When a free kick is taken resulting in a goal, should the player standing near the goal area be penalized for offside?

The correct response is that a player cannot be offside during a free kick, which aligns with the rules of soccer regarding offside violations. According to the Laws of the Game, a player cannot be penalized for being in an offside position if the ball was directly played to them from a free kick. This means that regardless of their positioning, whether they remain stationary or are moving, they are not subject to the offside rule in this situation.

In the context of a free kick, the offside rule is put on pause. The player standing near the goal area is not involved in impacting the play in an offside manner during the execution of a direct or indirect free kick. Therefore, if the ball enters the goal as a direct result of a free kick, players who may have positions that could be deemed offside from a regular play scenario do not receive penalties or are ruled against for offside.

This understanding helps clarify that on restart situations like free kicks, the considerations for offside infringe on the usual dynamics of the game, allowing for different interpretations than during typical play.