The leap to 7v7 soccer

This document addresses the 7v7 soccer game format, with an emphasis on positional play and team shape. 7v7 is the standard game format for under-9 and under-10 players. Our Junior Academy players (under-8 and under-7) normally play 5v5, but they are scheduled for occasional 7v7 games to get a taste of the future.

Some of the concepts in this document will likely challenge Junior Academy players. So we recommend parents review this with their daughters. Parents can see if their daughter understands a concept, and can help them through any moments of confusion or misunderstanding. (If parents want or need more info about a concept, please ask your daughters coach. Right after practice is the ideal time.)

Quick links:

The 7v7 format:

General thoughts:

  • This is still soccer! It’s just a bigger field, with more players on each team.
  • There are more opponents than usual, so you’ll have the most success if you mix dribbling and passing.
  • The biggest keys to success:
    • Keep the ball! You don’t have to score a goal every time you have the ball, but we want you to try your best to keep it. You can keep the ball either by dribbling away from defenders, or passing to an open teammate. So don’t forget to look around after each touch so you can find open space or open teammates.
    • Keep your teammates involved.
    • Quickly transition (switch) from attacking team shape to defensive team shape as soon as we lose the ball. See “Getting goal side.”
    • Quickly transition (switch) from defensive team shape to attacking team shape as soon as we win the ball. See “Getting wide.”
    • Talk to each other. See “Communication” for more details.

Positions / Team Shape:

We add two players to our usual 5v5 setup. We add a second center back, and we introduce a center midfielder (also called center mid or medio).

Goalkeeper (GK):

  • Our goalie can use her hands inside both the big box (the penalty area) and the small box (the goal area).
  • She needs to be willing to step out of her box to stop break-aways.
  • Positional sense:  When the other team has the ball, it’s OK for our goalie to come forward. But how far? She shouldn’t come out far enough to be even with (or in front of) our center backs. She should setup 10-15 yards behind the center backs. If she’s behind the center backs, she becomes another layer of defense if an opponent beats a center back. (Extra layers of defense? Good!) But if she’s even with the center backs, one dribbling touch or pass could beat our center back(s) and goalie. (One touch beats 2-3 of our players at the same time? Bad!)
  • She can use her feet anytime she is outside the big box.
  • She should get open for her center backs if they have the ball and are under pressure. (This is a case when our goalkeeper should think like an attacking player.)
  • See “goalie possession” for details about the differences between restarts after goalie saves, and restarts after missed shots that go out of bounds.

More about goalkeepers:  Our thoughts about goalkeepers

Center backs (LCB and RCB):

  • Defending:  Center backs are very important to our defensive success. The center backs need to work together. “Pressure” and “cover” in defense, and “support” in attack. The center backs should be able to see all seven opponents without having to turn around.
  • Attacking:  Center backs can help by making good passes. (They can see more of the field than most players). They can also help by providing support behind at an angle if their wing back has the ball and is under pressure.
  • Attacking, part 2:  A center back can dribble, but she should avoid dribbling in “danger ball” areas such as in front of her own goal. If a center back has open space outside the danger zone, she’s free to dribble. The other center back should drop back behind her teammate into a support position in case her teammate loses the ball.

Wing backs (LWB and RWB):

  • Attacking: They need to “open up” (move forward and toward the sideline) when we are attacking.
  • Defending: Wing backs need to “drop back” and connect to the center backs when we are defending. When we defend, we want both center backs and both wing backs to defend. Having four players in defensive positions will make it hard for the opponent to score.

Center midfielder (CM):

  • Attacking: She can go anywhere, but usually sets up in the middle of the field and looks to shoot or pass to the forward or wing players.
  • Defending: Get “goal side:” drop back between the ball and the goal the other team is attacking.

Forward (F):

  • She sets up in front of the other players and tries to get open for the wing backs and center midfielder.
  • Attacking: When attacking, she looks to take shots or make passes to her center midfielder or wing players.
  • Defending: When defending, she needs to pressure the opponent’s backs and goalkeeper.

Getting goal side (transitioning into defense):

  • Getting goal side means getting between the opponent and our goal, or between the ball and our goal. This helps block the path for the opponent to go toward our goal and also gives your teammates time to run back and help stop the opponent.
  • Get goal side as soon as possible after we lose the ball.
  • The center backs get goal side of the opponent’s forwards
  • The wing backs get goal side of the opponent’s wide players.
  • The center mid gets goal side of the ball.
  • The forward stays alert and ready to pressure the opponent’s back(s).

Getting wide (transitioning into attack):

  • Transition into attack as soon as possible after we win the ball.
  • Our ball-side wing back gets wide, which means she moves closer to the sideline than to the center of the field.
  • The far-side wing back moves to her side of the field (inside channel), but stays on the far post side of the goal.
  • The forward moves toward the goal we are attacking.
  • The center mid moves into open space, but doesn’t setup in the same area as our forward.
  • The player with the ball should have some teammates open for a pass. An early pass forward to an open player can setup a goal-scoring chance.
  • The center backs move up toward the center line.
  • Our goalie moves up just enough to protect the space behind our center backs.

Common team shape errors:

Girls trying to set a crowding record:

Here’s an example of a 6-girl blob, all on the same team!. It’s more likely to be a 9-10 girl blob after you add opponents. The best way to avoid a blob is to glance around as you dribble. If you’re heading into a blob, either pass to a teammate who is open, or change directions to go away from the blob.

Other problems: The goalie is on her line. The center backs are too far forward. If the opponent wins the ball in the blob, one firm touch could beat all six of our field players.

Attacking team shape after corrections:

The center mid still has the ball, but her forward and wing backs have moved into open space. The forward has even gotten open on the far post side of the goal. (That makes coach Ward happy.)

The center backs have remembered that the 2nd word in “center back” is “back.” And our goalie is covering the space behind the center backs.

Center backs disappear:

Here’s an example of center backs disappearing. They forgot that the first word in “center back” is “center,” while the second word in “center back” is “back.” Another no-no: our right wing back is daydreaming. And our goalie is way too close to her own goal.

Defensive team shape after corrections:

Much better! The center backs have gotten goalside of the ball. This will slow down the opponent as she tries to attack.

The goalie and right wing back have both gotten into better positions. They are now in position to help their own team, instead of just hanging out and watching the other team attack open space.

Center backs are too deep (disconnected from teammates):

Here’s an example of stationary center backs, setting up as if they are locked to the corners of the penalty area.

Bad news:  If an opponent wins the ball from our center mid, she’ll have 20 yards or more to dribble without any defensive pressure. An opponent with a head start is much harder to defend than one who is going slow to keep the ball.

Defensive team shape after center backs connect to their teammates:

Much better! The center backs have moved up into the midfield area. If an opponent wins the ball from our center mid, she’ll face immediate pressure from either or both of our center backs.

Our goalie has also moved up the field. She is close enough to defend the space behind our center backs. But not so close that an opponent could beat one of our center backs and our goalie with a single touch.

Communication:

We can help ourselves by talking to each other. Let players know where you want them, or let them know that you like their current position. Alert teammates to attacking opportunities or potential danger.

  • The goalie should talk to her center backs.
  • The center backs should talk to their wing backs and center midfielder.
  • The center mid should talk to the forward and wing backs.
  • The wing backs and should talk to our center mid and forward.

Channels:

  • Center backs and our center mid usually stay in the center and inside channels.
  • Wing backs normally stay in the wide or inside channels.
  • Forward normally stays in the center and inside channels in the attacking half of the field..

Goalkeeper rules:

  • Goal kick after a missed shot. The ball went out of bounds, so this is a dead ball restart. The goalie can set the ball anywhere in the goal area (the smaller box) before kicking the ball. The ball is live when the goalie kicks it.
  • Getting the ball back into play after a save: It’s a live ball, because it didn’t go out of bounds. The other team can’t challenge for the ball while the goalie is holding it. (The other team has to stay behind the get-back line.) The ball becomes live as soon as the keeper either kicks it, throws it, or sets the ball down onto the ground. See “goalie possession” below for more details.

Goalie possession:  different restart rules for saves and missed shots

  • If our goalie makes a save, she should keep hold of the ball, relax for a moment, and then take a couple of breaths while looking around. She’s looking for an open teammate, and also checking to make sure the opponents are behind the get-back line.
  • Our goalie should then find the teammate who has the most open space. She can run with the ball in her hands, as long as she stays inside the penalty area. So she can run to get closer to her open teammate if necessary. She should play the ball to her open teammate by rolling or throwing the ball to her, not by placing the ball on the ground and kicking it. Why? Placing the ball on the ground makes it a live ball, and the opponents can run toward the ball without having to stay behind the get-back line.
  • If we have a goal kick, our goalie can safely place the ball on the ground (on or inside the small box) before kicking the ball to make it live. Why? The ball went out of bounds, so it’s a dead ball and doesn’t become live until the goalie (or a teammate) kicks the ball.

Restarts:

Taking goal kicks:

  • The goalie sets the ball up at the top center of the small box.
  • The center backs stand at the corners of the small box, facing forward.
  • The wing backs setup outside the big box about halfway between the side of the big box and the sideline.
  • The center mid should setup centrally, about halfway between the top of the big box and the get-back line.
  • The forward normally stays in the center in front of the get-back line.
  • The goalie should pass to a center back, and then get into a “cover” position in case the center back loses the ball.
  • The center back should take a soft touch forward, taking a glance at her wing back and center mid.
  • The center back should pass to an open player. If she doesn’t have any good options, she can do a pullback and pass back to our goalie. (But our goalie can’t use her hands in this situation.)
  • If our center back passes back to our goalie, our goalie should take a touch into new space and look to pass to our other center back, or the other wing back.

Defending goal kicks:

  • Be sure to show the players the get-back line.
  • Our forward and center mid should position themselves just behind the get-back line about 8-10 steps apart from each other.
  • Our wing backs will usually position themselves just behind the get-back line roughly even with the corner of the big box.
  • If the other team plays a short pass, our wing back on that side should bend her run to pressure the ball while blocking the wide passing lane.

Taking throw-ins:

  • The player closest to the ball should quickly grab it and throw the ball down the line toward the other team’s end of the field. Do this even if you don’t have any teammates in that space. (Your teammates will learn to be ready for this.) This will likely end up as a loose ball. But it’s a loose ball that is easy for us to attack, and it won’t be anywhere near our own goal.
  • This is a case where we ignore our usual “keep the ball” philosophy. Why? A throw-in is an air ball. Air balls are rare at the U7/U8 age group. (We emphasize making ground ball passes and shots.) Receiving an air ball is difficult and takes lots of practice. We’d rather use that time to develop other skills and tactics.

Taking corner kicks:

  • It’s a larger field, so look to play short or medium. (We usually don’t have players who are strong enough to send a corner kick into the goal area with a single strike.)
  • Another option: make a “dream ball” pass to a player who is farther away from goal. This could be a center back. A dream ball pass is a rolling ball that goes directly toward a player. The player shoots with her first touch (no receiving touch or prep touch).

Defending corner kicks:

  • Get between the opponents and the goal they are attacking.
  • Attack the ball (be the first person to the ball).
  • If we win the ball, look to dribble or pass away from the crowd. If we can switch (“transition”) from defensive shape to attacking shape, we can create a good goal-scoring opportunity of our own.

Document history:

  • Items needed:
    • Add info about field channels
    • Add team shape diagrams for throw-ins and corner kicks
    • Add “heat map” diagrams for each of the seven different positions.
  • March 3, 2023:
    • Added diagrams of common team shape errors and corrections
    • Added quick links
  • March 2, 2023:
    • Page posted
    • Added some situational team shape diagrams