Pace

In football, when someone says a player has pace, they mean the player is fast—usually with and without the ball. It’s about acceleration, sprinting ability, and the speed to outrun defenders or chase down attackers.

• Example: “Kylian Mbappé has blistering pace” means he’s one of the fastest players on the pitch, able to blow past defenders.

• Commentators often use it as shorthand for a winger, striker, or fullback who can change a game with raw speed.

Pace in the U.S.

In the United States, “pace” usually refers to tempo or rhythm, not just speed.

• In running, “pace” means how long it takes to cover a distance (e.g., “an 8-minute mile pace”).

• In basketball or American football, “pace of the game” means the speed or flow of play overall (fast-paced vs. slow-paced).

So if an American sports fan hears “that player’s got great pace,” they might think about game tempo—not an individual’s sprint speed.

👉 That’s why in football (soccer), “pace” has a very specific, almost singular meaning: straight-up speed.