Soccer is a game of many terms, and there’s a fair amount of jargon associated with the sport. For beginners, then, it can be difficult to come to terms with all of the different terms and phrases.
And one question that we hear a lot is this – what is a brace in soccer?
So, to set the record straight and to give you an insight into what this term means, we explain in detail what a brace in soccer is and why it’s undoubtedly a good thing.
So, what is a brace in soccer?
In soccer, a brace is when a player scores two goals in the same match. This is contrary to the common meaning of the word ‘brace,’ but it has been used in soccer for generations. Some people refer to a brace in soccer as a double, but it refers to the same thing.
How many goals do you need to score for a brace?
In soccer, when the same player scores two goals in the same match, it’s regarded as a brace. You might hear commentators refer to this when they’re relaying the information live on TV or the radio, as it’s common parlance among broadcasters.
Typically, attackers are more likely to score a brace than any other player on the field, but it’s not uncommon for midfielders to score two goals in the same game. In fact, even defenders will score a brace once in a while, so practically anyone on the field can potentially score a double.
You should note that it’s only regarded as a brace if the same player scores both goals. You wouldn’t hear a commentator say that a team has scored a brace if they net two goals in the same game, but it is a common term used to explain when the same player has bagged two goals.
What’s the difference between a brace and a hat-trick?
The difference between a brace and a hat-trick is that a brace refers to two goals scored by the same person, while a hat-trick is the term given when someone scores three goals. The term ‘hat-trick’ was actually borrowed from cricket, but it has been used in soccer for generations.
Of course, scoring a hat-trick is more impressive than a brace, but it’s not something that is regularly achieved in soccer. To mark the occasion of a hat-trick in professional soccer, the player gets to keep the match ball as a souvenir.
The players on both teams usually then sign the ball, so the player can keep it as a memento. This doesn’t happen when a player scores a brace, and the practice of keeping the match ball is a tradition that is only reserved for the professional game.
After all, if hat-trick heroes kept the match ball in recreational soccer, things would get expensive pretty quickly for amateur clubs!
Do you get anything for scoring a brace in soccer?
Unlike when you score a hat-trick, you don’t get anything tangible for scoring a brace in soccer. That being said, you will get recognition and congratulations from your teammates, as scoring a brace is certainly impressive.
The goals that you have scored will also contribute to your season total, which will help you climb the rankings if you’re hoping to win the season’s golden boot or top goalscorer award. So, although you won’t leave the field with a prize, you can certainly be proud of scoring a brace.
One other thing to note is that if you score a brace, you’re likely to receive the player of the match award. This is particularly the case if the match has been fairly tight and your brace has resulted in a win for your team, so you won’t necessarily leave the pitch empty-handed.
What happens if you score a brace of own goals?
As you might expect, scoring a brace is something to be cherished. However, if you score two own goals in the same game, that’s a brace most players don’t want to be associated with. However, if you have the misfortune of finding the back of your own net twice in the same game, the goals still stand.
Your teammates will probably give you a bit of stick, but it’s something you will need to deal with and move on. In most instances, it’s difficult to avoid own goals, and if you find that you’ve scored two in the same match, it’s important not to dwell on it.
Spare a thought for former Stoke City player Jon Walters, for instance. Back in 2013, in a match against Chelsea, Walters ignominiously scored two own goals and missed a penalty. The fact that he’s a striker makes the feat even more impressive, as it’s usually defenders that score a brace of own goals in the same game.
So, if you find yourself in the difficult situation of scoring more than one own goal in the same match, consider yourself lucky that you didn’t do it in front of thousands of people in the EPL like Jon Walters!
Recap: A brace in soccer explained
As so many people ask the question – “what is a brace in soccer?” – we felt it was important to answer it definitively. As we’ve explored, it is a term used to refer to two goals scored by the same player in the same match.
Scoring a brace is an impressive achievement in soccer, and although you might not leave the field with the match ball like you do when you score a hat-trick, there’s a possibility that you will be offered the player of the match award for all of your efforts.