Soccer - Learn The Player Positions

With the popularity of soccer increasing in North America a lot of people are beginning to take interest in the sport

. The recent World Cup and the fact that the U.S. had a team that did relatively well has further increased interest in the sport. But, if you are new to the sport formations and the positions that players play can be confusing. To help novice soccer fans we provide a simple primer on soccer positions.

Each team starts the game with eleven players, broken down generally as goalkeeper, sweeper, fullback, midfielder and forward.

Forwards, as the name implies, play forward and are the attackers and goal scorers. In most formations you will have three forwards, two on the wings and the stricker.The forwards primary objective is offense and scoring goals with the wings normally feeding the stricker who is the team's top scorer.Because of their offensive ability corner kicks are normally taken by one of the forwards.

Playing behind the forwards are the midfielders, usually numbering three, and much like the forwards lined up with one on either wing and another in the center. Midfielders have the difficult job of playing both offense and defense and must be able to switch from one to the other quickly. They have to support and set up the forwards for attacks and at the same time be ready to assist the defenders if the opposing team gets the ball.

Behind the midfielders are the fullbacks. Clearing the ball from their own zone and playing defense are their primary responsibilities.Again, they line up with one in the center and one on each wing. Known for their powerful kicking abilities, fullbacks are often asked to take free kicks especially for clearing the ball from their own zone.

Next to last is the sweeper who tends to play such as to guard the other team's best scorer and will shift their position depending on where that player is playing.

Finally, the goalkeeper is the last line of defense and stands right in front of their net to keep the ball from crossing the goal line.

While we've described a classic formation of 3-3-3-1-1, there are many different formations that are used depending on team strength, opposition weaknesses and even how much time is left in the game, but the positions tend to remain the same.

Hopefully this primer will help new fans to the sport of soccers appreciate the game a little more.

by: Gerry Lalonde

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