It is widely considered the most popular game on earth. Played by millions of people from nearly every walk of life, and in nearly every nation, soccer football or futbol as it is commonly known beyond the borders of the United States is a sport that can be played by nearly anyone. Aside from the skills needed to maneuver the ball using your body, but not your hands except for the goal keeper soccer owes much of its international appeal to the fact that all you need to play is an open space and a single ball.
The mountains of equipment needed to play other sports like tennis, golf, baseball, American football, and so many others are an anathema to the soccer player. It is the ball, and only the ball, that one needs to play the game. But the soccer ball is not a generic item; there are many kinds of soccer balls on the market, and each has its own characteristics that differentiate it from the other balls.
At first glance it is hard to tell one soccer ball from another. Usually constructed in the same distinctive style, the trademark pentagonal and hexagonal panels make a soccer ball instantly recognizable. However, when you are trying to tell the...