There are 11 positions in soccer. These eleven positions include ten outfield players and one goalkeeper. The most common formation of these positions on a soccer field consists of four players in defense, three in midfield, and three forwards. A number is assigned to each position. This started in the s to allow individuals to identify where players were on the field.
Below are the 11 soccer positions and how they are usually numbered. As with many sports, specific positions are assigned in soccer to make sure that each team can protect the soccer ball and defend their goal to the best of their ability. Check out my article — 21 Qualities of a Soccer Defender , and find out more about what it means to be a defender in soccer. Or go to my article all about Defensive Soccer Positions and go even deeper into this area.
In soccer, the midfielders are stationed in the middle of the field, between the forwards and defenders.
Their main job is to be a part of the attack and keep the ball pushing forwards towards the goal. Check out my article — The 11 Essential Roles of a Midfielder — to find out more about what it means to be a midfielder in soccer. Forwards typically score more goals than anyone else on the soccer field because of their strategic position.
Check out my article explaining the significance of the number 10 in soccer or have a look at another of my articles for a more in-depth understanding of the difference between a striker and a forward.
The next step in understanding the various soccer positions is making sure you know where each player is positioned on the soccer field. If you are the goalkeeper, you will spend most of your time by the soccer goal, at either end of the field and within the penalty box or area — the yard area that includes the goal area and is also centered in front of the soccer goal. If you are a sweeper, you will be positioned on the edge of the penalty box directly in front of each soccer goal.
The right and left fullbacks and center back are positioned just outside the penalty box. Midfielders spend the majority of their time playing in the middle third of the field, positioned between their attackers and their defenders. As stated earlier, goalkeepers are crucial because they are the last line of defense in protecting the goal.
A goalkeeper also plays an essential role in communicating with teammates by getting the ball out of the goal box and back to their teammates. Check out my article about the 8 Rules for every Goalie and find out much more about the role of a goalkeeper.
They also make important passes to their teammates, mostly down the sides of the soccer field. The center back has the job of making sure the penalty box and goal are protected. If used, a sweeper is crucial because they add an extra layer of protection to the goal.
They block shots, pass the ball, and move the ball forward back to their teammates. Midfielders have the critical role of connecting the team. Because midfielders play the center of the field, they can move forward and play offense or pull back and play defense. Stamina is a must for the central midfielder.
The attacking-midfielder can almost be considered a forward, but their defensive duties are needed from time to time as well. They sit right behind the striker and act as a link-up between the midfield and the forward. The defensive-midfielder sits just in front of the defense and a little deeper than the left and right midfielders.
This role requires strength and a lot of positional awareness. These players are usually very comfortable on the ball, and like to feed passes to any of the multiple positions in front of them. The center-back is a strong statured player. Their main job is to protect the ball from getting close to the goalkeeper. In a standard formation there are two center-backs that maintain the last line of defense. They tend to be an aerial threat when attacking, but find themselves sitting back most of the time.
The full-backs, also known as left-back and right-back, are the width of the defense. While players of this position like to attack, their main objective is to always sprint back and defend. Soccer goalies wear specialized soccer goalie gear , including gloves, and often opt for long sleeves for additional protection.
They wear a different color jersey than the rest of the team, so everyone on the field can tell them apart from other positions youth teams may use a pinnie to designate the goalie. They can also wear shorts and pants made specifically for the position. More specifically, there can be center backs, fullbacks, wingbacks and one sweeper. As you could probably guess, midfielders, or halfbacks, play mostly in the middle of the field.
Mids usually see the most action during a game. Their main objective is to score as often as possible. They are usually the quickest on the field and must have exceptional ball control. They should be able to take a shot from all angles, even directly off a pass. The overarching responsibilities for each position on the field stay the same, but it is the ability to flow as a unit and show creativity that truly makes soccer a beautiful game. Typically, these field players are broken out into three key zones, with the formation being set up from back to front defense to midfield to forward.
That means a formation has four defensive players, four midfielders and two forwards. Sometimes coaches will divide the three main sections further, causing formations such as a , with one sweeper, four defensive players, three mids and two forwards; or a , which has four defenders, four mids, one second striker and one striker.
Soccer tends to favor a formation. Two common variations of the formation are a defensive setup and an attack-minded setup, based on where the 8 lines up. Generally, the 8 is a box-to-box player, so this can rotate continually through the game to react to the run of play. Another popular formation in soccer is the This is commonly run with a diamond shape in the midfield but can also feature a flat midfield. Keep in mind that these are just some common formations and there are several you may see or use in the game.
Every coach has a different style and there are multiple ways they could choose to set up formations. When you know the key responsibilities of each position and how numbers and formations factor in, you can start applying strategy to your gameplay.
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