA asks...

Two attacking players are going to goal with only the goalkeeper between them and the goal (we'll presume that the defenders are super slow and didn't make it back in time). The first attacker has the ball and shoots on goal. The second attacker is even with the ball when the shot occurs. The ball strikes the post and bounces back to the second attacker whom collects the ball and shoots/scores. Since the second attacker is behind the ball when the first attacker played it (shot on goal), there is no offsides and the goal is allowed. Correct? In the same scenario, I'm also presuming that if the second attacker received the ball and, instead of shooting on goal, passed the ball over to the first attacker, then he would be considered offsides because there was no offsides 'reset' but I'm not certain if it matters if he was in front of the ball or after it after it was received by the second attacker (still presuming the other defenders didn't make it back in time to be part of the scenario). Do I have those two situations correct?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Offside position is determined by 3 things - the ball, the 2nd to last opponent, and the half line. A player must be ahead of all three to be in an offside position. And for the last decade or so, we've had the directive that 'even is on'.

In your scenarios you said the teammate was even with the ball when the player either took a shot on goal that rebounded, or made a cross pass. Since he's even, there is no offside for either one. Nothing about resetting, because there's nothing to reset.

If the teammate was ahead of the ball at the time of the shot or pass, then it would be offside when he played the ball, in both scenarios.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi JR,
offside position is determined at the moment of the last touch of the ball by the team mate.
When there is no 2nd last opponent the ball becomes the imaginary offside line.
For the receiving attacking opponent to be EVEN with the ball or further away than the ball from the opposing goal line when his team mate last touches the ball is fine and he can legally play/shoot the ball off the rebound as he was onside.

Key points to remember, the ball is only a foot wide and ALL his playable body parts must not push past that 12 inch round ball to be closer to the goal line than the leading edge/curve of the ball.

If the receiving attacker, who was onside at the time of the 1st shot picks up the ball and rather than shoot decides to pass that ball back to the original shooter then we revaluate offside at that ...NEW... crucial last touch /pass. As long as the 1st attacker is not ahead of the ball then he is onside if he was closer to the opposing goal then he would be offside!

In your presumptions, its not that offside is reset so much as it is... RE-EVALUATED.. at EVERY team mates touch! It might change the circumstances or it might not, it will depend on where players are at the time the ball is last touched in relationship to 2nd last opponents , ball, opposing goal line and midline.

KEY is to remember offside ...POSITION... is established as yes he is offside (thus restricted from playing the ball) or NO he is not offside (thus free to pursue and challenge for the ball wherever it is) at each and EVERY SINGLE TOUCH of the ball by a team mate.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi JR
If a player is in an onside position at the moment the ball is touched by a team mate it makes no difference if the play was a shot or a pass. In your two examples it made no difference if the team mate received the ball from a rebound or a pass because he was behind the ball at the moment of the play. In both situations it would be play on as there is no offside present.
Put the teammate ahead of the ball in both scenarios and it would be offside in both. One by interfering with play (the pass) and the other for gaining an advantage by being in that position (the rebound)
.