American football, not soccer. The game consists of "plays" that begin with the two teams lined up opposing each other on the "line of scrimmage," The ball is "hiked" back to the quarterback, who then hands the ball off to another player for a run, or attempts to pass the ball. The play ends when the player with the ball is brought to the ground.
There is an entire book of "plays" the offense chooses from. Who is on the field, where do they line up, who blocks whom, where do the receivers run to catch the ball, etc.
Before each play, there is a huddle where the offense is told (by coach or QB) what play they are going to run. That is "calling a play."
In this case, the author is comparing her lack of understanding of the cooking procedure with her lack of understanding of football.
