Football and Foosball

I grew up playing football, and I was pretty adept at tackling back in the day. Playing defense was always my forte, until my high school coach told me I was too small. Then I had to scramble to find myself a new position, since my attempts to grow six inches and 30 pounds of muscle overnight failed. It wasn't such a bad thing in the end. Offense is more fun anyway. Speeding downfield with the ball . . . shaking defenders with slick moves . . . shooting the ball past the keeper into the back of the net - it gets you pumped up just daydreaming about it.

Did I lose you for a second, there, with that bit about shooting the ball into the net? That's right, I'm talking about European football. I love the NFL, but soccer has always been my game. Don't worry, I won't confuse you or patronize you with the whole "football vs. futbol" thing anymore. But while we're on the topic, can someone explain where the word "foosball" came from? That's definitely a fun game, but in what way is it at all representative of soccer?