Soccer+101

__**Quiz**__ https://www.competitivedge.com/athletes-%E2%80%9Chow-tough-are-you%E2%80%9D-0

__**Our Warm-up Routine**__

__**Some perspective on the 3-5-2 formation.**__

http://www.soccermaniak.com/3-5-2-soccer-formation.html

http://www.msysa.org/docs/3-5-2.pdf

__** Formation: **__

The formation we would like to run is a version of a 4-5-1. In the graphic below, the player #1 represents our keeper. I will explain the formation from the back to the front. This represents our philosophy. We like to build our teams from the back with a strong defense. In the picture, we are using a sweeper/stopper formation with the #2 playing sweeper and the #5 being the stopper. These two players need to work together and "off" of each other. The #3 and #4 players represent our defensive backs. In our formation, we expect these players to always offer support when the ball is on their side of the field and to be an offensive option for us. Players #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10 are all considered to be midfielders. If you look, it is obvious that #6, #7, and #10 form a diamond formation with our stopper (#5) being the bottom of the diamond. We like this look because it provides balance and shape when players are committed to staying in their positions. #10 is our attacking mid (AM). This player is really the second striker. Much like the sweeper and stopper, the AM and the striker need to work together and work off of each other for us to be successful. The #9 and #8 are the wingers or we commonly call them outside mids. These need to our most condition athletes as they need to mark and attack from goal line to goal line. It is also very important for us that these players possess the ability to beat defenders in a 1 v 1 situation. #11 is our striker. Their job is to apply constant pressure to the back of our opponents defense and to win balls for us. At times the striker will need to take on defenders, but more often they are asked to hold the ball and helps us build a team attack.

__** Pressure, Cover, Balance: **__

In practice, we talked about how important it is that we have pressure, cover, and balance when we are defending. We also talked about how there are 10 defenders on the field at all times. Below is a diagram of a typical moment during a soccer game. Our team is represented by the yellow dots and our opponents by the red triangles. Our team has just lost possession to one of the opposing center backs. It could have been a bad pass or poor touch. It could be that the center back just made a great play. This happens all the time. What is important is how we respond to it. Remember that #11 is our striker, #10 is the attacking mid, and #9 is our outside mid. Move to the next slide to see how they should move.



In this slide, you will see that our striker (#11) is applying pressure and forcing the center back (#3) into one option; a pass to the outside back. This is a pretty standard play and a safe call if you were the center back. The center back could play the keeper (#1) but with pressure already coming, I would not consider this a safe play. This is a good start, but what happens next is crucial.



In this slide, we can see that we have good pressure, cover, and balance. The striker has taken an angle toward the ball that makes a return pass impossible. By doing so, she is also providing coverage. At the same time, the outside mid (#9) has stepped up to apply the pressure, but she has not over-committed. The outside back has applied coverage to their outside mid (#8) while our center mids and attacking mid are providing balance. This is so important. Without the balance we can lose our shape and open ourselves up to a major counter, as you will see in the final slide.

In this slide, we see what happens when we don't have proper pressure, cover, and balance. The problems start with the striker taking a poor angle to the ball. This leave the center back open as an option should the outside back need it. Our outside mid #9, has not closed the gap to apply pressure on the ball. This means their outside back has time to turn and attack or to survey the options. Perhaps the worst part is that we have no balance. All of our center mids (#6, #7, and #10) have been caught in the counter attack and have not stayed with their marks. This opens up the midfield for a penetrating pass, which can lead to scoring opportunities. As you can see with the red arrow, if successful, this pass gives the red team a 4 v 3 advantage. The vast majority of goals at our level are scored from the middle of the field so keeping our opponents outside is helpful for us. Hopefully this helps to demonstrate the importance of pressure, coverage and balance. Defending

http://youtu.be/GqJ9u2-hPN4