scoring

A goal is scored when the ball ENTIRELY crosses over the goal line in the area defined by the inside edges of the goalposts and the crossbar. Unlike NFL-style gridiron football, it is not enough that the ball simply "break the plane" of the goal line. Instead, the entire ball must cross the entirety of the line for a goal to be awarded.

At the end of regulation time and any additional time added on, the team with the greater number of goals is declared the winner. If both teams have an equal number of goals, then the game is decided according to the competition guidelines.

In MLS, those guidelines allow for two five-minute, sudden-death overtime halves to be played in order to determine the winner. In those overtime periods, the first goal to be scored is the game-winner - the "golden goal." If neither side scores a goal in OT, the game is declared a draw.

In many other competitions, a game tied at the end of regulation is declared a draw, while others go directly to a penalty kick shootout tiebreaker. Still others have a mixture of overtimes and shootouts, or use one of many procedures approved by the International F.A. Board to determine the winner of a match.