I'm not really sure on this but I think I would use the tip and make the grass on top of the cupcake and then use fondant to make the soccer balls or by the cupcake picks if you can find them with maybe a flag or soccer ball. HTH 
You want the cc top to be decorated like a soccer ball? or just a soccer theme?
I made baseball cupcakes last week (no picture). What I did was use an ice cream scoop the same size as the cupcake. I scooped the icing on. smoothed a little with the roller(Melvira method), then piped the baseball lines on. It looked like a baseball sitting on top of the cupcake. HTH
Kim
http://onceuponacupcake.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-04-05T12%3A01%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=50
made great sports themed cc's, scroll down to her 3.5.2008 post. actually I love the simplicity of all of her cc's, she does a fabulous job!
here are some from CC gallery:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=59454
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=139223
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=358403
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=365063
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=583723
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=588753
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=603903
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1220217
HTH
cupcakemkr.....I wasn't looking for anything special today, but wow!!!! thank you for the post. Learned so much and got some great new ideas
I just did soccer ball cupcakes 2 different ways. The first was a FBCT. And I did the second as recommended by Kim (thank you so much 
). They both turned out so cute, and I will post in my pictures soon. I am making my friend's son soccer ball cupcakes for his birthday. I wanted to do all buttercream too.
Mara
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