Soccer Field Positions

The different soccer field positions allow teams to move the soccer ball around the field or defend their goal in different tactical ways. There are eleven players on the field at a time per team, and there are four main positions that include the goalie, the defenders, the midfielders and the forwards. Each soccer field position serves a very important purpose and can be changed to meet the demands of different situations.

1. The goalie is the last defense between the opposing team and the goal. He or she protects the goal at all times, rarely leaving it. The soccer field position of goalie is the only one where players are allowed to use any part of their bodies, including their feet, shins, legs, chest, head, arms and even their hands. Typically, the goalie is also responsible for kicking goal kicks, and after saving a ball they will roll, throw, kick or punt it to one of the players on their team.
2. Teams will usually have anywhere between three and five defenders at one time. Defenders have several different names, but the most common names are left outside back, right outside back, left inside back and right inside back, and these four positions make up a straight line formation as the second to last line of defense. Sometimes, the two inside defenders will be called the stopper and the sweeper instead, where the defense plays in a diamond formation with the stopper up front and the sweeper in the far back closer to the goalie.
3. The midfielders are the runners and are typically in the best physical condition. Midfielders are responsible for playing both offense and defense, which makes their job one of the most tiring on the field. In a straight line formation, just like with the defense, there is a left outside midfielder and right outside midfielder, and a left and right inside midfielder. However, many teams choose to replace the two inside midfielders with an attacking and a defensive midfielder and play in a diamond formation instead. The attacking midfielder plays more offense and usually assists the forwards in most of their goals, while the defensive midfielder is almost like a second stopper for the defense, focusing mainly on defending the goal.
4. The forwards, also known as strikers, attack the opposing team’s goal. Their only job is to score goals. They stay pushed as far up field as possible without being offsides. Generally, forwards are very fast and have good ball control in addition to having a powerful and accurate shot. Usually, there is one left forward and one right forward, but depending on the formation, sometimes there is also an attacking midfielder who plays with them or an additional forward called the center forward.