An Overview of the Basic Soccer Positions

The COO and vice president of sales at Wise Staffing Group, Marcus Lee Clegg provides vision and sales strategies for 32 offices. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Marcus Lee Clegg coaches a soccer team for children below age 9.

Every soccer team has 11 players, 10 of whom play in the field while the goalkeeper guards the goal post. In addition to the goalkeeper, there are three other basic soccer positions:

1. Defenders. Defenders are usually the last line of defense on the field. They are positioned just in front of the goalkeeper. Their job is to prevent the opposing team from scoring. Defenders mark the opposing team’s goal scorers and when they get possession, supply their team’s middle fielders with the ball.

2. Middle fielders. Positioned at the center of the field between the defenders and the strikers, middle fielders often juggle defensive and offensive roles. They have to take the ball deep into the opposing team’s territory during attacks and also transition to defense when the other team is in possession of the ball. Middle fielders do quite a bit of running and often set the tempo for an attack. As a result, they have to be exceptionally fit. They should also have good passing skills.

3. Forwards. These are the goal scorers. Their job is to beat the opposing team’s defense and score goals. They have to have good dribbling skills to dribble past defenders and be physically strong enough to hold off stiff attacks. They should also be very good shooters.