Elevate Your Soccer IQ

Mistakes & Turnover don’t matter, we keep going & we keep putting the effort.

Let's watch Miami's defensive shape & see how they make the rival team go wide & eventually win the ball by playing smart.

Let's watch how to avoid going offsides while not losing your momentum.

Let's watch this great goal but analyze what the outside back & centerback could have done a little better.

A lot goes into playing the perfect early cross. Let’s get into it.

If you aren’t sure if you can handle the space behind, it’s best to stay home and let the defenders defend so you don’t end up in no-man’s land.

You want to know why every coach wants you to juggle, pop the ball up and work on controlling it? Mastering controlling a long ball leads to beautiful goals like this one.

As an outside back moving forward, you should have multiple options with the ball: give and go with the winger, cross to the penalty spot, or look for the CAM. So how do you decide which is the best option?

Unsung heroes are still heroes. This is a great example of how a Center Mid stops a counter attack in its tracks. Absolutely amazing play.

A peek inside the thought process of a professional Centerback looking to start the attack.

Most goals are scored in the box, but most shots are practiced from outside the box. Instead of practicing a driven shot, make sure you have a chip shot in your skills bag — the reason most longer range shots end up 30 rows back is many strikers put too much on the ball rather than perfecting placement

Too often, wingers go for the 1 v 1 against the outside back, trying to beat them so they can get a cross off. The thing is, all you need is a little space and you can get it without risking losing the ball.

Checking away from the ball then checking to it is a simple movement — but it works very well to create space even at the highest level of the game.

Good footwork means you can cover more of the goal.

When the attacking player you’re marking drops into space, it’s natural to move up with them. But you have to be ready to make a recovery run so you are not creating a lot of space behind you.

We shared this video for keepers to learn about game management, but it’s good for strikers too. Just another reason to play in the defense’s blind spot.

Look at your foot placement — if you’re flat footed, you need to be behind the attacker and block their run. If you’re facing the sideline, you’re ready to drop back.

When the other team is going for the cross, your job defending against it is to make the other player’s job more difficult. If you can block the cross, force them to play a less than perfect ball. If you’re marking a striker going near post, step in front of them to slow them down.

The little details that make up this goal the entire team earned couldn’t be done better if it was scripted.

When a team moves forward like this, there’s little the defense can do. Watch this again and again and see what the player in the position you play does.

Watching the striker’s forehead to see a split second earlier where the ball is going can make all the difference.

Sometimes the movement is very subtle, but all it has to do is create a little bit of space and separation from the defender for you to get a touch on the ball.

It’s typically better to play a curled shot deeper as it will likely curl back towards you near the goal line versus curling around you with a higher line.

When going for a foot save, just present your foot in the path of the ball. Swinging your foot at the ball just makes everything more complicated.

Stay balanced and - if you don’t have a scouting report - see what clues the penalty taker gives you.

Look at the Goalie’s decision-making here. The moment they see it’s going to be a pass they charge to take up the space. They shrink their steps to make sure they are in full control when the ball is going to be shot and make a great save from a dangerous chance.

Whatever your decision, commit to it and don’t second guess yourself.

When defending a corner, communication is key. If you want to punch the ball out, command the space and make sure your defender hears you.

When your defense is holding a high line on a free kick, it’s the Keeper’s job to close down space behind the defense. This is why.

Textbook GoalKeeping for handling a freekick from the top of the box.

Hindsight is always 20/20 — as a Keeper, you should hope your back line is always keeping track of the attacking players, but in the waning moments of a game it’s easy for everyone to miss someone — especially if you think the game is going to get whistled at when you play the ball out.

A common dread-inducing moment when your in goal centers around the cutback cross. Here’s how to handle it perfectly.

Big Keepers Make Big Saves in Big Games.

Cruyff (who played goalie in Ajax’s academy) said the keeper is responsible for 5 of the 7 meters of the goal, with the defenders covering the other 2. Here’s a great example of positioning yourself to cover your 5 meters.

A strong shot from 18 yards often has your view slightly screened. To be able to make a save, you have to have perfect positioning.

When your team isn’t set up well to handle a corner kick, your positioning as the GK is key in preventing a goal. Seems straightforward, but it is anything but.

Two plays from the same game from the same keeper. One that breaks the press and leads to a goal and one that is almost a WPIOOTBGW (When Playing It Out of the Back Goes Wrong) clip.

When you’re building out of the back, look at the pockets of space to pass into when keeping the ball on the ground. This is a great long pass to the striker, who pulls the other team’s CB out of position and creates a great chance on goal.

When we talk about playing out of the back, we often talk about short passes to the outside backs or the CDM. But here’s how to look at playing more directly with a long, multiple lines-breaking pass straight to the Striker.

Nowadays, the Goalkeeper truly is the first attacker. A great example of how to play out of the back in this play.

Communication is key when you’re coming off the line. You need to let your defender know if you’re coming out to win the ball.

When the winger or outside back is coming at you in a 1 v 1, don’t get flat footed with your feet facing away from your goal. Orient towards the sideline and you’re in a better position. Stay side facing.

Your technique when diving forward determines if you lock up the ball, if it bounces out for a rebound, or if the ball gets through. A step-by-step on how to do it right.

A striker’s job is to score goals, but they can do so much more for their team. Watch this reaction after the shot.

A CB highlight reel often is filled with either plays by the other team that fizzle out due to good positioning or recovering from mistakes like this beautiful tackle. What do you want more of in your hightlight reel?

When the cross is a little behind you or the defender is overcommitted to the near side, this simple move will create a great chance on goal.

When you parry the ball, try to parry it into a safe space. If you can’t, make sure any rebound isn’t a tap in. Hard to do, but saves a goal if you just don’t give up.

All you need is a little bit of space to get a shot off.

Create space between you and the striker to receive the ball, but if you don’t get it, it’s an immediate sprint up to close down space.

The definition of a good cross is one that is easy for your teammate to receive and get a good chance on goal. Here are two great ones in two different situations.

If you aren’t the fastest player on the field, you need to look closely at your positioning and footwork when getting in a race with someone quicker than you.

When attacking as a winger, thinking about what you can do to create more space often leads to chances like this one. Simple idea, perfect execution.

Two learning moments for CBs in this video: deciding when to dribble out of the back (and when to pass it back to your keeper) and handling a 2 v 1 as a CB.

When you get a yellow and you think it was a bad call, getting angry and frustrated is natural. But you have to stay aware of the line in the sand when the ref will be ok with you complaining and when you’ll get a red card for it.

As a Winger, the most thankless job you have is make runs to pull defenders and create pockets of space. It doesn’t always work out, but forcing defenders to make decisions will open up opportunities all game.

As an attacking Outside Back, this is a relatively simple move to master that will create countless chances from rec leagues to the pros: after you pass to your winger on the outside, immediately cut inside of your defender an be an outlet.

If, as an Outside Back, you are unsure what decision to make, choosing to force the pass outside is often the best option. They might still get a shot off, but it will be a easier shot to save for your Keeper if it’s on target.

When you’re taking on an outside back in a 1 v 1, keeping your pace high can create all sorts of opportunities.

When you’re attacking, have the ball at your feet once you’re inside the 18, and have the defenders rushing to get back, what do you do?

Attacking midfielders love to play a line-breaking pass. Defenders can get them to change their mind by staying together and be facing the sideline (and thus ready for a footrace with the strikers).

When your team is switching fields, the defense is going to switch too. As a winger, watch for the outside back that is supposed to be marking you. If they’re watching the ball, you likely have a great chance to make a run behind and create a great chance on goal.

More often than not, the best defending in a 1 v 1 isn’t winning the ball. Stay goalside, slow them down, and give your teammates time to recover and help you out.

When you’re going near post, often the best option is to aim for the Keeper’s head. Not that you’re trying to hurt them, but it takes them too long to get their hands up and you can sneak it past just over their shoulder.

Successful team defending requires everyone doing their part and strong communication (both verbal and nonverbal) to make sure the other team doesn’t overload and create chances. An example here.

A Ball Playing Centerback is the profile that every scout and coach is looking for these days. Here are three examples of how to read the defense and find the space as a CB.

Top strikers work on both sides of the ball. Trying to win the ball from CBs will fill them with dread and play sloppy balls…or you create an opportunity like this.

Creating space on when you’re attacking is music to every coach’s ears. This is a great example of a winger cutting inside to create space behind him and use the defender’s momentum to create massive pockets for his team to exploit.

Textbook example of how to put pressure on a winger and get in perfect position to win a footrace. Just keep your hands down and you win this every time.

When you’re defending and the outside back on your side is making an overlapping run, the best option as a recovering winger is almost always to take the player with the ball and let your teammate pick up the run.

When you’re in the defender’s blind spot and your teammate has time on the ball, make a bellying run and you can get a great chance on goal. Even if it doesn’t go in, the defender has to mark you better for the rest of the game, creating more space in the middle of the field.

This one is pretty straightforward — watch the player in your position and see what she does. Everyone did their job exactly as they should have.

This is the kind of play that is often overlooked by fans watching the game, but gets coaches excited about a player. This is what you want to see from your CB or OB in this situation.

Soccer is simple in theory: on offense we create as much space as we can, on defense we shrink space. Here’s a great example of a Striker working to create space to create a goal, and then the CB learning from his mistake a few minutes later.

As an outside back, there is a simple trick to finding the perfect pass to your attackers. Start by checking the furthest away player to see if they are an option and then come closer.

Look at the CB’s decision-making on this play. Don’t stab, don’t get beat, slow the striker down until you have support.

Same play as the Preventing the Deep Run video, but look at it from the other side. When the deep run is cut off, what pass should the CB make?

When the opposition CB or CDM has the ball and space, often they’re going to look for a long ball over the defense for their striker to run on to. Here’s how to prevent that ball from coming in.

The truth is it’s hard to see elite defending from CBs because their opponents are trying to take advantage of their mistakes. If the CBs are doing their job, the CM with the ball is going to drop it or switch fields. This is great defending.

Getting the right positioning and not letting them win the ball at the same time. No need to worry about clearing it until after you make sure they aren’t going to get a clean header.

Two common things CAMs can do to be consistently great: finding the pocket between the CBs and the the CDM, then play empathetically so that your teammate has an easy pass to get you the ball. Do those two things consistently and the other team is going to have a tough time containing you.

When you have the ball, the first man is the one passing it. The second man is the one receiving it. The third man is the outlet to the teammate receiving the pass. Making the run as the third man creates so many opportunities and drives defenses crazy.

CMs have a lot of responsibility in the middle of the park — they have to be able to support their teammates and be an outlet. Here’s a great example of a CM in the middle of their decision-making process and helping his teammates every step of the way.

Look at how the CM and RW combine for this play. The CM takes space, the RW looks for the ball behind the defense, and a small feint of a pass unbalances the defense for a perfect throughball.

Controlling your emotions is one of the most important aspects of the game. When your emotions control you, it hurts your team.

Sometimes refs miss calls, sometimes they don’t but you think they did. Keep playing and be careful about picking fights with the ref.

Does it feel like your team isn’t passing you the ball enough? Time to go get it yourself and create your own chances.

If a defender sees you, as a CAM, making a run, they are going to think you are looking for a footrace with them. This creates a lot of space behind you. See how it works in this play.

As a CAM, you should do this all day: create a pocket, pass the ball to your striker (or winger), then make a run. If you do this again and again, you’re going to get a lot of G+A in every game.

On offense you want to create space (whereas on defense you want to shrink space). This is a great chance created by the winger pinching into the middle of the field and playing as a CM to create a great chance on goal.

When resetting the attack, we commonly expect to switch fields to the weak side as that’s where the space is. But a well timed (meaning after the defense has started switching sides) line-breaking pass back to the strong side leads to some great goal scoring opportunities.

‘Stand them up’ is often the best 1 v 1 defense. You don’t have to win the ball, just don’t let them by you to create a good chance. Textbook examples that will kill the other team’s opportunities every time.

It’s a simple movement — when you as the CAM receive the ball, cutting in front of the CDM chasing you down creates a lot of space to work with. But this play doesn’t stop there.

Wingers and Outside Backs love the cutback cross as it’s hard to defend. A good defensive midfielder can neutralize it — they just have to anticipate the play a few seconds before the ball is played.

A soccer field is large, and good defenders will do everything they can to make it smaller. As an Attacking Mid, your job is to find the pocket of space the defenders create and use it to your advantage.

A well timed move by a CDM can take pressure off of the OB and the CB at the same time, allowing them to focus on a single threat rather than multiple, and stop an attack in its tracks.

CDMs don’t need to be fancy — what they need is good positioning. Here’s a great example of one of the best CDMs to play in MLS and how he moved off the ball quickly and smoothly to ensure there was no chance of a counterattack.

This is the kind of work that coaches love.

As a CM, receiving the ball while shielding it from the defender and turning upfield is one of the most effective turns you can learn.

See one of the best all time at it in action and learn to make this instinctual. You’ll drive every coach your team plays against mad if you do.

Pushing forward as a DM is a good way to overload the other team…but it leaves you open for a strong counterattack. Tracking back to fill in space is one of the most important runs a DM will make in a game.

Legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly once said, “If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we'll discuss your options afterwards.”

Sometimes, as players, we overcomplicate things. Sometimes, just committing to crash the box is the right move.

Center Mids are constantly operating with little to no space. Finding a way to switch fields keeps the defense pinned back, creating more space to work with for the rest of the game.

When defending, focus on shrinking space — if you are going to press, you create space behind you.

When your team has the ball, you want to create space. And there’s often space between the last defender and the keeper. Here’s how to use it.

The best strikers just now how to score. Sometimes that inolves poaching, sometimes they have to create the chance from midfield.

This is how you get involved in the buildup as a striker.

When your partner CB is goalside, it’s your job to be in line with them. It’s the easiest way to close down space in front of the goal and helps to defend against the early cross.

When trying to score a goal, timing is everything. It’s not always a full out sprint as you want to be in the right place at the right time — too early or too late and the goalscoring opportunity is usually gone. Here’s how to adjust.

When your team has the ball and time to look up and see the space, check in then go.