GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!

We just saw team USA beat Ghana. It was an exciting game for America since Ghana beat team USA in a close game four years ago. But the sport of football soccer is much older than both of these countries. 

One of the early sports credited as an origin of soccer is Episkyros, an Ancient Greek ball game. It was played between two teams of about 12 people and unlike soccer, players could use their hands. Each team attempted to throw the ball over the heads of the other team and force the team to cross a white line. 

When the Romans came along, they claimed the game as their own, just as they had with Greek mythology. The Roman version, Harpastum, was played with a small, hard ball, probably similar to a soft ball. Their version required a lot of agility and speed. Both versions were rough and many players were injured. In one case, a spectator was injured. 

In China in 202BCE, the game became more like modern soccer. The Chinese version disallowed the use of hands and points were obtained by kicking the ball through a hole in a net. FIFA sees this game, Cuju, as the earliest form of soccer. It was used during the Han dynasty as military exercises. 

Enjoy the World Cup!