Monday, March 16, 2009

Soccer Formation Adjustment

It was cold and wet in Oregon all weekend. My daughter is on a U12 team and they played both days. The girls were miserable but they played through it. Both were great matches for spring soccer. I saw a great adjustment by the coach of my daughter's team. They usually play a 4-3-3 with the four being a flat back trying to catch players offside. This particular game they were getting beat with long balls and great speed. At the end of the first half they were down 1-0. Keep in mind these girls really have not played any other formation. The coach was able to communicate to them what was happening on the field and switched the formation to a 4-1-3-2 which filled in a gap that was occurring at midfield and allowing the long ball to take place. The defensive midfielder was able to slow down any counter attacks. It worked pretty good. They tied the game in what otherwise would have surely been a loss due to speed in on the defense. I notice as the girls and boys get older there really is a strategic part of the game. Skill and speed still rule on the field but a coach can make a difference to help the players out. Anyways...it was a fun weekend despite the weather. I would be curios to see some input on other formations to help with opposing players speed.