A 1-2-2-1 generally means a sweeper back defender, two wide defenders in front of the sweeper, two midfielders in front of the defenders, and a center forward. A 1-2-1-2 generally means a sweeper back defender, two wide defenders in front of the sweeper, a center midfielder, and two forwards. A 2-2-2 involves two defenders, two midfielders, and two forwards. You may play 7 v 7 or 8 v 8 (including a goalkeeper) and it is often difficult to decide on a proper formation.įor example, in 7 v 7 you may play a 3-3 or a 2-2-2 or a 1-2-1-2 or a 1-2-2-1.

Now, there is a need to assign positions to the players and to be certain that there are players who defend and players who advance in an effort to score.

The small-sided game maximizes the number of touches each player gets, and also gives them an opportunity to understand the basic concepts of the sport.Īt these beginning levels, the players are just starting to learn how and when to pass the ball, and you may have begun to introduce the concept of positions (for example, in 5 v 5 you may designate one or two players at a time to be “defenders,” or to be certain that they get back on defense every time).Īt some point, the number of players on the field expands, and the size of the field expands. They will eventually move to a 5 v 5 with a goalkeeper when they get to U-7 or U-8. At these ages, teams should use a 3 v 3 or 4 v 4 without goalkeepers. When children start playing soccer at younger ages (Under-6 and Under-8), the emphasis should be on small-sided soccer.

Diagram of soccer position numbers