Soccer involves running, cutting, jumping, and physical contact. Injuries happen. Most are minor and heal with rest.

Some are not minor. Here is what parents need to know before the season starts.

Ankle sprains: the most common soccer injury. A lateral ankle sprain from a cut or collision usually involves swelling, pain on the outside of the ankle, and difficulty bearing weight. Most recover in one to three weeks with RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and appropriate rehabilitation.

An ankle that is still swollen and painful after a week of rest needs imaging to rule out a fracture. Return to play too soon after an ankle sprain significantly increases re-injury risk.

Knee injuries: the serious one is the ACL. Female soccer players tear their ACL at a higher rate than male players, and the mechanism is often non-contact: a plant-and-cut move that puts the knee in a vulnerable position.

Signs of an ACL injury: a pop at the time of the injury, immediate swelling within hours, and the knee feeling unstable. This is a surgeon-and-MRI situation, not a wait-and-see one. ACL reconstruction and full return to play typically takes 9-12 months.

ACL prevention programs (like FIFA 11+) have evidence behind them. Ask your kid’s coach if the team uses one.

Growth plate injuries: unique to young athletes because their growth plates are not yet fully ossified. Osgood-Schlatter disease (pain below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches) and Sever’s disease (heel pain at the Achilles insertion) are the most common. Both are painful and manageable with rest, stretching, and load modification.

Neither requires surgery. Both will recur if the underlying growth-plate stress is not addressed.

Hamstring strains: most common in players who are growing fast. The muscle is tight relative to the bone growth, and sprinting puts stress on it.

Mild strains heal in one to two weeks. Grade 2-3 strains need imaging and a structured return-to-run protocol.

When to pull your kid immediately: any head injury (follow the same concussion protocol as any contact sport), any joint that locks up or gives way, any pain they describe as sharp rather than sore, and any moment where they are limping or compensating their movement significantly.

The rule worth having before the season: when in doubt, sit out and get it looked at. One week of missed practice to rule out a fracture is not a sacrifice. Playing through a stress fracture because it felt manageable at the tim