The Pub League Guide

This unofficial guide was created by players and coaches to help people of all ages and experience levels who are new to ECS Pub League — especially those new to soccer, learning the game in the Classic division. Always defer to your coach; this is a friendly companion, not official rules.

Read or download the original on Google Docs →

Introduction to Pub League

ECS Pub League plays coed recreational soccer with 7-8 players a side (including Goalkeepers) in Seattle on a field about the half the size of a normal soccer pitch.There are unlimited substitutions in and out, with most shifts lasting 5 to 10 minutes. New teams are formed in both divisions every season, so players are often competitors one season, and teammates the next.

Classic Division

The Classic division is a fun and safe place to play for absolute beginners, but it also has a number of more experienced players who want to play in a friendly competitive environment that is a bit more relaxed. You don’t have to be a beginner, but you do have to be beginner-friendly. Everyone makes the team, everyone plays, and everyone can have fun and contribute to their team, regardless of their level of skill, experience, or fitness. To quote one of our favorite comments about the Pub League Classic Division:

• If you haven’t played in years, come on out anyway
• If you think you’re too out of shape, come on out anyway
• If you think you’re not good enough, come on out anyway
• If you’ve never played soccer at all, come on out anyway

Premier Division

The Premier division is designed for players who are more experienced, fit, and/or physical to play in a faster paced, more competitive environment. Like Classic, everyone makes the team, everyone plays, and everyone can have fun and contribute to their team. It is still designed to be friendly competition, especially compared to other leagues. If you already play in GSSL or RATS this probably isn’t the league for you.

Equipment

• The only special equipment you need are shin guards, which are required in Pub League
• Games are played on artificial turf, so any kind of athletic shoes will work; but either soccer shoes made for turf or “firm ground cleats” will give you more support, traction, and protection
• Players seem to be about 50/50 split on preferring turf shoes vs. firm ground cleats
• No metal studded cleats are allowed
• You will get a team jersey as part of your league fee
• There may also be coordinating team shorts and socks available for a small upgrade fee
• Your team may want to wear matching socks in a color other than the common black, just to make it easier to find teammates’ legs on a crowded field
• Underlayers are recommended for cold game days, and you can wear tights or sweatpants over, under, or in place of your shorts
• Gloves can also be worn, but you may want to take them off for throw-ins
• Beanies and headbands are usually allowed at the referee’s discretion, but hats or visors with stiff brims may not be allowed
• Underlayers and other non-uniform clothing can be any color (most people stick to black, white, or gray), but if they are too similar to the opponent’s colors you may be asked to change

Miscellaneous

• You will be added to a private Discord group for your team
• Even if you don’t use DIscord often, please check in at least weekly to keep up to date
• Many players and coaches are only on Discord solely for Pub League communications
• Before the season starts part of the fun is that you and your teammates get to decide on a theme, choose your team colors, create your logo/crest, design your jerseys, and pick names for the back of the jerseys to fit your theme
• Once the season starts coaches will post a poll or event each week to determine who will and won’t be able to show up so they can start recruiting substitutes if needed
• If you know in advance that that you have to miss certain games, please let your coach know as soon as possible
• On game days Premier division players set up the goals, field markers, and sideline canopies before play in the morning, so Classic players need to tear them down and carry them off the field after play in the afternoon
• Teams choose new captains before the start of play each week
• The referee will call the captains to midfield for a coin toss (or similar)
• The away team can call heads or tails (or similar)
• The winner of the toss can pick which goal they’d like to defend first, or if they’d like to kick off first,and the loser can make the remaining choice
• The captain is responsible for making sure the team has no more than the maximum number of players on the field when play starts or re-starts
• Games are normally two 25-minute halves, with a 5 minute break at halftime
• Teams will usually play two games each week, back to back
• In Classic, for weeks 1 and 3 of each season we usually start with a practice session during the first game time slot and play just one game afterward

Traditionally the second-to-last week is designated as “Fun Week”. Many players dress in costumes, there is often a potluck, and fun new rules of play may be instituted (including the ever-popular “multiball”).

• In the Classic division all teams make the playoffs, with semifinals and a finals match on the last week of play
• The winning team gets custody of the Pub League cup until the next season
• We have a party for all players from both divisions the evening after the finals at one of our sponsor pubs
• Coaches from each team in both divisions will name their players or awards such as “Rookie of the Year”, “Newcomer of the Season”, “Most Improved”, “Fun”, “Mentorship”, and the “Bob Davis Spirit of Pub League”
• All players will vote on the league winners from those team winners, which will be announced and celebrated at the after-season party
• Individual and team stats and records are not recorded in Classic, where the emphasis is on fun, skill development, and the love of the game

About this Guide

This unofficial guide was created independently by players and coaches to help people of all ages and experience new to ECS Pub League, and is especially designed for those with little to no soccer experience, to learn and have fun in the Classic division.

Official league rules and guidance are subject to change without notice, and your coach may have different experiences, ideas, and directions. Always defer to their instructions over anything in this unofficial guide.

You can just read the first half of this guide to get you started with the basics. Then you can keep reading, or come back to read the second half later to learn more when you’re ready.

If you’re already pretty experienced in soccer fundamentals, you can skip the basics and start here for what’s unique about playing in ECS Pub League: Pub League Rules, Quirks, and Tips

Pub League Classic Priorities

Safety - Fun - Learning

1. Safety - Play safely to not endanger yourself or others. Warm-up and condition adequately to limit the potential for injury and minimize soreness.
2. Fun - If you’re not having fun, we’re doing something wrong.

Do your part to make it fun for everyone: be encouraging, forgiving, and supportive to your teammates and your opponents.

1. Learning - Learn and apply the basics of the game.
2. Everything else - It’s fun to score goals and win games, and we’ll try to do that, but we’ll also try to appreciate other things both big (our teammates and the friendly competition with friends old and new) and small (making that one pass or run, blocking that shot, getting some outdoor exercise).

Basic Skills and Tactics: Team and Individual

Mastering dribbling and shooting can be a lifelong pursuit. Hopefully you’ll get better week by week, and you’ll probably notice a pretty big difference over the course of the season. We will work on helping you develop those skills, but we will focus more on playing as a team. The noticeable improvement can be much more dramatic, even exponential, over a short period of time. It’s also way more fun.

If you want to dribble through people and shoot every time you have the ball, this is the wrong league for you, even in the Premier division. In the Classic division, you’re ruining the game for newer players.

We will try to focus on recognizing and making the best decisions during the game. Proper execution of those decisions should be secondary for newer players. We’re not going to stress out about missed shots, errant passes, sloppy touches, failed dribbles, etc. Even world class players have those regularly. Forget them and move on quickly. The most common response from players and coaches should be a shrug and “Eh, it’s Pub League”. That said, what follows below are some basics to help newer players learn and enjoy the game.

We will try to focus on recognizing and making the best decisions during the game. Proper execution of those decisions should be secondary for newer players.

The PLOP (Pub League Offseason Practices) group holds a friendly practice/scrimmage most every Sunday morning when Pub League is not in season. All Pub Leaguers (Premier and Classic), past, present, and future are welcome to join us. PLOP group members can also schedule their own at any place and time of their choosing.

Team Play Principles and Priorities

Move, Communicate, and Pass We have seen many times how teams full of less experienced, less skilled, and/or less fit players can have surprising success against more experienced/skilled/fit players who don’t play well together as a team.

Statistics show that on average, a soccer player will only have the ball less than 5% of the time in any given game. That means that 95% of the contributions you can make to your team’s learning, fun, and success will happen when you don’t personally have the ball.

We focus on three simple things in our team play:

Team Play Principles and Priorities

1. Move - Move into open space when your team has the ball, and close down open space when the other team has the ball
2. Communicate - Help teammates understand where to move and play through verbal and non-verbal communication
3. Pass - Passing to an open teammate is the easiest way to keep possession of the ball and find opportunities to score

You can learn more specifics about how to apply these principles in a later section: Pub League Team Strategy Part 1: The Basics

Individual Skills

Good soccer players eventually learn to use all parts of both feet (and just about every other body part except the hands and arms) to control, pass, and shoot the ball, and it’s great if you are already on your way to doing that. However, it’s strongly recommended that newer players concentrate on mastering the fundamentals of using the inside of both feet as the primary way of trapping, passing, and shooting the ball at first. This will give you a better chance of making solid contact with the ball, and leave you more room for error if you don’t.

Trapping

Trapping is essentially “catching” the ball with your foot (or any body part except the arms or hands) to get it under control. Newer players often have the idea that it means literally trapping the ball between the sole of their shoe and the ground (it must come from all of those bad gym teachers we had in grade school).

Watch a professional soccer game and see how rarely a sole trap is used in a game. It usually only happens when a player is extremely wide open and has a lot of time to decide what to do next (and often from a very safe drop pass deep in their own defensive end). What you will see most of the time is players using the inside of their foot to cushion a pass and keep the ball close to them. This is safer and keeps your foot in position and ready to dribble, pass, or shoot quickly.

If you have mastered trapping with the inside of your feet, you can work on trapping with the outside of your feet, which is softer and can help you maintain closer control of the ball.

Practice: This is easy to practice with others or even alone by kicking against a wall and controlling the rebound. Start with your foot a couple of inches above the ground (not so high that the ball can roll under it if you miss) and bring your foot back a little when the ball makes contact to cushion it and keep it under control, as if you were catching an egg.

Keep your foot and ankle behind the ball and use the inside of your foot between your ankle and the ball of your foot. If your foot is too low on the ground and/or if you make contact out toward the toe, the ball can skip over your shoe.

You can also work on stepping your foot down to the ground just as you receive the ball. This will put a little backspin on the ball and keep it closer to you instead of bouncing away off of your foot. Be careful not to step on the ball or you could injure yourself.

#1 Tip: Keep your eye on the ball! Practice watching the ball literally touch your shoe.

Passing

Other than shooting into an open goal, passing to an open teammate is almost always the best thing you can do with the ball. Passing is faster than dribbling, and passing can unbalance and disorganize a defense faster. Passing the ball forces the opposing team to move and make decisions, and eventually they may get out of position and/or make a mistake to give your team a good chance to shoot. To paraphrase legendary coach Pep Guardiola: “The primary purpose of passing is not to move the ball, it is to move the opponent”

Watch this Sounders highlights video for some examples on how effective good passing can be. Even if you are passing laterally or backward your team is still keeping possession, and the other team can't score as long as your team has the ball.

Practice: Developing the right “touch” on passes can take a while to master. Focus on using the inside of both feet at first, and practice making passes of different lengths to develop your touch. If you hit the ball too hard, it can be difficult for a teammate to control the ball, but too soft might make it easy for an opponent to steal it. Err on the side of passing too hard when passing in your own half of the field.

Work on two-touch, then one-touch passing. Two-touch means trapping the ball to control it then passing it with your next touch. One-touch means passing the ball directly to a teammate as soon as you receive it, without trapping it first. One-touch passes can help unlock a defense very quickly, but a successful two- (or more) touch pass is much better than a sloppy unsuccessful one-touch pass. Focus on control and accuracy first before speed and power.

#1 Tip: Keep your eye on the ball! Practice watching your shoe literally touch the ball.

Dribbling

A lot of newer players are uncomfortable dribbling the ball. It doesn’t come naturally to most people, and it isn’t really similar to anything you might have done in other sports. You typically won’t have to dribble too much in Pub League, but being able to “carry” the ball a few steps to make opponents move and create some open space for passing can be very useful.

Practice: The most common dribbling error is pushing the ball too far away from you as you are running, so practice making soft touches with both the inside and outside of both feet. Dribbling in and out of cones is great practice, but you can also just practice jogging slowly while dribbling up and down the field, then work on building up your pace without letting the ball get too far away from you. Getting comfortable using the outside of the foot can be awkward at first, but it is very helpful in making those soft touches.

#1 Tip: Keep your eye on the ball! Practice watching your shoe literally touch the ball. You can work on picking up your head after you master your touch.

Shooting

Sometimes newer players need to develop their shooting technique to develop more power, but usually the number one thing to work on is accuracy. If you can accurately shoot the ball to a part of the goal where the Goalkeeper is not— even if you don’t get a lot of power behind it— you will score some goals in most soccer leagues.

Practice: The ball will mostly go wherever your plant (non-shooting) foot is pointed (i.e., If you keep missing to the right, there is a good chance that your plant foot is pointing to the right).

Approach the ball from a ~30-45° angle from the side that your plant foot is on (e.g., if you’re shooting right-footed, approach the ball slightly from the left). Concentrate on— well— planting your non-shooting foot down firmly about 12-18” to the side of the ball and pointing it toward your target (an open part of the goal); then just swing your shooting foot through the ball in stride, striking the ball with the inside of your foot. Keeping your plant foot slightly ahead of the ball can help keep your shooting knee over the ball and help prevent your shot from going too high. We can work on developing more power and using other striking surfaces after you have begun to master accuracy.

#1 Tip: Keep your eye on the ball! Practice watching your shoe literally touch the ball.

1-on-1 Defending

The most basic job in defending is to not let the opposing ball carrier get off any easy shot or a potential assist, or to dribble freely into the most dangerous parts of the field. You may be able to “tackle” the ball away, but you need to make sure you don’t miss and let the opponent get past you. You also need to be careful not to foul the opponent.

Generally it’s best to just contain the opponent, staying between them and the goal (keeping “goalside”), within an arm's-length away and focused on preventing them from shooting or passing toward your goal. If you can make it so their best option is to pass the ball backwards, that is a good immediate outcome.

If you are the person closest to the opponent with the ball, it is your responsibility to “step” towards them to close down the open space and “pressure the ball”. Start running with large steps to cover a lot of ground as soon as you see that the ball is on its way to them, then take smaller steps as you get closer so you don’t overrun them.

When defending a ball carrier 1-on-1, keep your feet about shoulder width apart, with your body facing at about a 45 degree angle towards the direction you want them to go (usually toward the sideline). This means one of your feet will be closer to the opponent than the other. This angled stance also makes it harder for them to pass the ball through your legs (the dreaded “nutmeg”). Learn about team defending tactics in the next section.

Practice: Work on staying light on your feet and shuffling as you move so you can maintain body position and not get your legs crossed up. If the opponent cuts to one side you may need to pivot to have your other foot ahead so you can stay in front of them. (Video example)

#1 Tip: Keep your eye on the ball! None of the opponent’s fancy moves will matter much if you can keep yourself between the ball and your goal.

Those are the most basic individual skills for beginners, and later we can work on what else to keep your eye on besides the ball. Now let’s talk about basic team tactics.

Pub League Team Strategy Part 1: The Basics

If you don’t have time to read this whole guide, applying these very simple basic tactics are enough to have fun and success in the Pub League Classic division. Just remember: Move, Communicate, and Pass.

On Offense

• Move to make yourself an open passing option and communicate to the teammate with the ball (See Team Play Principles and Priorities)
• Spread out to create open space and make the field as big as possible, but stay within passing distance of one another (Manchester City video)
• Use the full width of the field. The winger on the side of the field opposite the ball should mostly stay on their side of the field to keep the field big, but not too far for a pass to reach
• Don’t play the ball back across your own goal in your half of the field
• When you get the ball, look for a safe pass to the most open teammate and move to stay open after you pass
• Shoot if you have an open look at goal and follow up on any shots, looking for any rebounds

On Defense

• Move in a little towards the center to make the field smaller with less open space to make it harder for the opponents to move the ball in the most dangerous zones (also known as “compactness”)
• Close down space to apply immediate pressure to the opponent with the ball
• Stay mostly in your zone (see below), but cover or “mark” an opponent nearest you, don’t just occupy empty space
• If the opponent you’re marking gets the ball, don’t worry about trying to steal it, just stay about an arm’s length away, keep between the opponent and your goal (known as keeping “goalside”)
• Use your positioning to contain them and try to force them wide and away from the danger zones in the center of the field
• If you win the ball back, look for a safe pass to an open teammate to restart on offense

Work with your teammates on mastering these very simple tactics on both sides of the ball and remember to Move, Communicate, and Pass, and your team will do well. If you want to learn more about positions and role responsibilities, read the sections on Strategy Part 2 and Strategy Part 3 now, or come back to them later.

When In Doubt, Kick It Out!

One last note on defense: “When in doubt, kick it out” - If you’re under pressure from the opposing team’s attack, just kick the ball hard anywhere away from your own goal. If you have time to decide and no opponents are blocking the way, these are the safest places to kick the ball, in order:

1. Deep into the opponent’s corner. Maybe a speedy teammate can catch up to the ball and now you have a counter-attack. If not, the worst that can happen is the other team gets a throw-in or goal kick deep into their own half and your defense will have time and space to reset, with the ball now in a much less dangerous area.
2. Directly out of bounds to the nearest sideline: The other team will get a throw-in nearer to your goal, but your defense can reset.
3. Deep down the center of the field: Don’t do this unless you’re sure you can get the ball high and/or way down the field cleanly because the center is a dangerous place to lose the ball if you miss.
4. Out your own back line: It gives the opponents a corner kick, but your defense can reset.
5. Note: Try to never kick the ball into the center of the field or across your own goal in your own half of the field, these are danger zones

Pub League Rules, Quirks, and Tips

This is a short list of things that may be new for less experienced players and/or are unique to Pub League because we have a few modifications to normal soccer rules.

Many are related to restarting play when the ball is knocked out of bounds, so this is a good time to point out that in soccer the player can generally move freely in and out of bounds. Only the ball can be out of bounds, and only when all of the ball crosses all of the line. Keep playing until the referee blows the whistle.

Offside

This is probably the most confusing rule in all of soccer. There are a few other technicalities to it, but this simplified explanation will cover 99% of Pub League play:

You cannot receive the ball from a teammate (or otherwise be involved in the play) if you are in front of the ball and past the second to last opponent* when the ball is played. You are offside, and the other team will get an indirect free kick from the spot where you were offside.

*The very last opponent is usually the Goalkeeper; so you’ll often hear the simplified explanation of not being past the last defender, which usually suffices for Pub League.

Note: You can run past the second to last (or last) opponent to get the ball as long as you were behind or at least even with them (onside) the moment the ball was played.

See the examples below:

In the first example the player is offside because they are past the second-to-last opponent (including the goalkeeper) when the ball is played.

In the second example, the Forward is not offside because they are at least even with the second to last opponent (including the goalkeeper) when the ball is played.

• You cannot be offside if you personally have the ball
• You cannot be offside if you are behind the ball, even if you are past the last opponents (e.g., during a breakaway)
• You cannot be offside in your own half of the field

Throw-Ins

If the other team knocks the ball out of the sideline, your team gets to throw the ball back into play from the spot where it went out of bounds.

• You must have both feet out of bounds
• You must throw the ball with both hands, with your arms coming directly over your head
• You can step into the throw, but at least part of both feet must remain on the ground when you release the ball (e.g., you can drag your back foot)
• A player cannot be offside if they receive the ball directly from the throw in. However, they are offside if the ball is thrown to someone else then passed to them if they are in an offside position the moment the ball is played to them.
• You cannot score by throwing the ball directly into the goal
• Generally, it’s best for the winger on that side of the field to take the throw-in, while teammates (especially the defender on that side of the field, plus the Center-Mid and Forward) move into open space to provide target options for the thrower

Tip: Unless the referee has whistled a stop in play after the ball went out of bounds (e.g., to allow substitutions), you can take the throw-in right away, and it’s often advantageous to do so before the defense is reset. Conversely, stay focused on defense and watch for quick throw-ins.

Goal Kicks

If the attacking team knocks the ball out past the opponent’s endline, the defending team’s Goalkeeper gets to kick the ball back into play to restart their possession.

• The Goalkeeper kicks the ball from their endline (unique rule to Pub League)
• The opponents must keep behind a line parallel to where the referee is standing (~15-20 yards out) until the Goalkeeper kicks the ball (unique rule to Pub League)
• The Goalkeeper cannot kick the ball beyond midfield (unique rule to Pub League)

Tips for taking goal kicks in Pub League:

• One defender should move toward the nearest sideline, somewhat near the Goalkeeper and facing forward to receive a short and safe pass away from the nearest opponent (see graphic above)
• The other defender should move toward the center of goal to protect the goal in case a pass gets stolen and/or to provide another passing option, although you want to be careful not to pass the ball in front of your own goal
• The winger on the side of the field that the ball is being played on should move all the way out to the sideline to allow the defender receiving the goal kick a safe pass option. (The Goalkeeper could also pass directly to the winger if they’re open and confident they can get the ball there without much risk.)
• The Center-Midfielder and Forward should move into open space to provide other passing options for teammates
• The opposite side winger should move into open space, closer to the center of the field
• It’s almost always riskier to pass the ball toward the center in your own half of the field. Try to play the ball up the wing until at least midfield.

Corner Kicks

If the defending team knocks the ball out past their own endline, the attacking team gets to kick the ball from the nearest corner to restart their possession. Normal soccer rules apply (including that you can’t be offside if you receive the initial corner kick, but you are offside after the ball is played initially to someone else then to you if you are past the ball and the last opponent, just like on throw-ins).

Tips for taking corner kicks in Pub League:

• That beautiful high curling ball that the tall center back flies into the air to smash into the top corner of the goal with a powerful header has actually happened a couple of times in Pub League, but it’s usually not the best strategy for this league
• Just try to find an open teammate who might have an open shot at the goal and give them a nice firm pass on the ground
• Just outside the penalty box is often a good place for teammates to find open space
• Sometimes, just putting the ball inside the opponent’s penalty area creates enough chaos that someone (from either team) just might knock in a goal with a random kick

Tackling

Hopefully you already know that tackling in soccer does not mean physically bringing someone to the ground like in American football. In soccer you don’t “tackle” the player, you “tackle” the ball to win it away from an opponent. We have modified rules unique to Pub League designed to protect the safety of all players and keep it fun for less experienced players.

• No going to the ground for any reason, so no slide tackles
• If you fall to the ground, you may not attempt to play the ball until you get up
• No aggressive tackling, especially not on newer players— give them some space to learn and build their skills and confidence
• Don’t push, pull, “swim”, or use your arms to gain position on opponents
• Don’t kick at the ball once the Goalkeeper has it under control or goes to ground for it, especially if they call out “keeper”
• Avoid all contact with the Goalkeeper, contact will typically be ruled against the attacking player in the interest of protecting the goalkeeper.
• No tackling from behind. This means you must be at least fully side-by-side or in front of the player with the ball, so they are not blindsided. This also means no little toe-pokes to knock the ball away if the opponent has their back to you.

Tip: Use this rule to your advantage when you have the ball. If you get stuck, you can turn your back to your opponent and buy yourself some time (known as shielding the ball), and you may have an open drop pass to a teammate available

Free Kicks

If the referee whistles a foul, play is stopped and the opposing team will be awarded a free kick from the spot of the foul. Opposing players generally must stay 10 yards away from the ball until it is played. Most free kicks will be direct, meaning the ball can be kicked directly into the goal without anyone else also needing to touch it. Any player can take free kicks, it does need to be the person who was fouled.

Most non-contact fouls (offside, dissent, impeding with contact, etc.) will result in an indirect free kick, meaning the ball cannot be kicked directly into the goal. At least one other player (from either team) needs to touch the ball also before it goes into the goal, or the goal will be disallowed and a goal kick awarded to the other team. The referee will let you know if it is an indirect free kick by raising his hand straight up into the air.

More serious fouls can also result in a yellow card (caution) or red card (ejection without replacement, plus a minimum one game suspension). Yellow cards are rare, and red cards are extremely rare in Pub League, and we intend to keep it that way.

Advantage Rule

The referee will typically not stop play after spotting a foul if continuing play is to the advantage of the fouled team (i.e., they are on a promising attack despite the foul). The referee will then delay whistling the foul to see whether the fouled team sustains that advantage. If not, the ball may be whistled back to the spot of the foul for a free kick.

More detail on normal soccer rules on fouls, direct and indirect free kicks, and the advantage rule can be found here. You can also read the full global soccer rules: FIFA Rules of the Game

The official modified ECS Pub League rules are here: ECSPL Laws of the Game & League

Penalty Kicks

If a foul is committed by a player inside their own penalty box, the other team will be awarded a penalty kick from the penalty spot, one-on-one versus the opposing Goalkeeper. Your team can choose who will take the penalty kick. Common practice in Classic is to have a newer player and/or one who has not yet scored a goal in the season to take the penalty kick. At higher levels of soccer roughly 75-80% of penalty kicks result in goals, so this can be a good chance to create a great experience and build confidence in newer players.

Penalty Shootout

Because Pub League is a friendly low-to-no-contact league, it is fairly rare to have a penalty kick in a regular season game. However, many playoff and championship games are decided by what is commonly called a penalty shootout if a playoff game or final ends in a tie.

Teams will pick five shooters (Classic coaches should prioritize players who have not scored a goal during the season), and they will alternate shooting. A five round series will determine the winner. If still tied after five rounds, sudden death 1-to-1 rounds will be taken until there is a winner.

Tip: Try to focus on accuracy first, aiming for one of the corners of the goal. Just make a nice firm, low pass into the corner with as much power as you can put on the ball without sacrificing accuracy. Focusing too much on power often results in the ball missing the goal completely, as you may have seen even at the professional level.

Back Passes

If a player intentionally kicks the ball back to their own Goalkeeper (as opposed to a deflection or failed clearance), normal soccer rules state that the Goalkeeper cannot pick up the ball with their hands. If they do, the other team will be awarded an indirect free kick from the place of the foul (Pub League refs may place it on the edge of the penalty area, but either spot is a very dangerous position). Example video

If your Goalkeeper is newer to the position, you may want to say “no hands” or “use your feet” if you pass back to them with your feet. This rule does not apply if the ball is passed back to the Goalkeeper with the chest or head, but that doesn’t happen very often in Pub League. Tips for safe and effective back passes are in the Goalkeeper section.

Injuries

• The referee will blow the whistle to stop play if they notice that a player is injured
• If you are injured and need to be substituted, kneel or sit down on the field and raise your hand
• The referee will stop the game, allow a substitution and award a drop ball to the team in possession at the time play was stopped (unless a foul was called)
• If a player on either team is injured enough to require a substitution and the referee does not stop play, it is considered good sportsmanship to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds to stop play
• When play resumes, it is also considered good sportsmanship to play the ball back to the opposing Goalkeeper since their team had possession before they kicked it out

Substitutions

• Unlimited substitutions are allowed in Pub League, but they may only occur during a stoppage in play, and only after referee approval
• Upon stoppage, the coach and/or players will ask the ref for permission to substitute
• The substitutes must wait for approval from the referee before entering the field
• The only time a referee would not allow a substitution is if you waited too long to ask and play is about to resume, so yell “Ref, Sub!” or similar as soon as play is stopped
• Coaches will try to keep playing shifts to about 5 minutes at a time, but you may need to play longer if you don’t have enough substitutes to replace everyone at once

Communication During Play

Players with the ball need their teammates to communicate quickly and clearly to help them understand the best available action. It’s hard enough to control the ball while keeping track of readily visible opponents and teammates, let alone evaluate options and make quick decisions.

This especially applies to those teammates behind the ball because they may see options and risks the ball handler may not. This includes the Goalkeeper, who can typically see the entire field and all of the players from both teams.

• Shouting the name of the person with the ball to let them know you’re open is rarely helpful
• Shouting the name of the person you want them to pass the ball to is only slightly better, because they might not know where that person is on the field
• Communicating to your teammates where to move or play the ball is the best approach. (e.g., “Line” or “You’ve got a Drop” or “You have Alex on the left”)

See Lexicon: Communicating Effectively on the Field for a list of commonly-used soccer terms you’ll hear and use during play.

Nonverbal Communication

Good team play also involves nonverbal communication like pointing or head nods.

• If you have the ball, you can point to open space where you want a teammate to go before you pass it to them
• You can also point for a teammate to move and if a defender moves with them, it may open up space to pass to another teammate
• If you don’t have the ball you can point to show the ball carrier which side of your body they should pass it to, or where you want the ball to go (e.g., away from the defender and/or toward open space you want to run into).

Nonverbal communication can be combined with verbal communication (e.g., yelling “Near Post” to the ball handler while pointing to the teammate that is most open and advantageous for a pass, or yelling “Go” to a teammate while pointing in the direction where you’re going to pass the ball into open space).

Note: Getting a lot of communication from your teammates during the game is a good thing. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong, even though it can feel like it sometimes because your teammates are telling you to do something you’re not currently doing (“push up!” then “drop back!”). It can also be confusing, because one minute you’re being motioned to move out wide to the sideline, and the next minute you’re being told to tuck in closer to the center of the field. That’s just because the movement of teammates, opponents, and the ball changes what’s needed on the field from minute to minute.

If you’ve mastered these basic principles, tactics, and rules, read on to learn more. ________________

Pub League Strategy Part 2: Formation and Roles

📺 You can watch a short video on this section here. 📺

Note: This was all written for 7v7. Starting in spring 2024 ECS Pub League will default to playing 8v8 (or potentially even 9v9 at times to maximize playing time for the large increase in players. The underlying principles remain, but your team may have one or more additional players, who could play as defenders, midfielders, or forwards, but the core principles remain.

Your coach may choose something different, but a common basic 7v7 formation in Pub League is the 2-3-1 (which sometimes plays more like a 2-1-2-1, see graphic below). In addition to the Goalkeeper, this means two defensive backs (Left Back and Right Back, whose roles are more like center backs when you watch professional soccer), three midfielders (Left Wing, Center-Mid, and Right Wing), and one Forward.

You will likely play all of the field positions during the course of a season, maybe even Goalkeeper too! Learning these different perspectives on positions and responsibilities will help improve your knowledge and understanding of the game.

Zones of Responsibility

It can be helpful to think of the smaller-than-regulation Pub League field as broken down into 9 zones, with each position having responsibility for roughly 3-4 zones to provide overlapping offensive and defensive coverage of the entire field. (see next section for more details)

You should mostly stay in your own zone of responsibility to maintain balance and basic team “shape”. When an opponent is in more dangerous spots, you need to focus on marking them more directly (learn more about each position's roles and zones of responsibility in the next section).

You also need to be prepared to get back into team shape on those occasions when a teammate does leave their zone. Players also need to communicate and cover for teammates in case your team loses the ball.

Areas of Danger and Opportunity

The areas directly in front of your own goal have the most overlapping coverage responsibilities because those are the areas of greatest danger. When opponents have the ball inside your danger zones is also the time to mark them more closely, staying goalside of them and trying to force them to move and play the ball into less dangerous areas.

Conversely, the areas in front of your opponent’s goal represent the areas of greatest opportunity. The team’s collective job is to keep the ball out of the red zone in front of your goal and keep it in the green zone in front of your opponent’s goal as much as possible.

Offensive Shape and Movement

Maintaining basic team shape is helpful on offense too so everyone knows roughly where to expect a teammate to be for passing options. You’ve seen the opposite of this if you’ve ever watched very young children play soccer, where everyone moves in a clump around the ball.

In a simple and common example shown in the graphic above, the team is advancing the ball up the right wing. Teammates have pushed up into open spaces near the ball to make themselves passing options. Yet everyone is still within their zone of responsibility and the team is moving in coordination with one another. Players are spreading out to create passing lanes, but staying close enough to receive a pass.

Example: In the example above, the Forward could now cut between the opposing defenders to the far post, where they might be more open to receive the pass. If an opponent moves to that side to mark them closely (as they should), that may also open space in the middle for the Right Wing to make a cut back pass to the top of the box for the Center Mid to run onto and shoot.

Note: Kicking a long ball deep into the opponent’s half and expecting the Forward or winger to chase after it is usually a poor tactic in Pub League.

Players need to keep moving to stay open to receive a safe pass. Ideally, your team’s coordinated movements will create triangles of passing lanes to provide multiple options, as shown below.

Movement also creates opportunities by making opponents move, which can create space for others. There are times when you might purposely break out of team shape on attack, including some more advanced tactics to be covered at another time.

Example: When your team has the ball, one of the defensive backs might opportunistically overlap past their winger because the opponents left wide open space behind them. Someone should cover the defensive back’s zone until they get back into place. (Not shown)

Defensive Team Shape and Balance

Pub League teams typically start with a “zone defense” that becomes more one-on-one coverage when opponents come into your areas of responsibility.

Maintaining basic team shape is even more important on defense, but the shape should become more “compact”. Players should move in closer to one another and closer to the center of the field, protecting the goal and taking away open space and passing lanes from the opponents, especially in the most dangerous areas. In the example below, the basic team shape is still intact and everyone is still in their zones, but they are filling open space and marking opponents close to the ball.

This also allows you to work together to defend as a team.The person closest to the ball should step to within arm’s length of the ball carrier. This is known as being the “pressure” defender. Their job is to not let the ball carrier get off any easy shot or a potential assist, or to dribble into a dangerous zone. The defender may be able to tackle the ball away, but they need to be careful not to try and miss and let the opponent get past them. Generally it’s best to just contain the opponent, staying between them and the goal and forcing them away from the most dangerous parts of the field.

The next closest defensive teammate(s) need to provide what’s known as “cover” defense, staying close enough to cover the space behind the teammate pressuring the ball in case the opponent gets past them, yet far enough away and positioned in a way to block the more dangerous passing lanes.

The other teammates should provide “balance” to the defense by staying mostly in their zones and closing down open space so nearby opponents can’t get an easy pass. If the ball does come into their zone, they need to pressure the ball carrier if they are the closest to it, otherwise they need to provide cover defense.

Example: In the graphic above, the Center Mid is pressuring the ball, while the Forward and Right Back are providing cover support to block open passing lanes for opponents. The Left Back and wingers are providing balance and staying in their zones, but also marking opponents, staying goalside of them in case the ball comes to them.

If your pressure and/or cover defenders prevent dangerous passes and cause the opponents to pass backwards, they’ve done their job for the moment. On defense your role can change very rapidly from maintaining shape and covering space in your zone, to pressuring the ball, to providing cover and blocking dangerous passing lanes as the ball moves around the field, so you have to stay alert and keep moving.

Keep reading to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of each position.

Pub League Strategy Part 3: Positional Play

Positional Play Responsibilities

Everyone needs to play both offense and defense to some extent, but each position has some primary responsibilities to prioritize. If everyone carries out their primary responsibilities, it’s easier for everyone to know what’s expected of one another and roughly where teammates should be during the game.

The player positions in Pub League are similar to what you would see in any 11v11 team, with a few of the roles combined for our smaller 7v7 teams. Each position description below has a section with a Sounders player for you to watch in that role when they have their ideal starting lineup playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Injuries and tactical changes could mean different players in those positions in any given game, and of course if anyone actually plays like any of these players, they're probably in the wrong league! If you like to watch a different team, you should be able to substitute player names accordingly.

• The Goalkeeper and Forward roles are pretty much the same as what you see with the Sounders (Stefan Frei and Jordan Morris or Raúl Ruidiaz)
• The Left Back and Right Back will typically play roles more like the Sounders’ Left Center Back (Xavier Arreaga or Jackson Ragen) and Right Center Back (Yeimar Gómez Andrade or Nathan)
• The Left Wing role is like the Sounders’ Left Wing (Léo Chú or Pedro de la Vega) plus a little bit of Left Back (Nouhou or Cody Baker) on defense
• The Right Wing role is like the Sounders’ Right Wing (Cristian Roldan) plus a little bit of Right Back (Alex Roldan) on defense
• The Center Midfielder role is sort of a combined role when playing 7v7, or for 8v8 may be split into a Central Defending Midfield (CDM) like João Paulo, Obed Vargas, or Josh Atencio and a Central Attacking Midfielder (CAM) like Albert Rusnák or Pedro de la Vega. Unsurprisingly, midfielders play in the middle of the field, lined up in between the attackers and defenders

Goalkeeper

The Goalkeeper has the smallest area of responsibility on the field. They control their penalty area (the larger white box surrounding your goal, above) straddling zone 2 and parts of zones 1 and 3. In Pub League the penalty box will be marked off with flat field markers rather than permanent lines in the field, so take time to make sure you understand the boundaries on the field.

Inside the penalty area the Goalkeeper can use their hands on the ball. The Goalkeeper can (and should) come outside of their penalty box when it’s safe to do so; to be a passing option on offense or to deal with through balls that get past their defenders, but they cannot use their hands when they do. Outside the box Goalkeepers have to play the ball like any other field player, without using their hands.

Obviously the Goalkeeper is the last (but far from only!) line of defense in keeping the ball out of your own net, but they are also considered the “first attacker”. They restart the offense after an opposing attack through their “distribution” by rolling, throwing, punting, or kicking the ball. They should look first to play the ball wide and make sure that passes reach their intended target since they are playing close to their own goal.

This is easy to forget, and you can see players at all levels make risky plays near their own goal. There is an entire Twitter account called “When Playing it Out of the Back Goes Wrong” cataloging these kinds of mistakes.

Because they can usually see the entire field and all the players (from both teams), Goalkeepers bear a heavy responsibility for communicating to players further up the field, especially when on defense. Listen to your Goalkeeper!

It’s worth repeating here that it can often be a good idea to pass back to your own Goalkeeper, as long as there is no danger of the ball being intercepted, since they are playing within the zone of greatest danger. With that important caveat, a back pass to your Goalkeeper can be one of the safest passes because the opposing players are usually further away, trying to stay onside.

This also effectively gives you an extra field player to maintain possession of the ball. Just be sure the pass isn’t too weak so an attacker can steal it, or too strong so that it rolls past your keeper and into your own goal. It’s a good idea to yell “Keeper” to let them know it’s coming so they don’t use their hands (See Back Passes).

Keep the pass firm, smooth, and on the ground so it’s easier for them to handle. Pass to one side of the goal frame so if they fail to control the ball cleanly it only results in giving up a corner kick and not an own goal for the other team.

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Stefan Frei plays Goalkeeper.

Defensively:

• How he decides when to come out to cut down shooting angles or stay closer to the goal line depending on the position of opponents and his defenders
• Watch his positioning when the opponents are attacking and how he communicates to his defenders where he wants them to be, especially on corner kicks and free kicks
• How he communicates with teammates. You can often hear him yell “Away!” when he wants his teammates to just clear the ball far away from his goal (”When in doubt, kick it out” applies at all levels!)
• Sometimes you can also hear him yell “Keeper!” or “Leave!”
• Stopping shots is an art unto itself, and beyond the scope of this basic guide

Offensively:

• How he comes out of his box when the ball is in the opponents’ half to be closer for another passing option
• How often his teammates use him a safe passing outlet by playing back passes to him
• How he moves to the side of the goal to receive back passes to reduce risk
• How he communicates to teammates about where he wants them to be when he’s distributing the ball to restart the offense (verbally and by pointing)

Left Back

The Left Back has the primary responsibility of playing defense, covering roughly the left rear quadrant of the field, encompassing zone 1 and part of 4; and overlapping with the Right Back to cover the most dangerous areas in zone 2 and part of zone 5.

• When the ball is near midfield or in the opponent’s half, defensive backs on both sides should push up to about midfield
• They should not stay too far back near their own goal and wait for the ball or an opponent to come near them
• This concedes too much open space for the opponents to pass and move, and playing up a little higher also forces opponents to be careful to stay onside
• That said, they don’t want to get caught too far upfield if there is danger of not being able to catch up to opponents if a through ball is played behind them. The relative speed and skill of the defender and the opponent should be taken into account.
• They need to mark opponents who come into their zones, especially if the opponent has the ball— stepping to the opponent to provide pressure on the ball and close down the open space, trying to keep them out wide where it is less dangerous
• They also need to provide cover defense and watch for opponents in their zone without the ball to make sure they don’t have an easy chance to receive a pass
• They also share responsibility in moving the ball into attack once your team has regained possession, preferably safely up the nearest sideline, just as they would during a Goal Kick
• If one defensive back moves further upfield, it’s important to communicate so the other one stays back slightly to watch for a counterattack in case your team loses the ball
• When in doubt, kick it out!

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Xavier Arreaga (or Jackson Ragen) plays Left Center Back. (Nouhou’s normal role as a Left Back is more similar to the Left Wing in Pub League.)

Defensively:

• How he steps up to intercept passes closer to midfield
• He can be a little over-aggressive at times, so also watch for mistakes and how the Right Center Back covers for him when he over-commits
• How quickly he runs back to pressure the ball and/or cover the goal if he does lose the ball further up the field
• How he will sometimes just clear the ball out of bounds or far away from his own goal if he is under a lot of pressure to give the defense time to reset
• How he waves his arms to encourage the defensive back line to push up to deny opponents room to pass and make it harder for them to stay onside
• How the whole back line tends to move together as a unit

Offensively:

• How he dribbles forward until an opponent moves toward him, which opens up space for teammates and passing lanes for him to get the ball to them
• How he plays the ball up the left side to Nouhou and Jordan Morris but also looks for crosses if a teammate on the other side is open
• How he drops back and wide to be a safe outlet for passes from the Goalkeeper
• How he points where a teammate who’s facing back towards his own goal should pass most safely

Right Back

The Right Back’s responsibilities are the same as those of the Left Back, with their area of coverage being zone 3 and and part of 6, and overlapping with the Left Back to cover the areas of highest danger, zone 2 and part of zone 5.

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Yeimar Gómez Andrade plays Right Center Back. (Alex Roldan's role as a Right Back is more similar to the Right Wing in Pub League.)

Defensively:

• How he steps up to pressure the ball as soon as the player nearest to him gets the ball
• How he reads the opponents’ movements and steps into open passing lanes to intercept the ball before it can even reach an opponent
• How he positions himself to win headers
• How he will just clear the ball out of bounds or far away from his own goal if he is under a lot of pressure to give the defense time to reset
• How the whole back line tends to move together as a unit

Offensively:

• How he plays the ball up the right sideline to Alex Roldan and Cristian Roldan but also how he (especially Regan) looks for crosses if a teammate on the other side is open
• How he drops back and wide to be a safe outlet for passes from the Goalkeeper
• How he plays the ball out of pressure

Left Wing

The Left Wing will cover the entire left half of the field: zones 1, 4, and 7, plus about half of zones 2, 5, and 8, from the sideline up to about the center of the field.

• Both wingers need to play defense, especially because their role is kind of a hybrid of a traditional winger and an outside fullback (e.g., Left or Right Back on an 11v11 team)
• They will typically cover those opponents who are closer to midfield and/or who are closer to the sideline; while the defensive backs will typically stay somewhat further back and more central, in the areas of greatest danger
• They also need to watch opponents in their zone without the ball to make sure they don’t have an easy chance to receive a pass
• Wingers also need to be part of the attack, generally providing “width” for the team by staying near their sideline to make the field more open for passing options
• This makes opposing defenses open up, and can also provide a safer passing lane to receive the ball near the sideline, just as you would during a Goal Kick
• Wingers should also look for opportunities to cut in towards the center as your team’s attack gets closer to the opponent’s goal, making angled or curling runs towards the near post or far post of the opponent’s goal (whichever is closest to them)
• If the ball is on the opposite side of the field, the wingers should typically come in a little closer to the center of the field to be able to receive a pass, but still stay in open space

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Léo Chú (or sometimes Jordan Morris or Pedro de la Vega) plays Left Wing. (Nouhou’s role as Left Back is somewhat similar, but more defensive-oriented, as he plays behind Jordan and Léo on the field.)

Defensively:

• How he tracks back quickly to defend when the Sounders don’t have the ball, sometimes all the way back to his own endline
• How he tucks in to defend from the inside-out and force opponents wide or backward (especially Nouhou, he makes it very hard to play the ball towards goal)

Offensively:

• How he runs into open space to receive the ball from teammates
• How he often will position himself all the way out to the sideline to create lots of space on the left side of the field
• How he creates and uses passing triangles with teammates
• How he makes safe drop passes when he doesn’t have a clear option going forward
• How he sometimes curls or angles his attacking runs towards the middle of the field to have better angles for a shot
• How sometimes he will run very deep toward the opponent’s endline then play a firm cross right around 6 yards out from their goal to a teammate in the middle or one attacking the far post

Right Wing

The Right Wing has the same responsibilities as the Left Wing, but will cover the opposite side of the field: zones 3, 6, and 9, plus the other half of the center zones 2, 5, and 8, from their sideline up to about the center of the field.

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Cristian Roldan (or sometimes others) plays RIght Wing. (Alex Roldan’s role as Right Back is somewhat similar, but more defensive-oriented, as he plays behind Cristian on the field.)

Defensively:

• How quickly he transitions to defense to win the ball back if the Sounders lose it
• How many headers he wins despite being relatively short. We don’t have a lot of headers in Classic, but you can still see how well he reads the ball and gets in the right position to win it
• How he tucks in to defend from the inside-out and force opponents wide or backward

Offensively:

• How he often will position himself all the way out to the sideline to create lots of space on the right side of the field
• How he likes to take the ball deep to the opponents’ endline, then looks for a cross or a cutback pass to the penalty spot for a late runner
• How quickly he moves into open space after he passes so that he can be a passing option for a give-and-go
• How he creates and uses passing triangles with teammates
• How he makes safe drop passes when he doesn’t have a clear option going forward

Center Midfielder

The Center Midfielder has the largest area to cover, all of zone 5, and about one quarter to one half of all of the other zones. Players at all positions must play both offense and defense, and this is especially true of the Center Mid, who is responsible for controlling the middle of the field. Part of the reason is because there are usually 2-3 central midfielders in an 11v11 team, and only one in Pub League. Center Mids need to disrupt the opponent’s attack, especially in the most dangerous zones, and they need to be a part of their own team’s attack.

On defense, they will usually stay toward the middle of the field, often ahead of the defensive backs and in between their horizontal spacing, as shown above. The Center Mid needs to be quick to pressure the ball to snuff out threats closer to midfield before they get to the defensive backs. If a defensive back or winger teammate is occupied marking an opponent closer to the sideline, the Center Mid has to remain vigilant and provide defensive cover to prevent any passes coming into the middle. They will also sometimes drop in deeper between the defensive backs to cover the middle of the field when opponents are getting closer to your goal.

On offense, the Center Mid is often the “playmaker”, similar to the quarterback in football or the point guard in basketball. They should look for open teammates in potential goal-scoring position. They should also look for opportunities to get open near the top of the opponent’s penalty box for one of their wingers to play a cutback pass for them to run onto, often as a “late runner” into the box. They need to keep moving to be a good passing option for teammates, and be ready to quickly transition to defense if your team loses the ball.

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how João Paulo (or Obed Vargas or Josh Atencio or Danny Leyva or sometimes Albert Rusnák) plays Center Midfield. Albert Rusnák (and sometimes Pedro de la Vega) may sometimes play a somewhat similar role, but typically will play a little more offensively-minded, up with the wingers. Both will roam literally anywhere on the field though.

Defensively:

• How he tirelessly patrols the entire center of the field to block passing lanes and intercept passes
• How quickly he pressures opposing ball carriers and how he uses his positioning to try to force them to play the ball wide or backwards
• How he drops back between the Left Center Back and Right Center Back to be an extra defender when needed and to fill that dangerous space on the field

Offensively:

• How much he swivels his head around constantly when he doesn’t have the ball so he knows where both teammates and opponents are to understand his best options in advance of receiving the ball
• How sometimes he will switch the ball to the opposite winger if they are wide open
• How we will make a late run to the top of the opponent’s penalty box a few seconds behind the initial attackers so he is open for a cutback pass or a deflection
• How he drops back between the Left Center Back and Right Center Back as they spread out wide so he is a central passing option for the Goalkeeper
• How he looks to play the ball quickly forward to the Left Wing, Right Wing, and Forward

Forward

The Forward should stay mostly in zones 5 and 8 and the inner parts of zones 4, 6, 7, and 9. Their main job is to create goals by shooting and by passing to open teammates in better scoring position. They also need to follow up on any shots to try to knock any rebounds or deflections into the opponent’s goal.

The Forward doesn’t have to create goals all by themselves. Like everyone else when playing offense, they can also help create scoring opportunities by occupying opponents to make them move and create space for others.

The Forward has fewer defensive responsibilities than the other positions, but that doesn’t mean zero. Just as Goalkeepers are considered the “first attacker”, Forwards are also considered the “first defender”.

They need to pressure opponents and close down passing lanes when the other team has the ball, while mostly staying in their zones. When your team wins the ball back, they need to quickly move into open space to support the attack while being careful to stay onside.

Tip: Body positioning is especially important for Forwards, and they often need to have their back toward the opponent’s goal since they are usually in front of all of their teammates. This also helps them shield the ball from opponents when they receive it, and allows them to see their teammates for the next pass. Sometimes they need to be on the “half-turn”, with one shoulder facing each goal to accomplish this, and also helps them see opponents behind them and help keep them onside.

Sounder to Watch: If you like to watch the Sounders, watch how Raúl Ruídiaz or Jordan Morris play Forward.

Defensively:

• How they play defense in the opponents’ half of the field and try to limit the passing options for the opposing Goalkeeper and defenders, and how this often forces them into rushing and making a mistake
• How they will sometimes drop pretty deep into their own half when they are in 1v1 defensive coverage

Offensively:

• How their constant movement forward/backward and inside/outside when they don’t have the ball is a nightmare for opponents, especially when they move in their blind spots
• How they play on the half turn or with their back facing the opponent’s goal
• How they will sometimes drop back into the midfield to get the ball, then pass off to a teammate and run forward again
• How they run hard at the opponents’ goal when the Sounders are on attack, forcing a defender to mark them, which also opens up space for others even if they don’t get the ball

Zone Overlap

Every player’s zones of responsibility overlap others (especially in the defensive half), which is part of why communication on the field is critical.

Lexicon: Communicating Effectively on the Field

Your teammate wants you to take control of the ball (e.g., a loose ball between the two of you on offense or defense) because you are in a better or safer position. (the opposite of “Leave”)

Again

Pass the ball continuing along the same direction it’s heading (e.g., the ball came to you from left to right, and someone is open to the right of you). (Same as “Another one” or “One More”)

Another One

Pass the ball continuing along the same direction it’s heading (e.g., the ball came to you from left to right, and someone is open to the right of you). (Same as “Again” or “One More”)

Away

Your team is under attack and the opponents are pressuring our goal. Kick the ball away hard from your own goal (see when in doubt, kick it out!). (same as “Clear”)

Carry

Dribble the ball into open space (then look to pass to an open teammate) - this usually means that all teammates are covered and you have to move to open things up by making an opponent react to you, and/or you have a lot of open space in front of you so it is to your advantage to make the opponents react. Teammates also have a responsibility to move into open space to give you options.

Center

Pass the ball toward the center of the field (best done in the opponent’s half of the field, usually dangerous in your own half of the field).

Check

Move toward the ball to receive it more safely. Your teammate wants to pass to you, but an opponent is dangerously close. This is good practice even if you’re not being directed verbally. (same as Come To)

Clear

Kick the ball away hard from your own goal, the opponents are pressuring our goal (see when in doubt, kick it out). (same as “Away”)

Come To

Move toward the ball to receive it more safely. Your teammate wants to pass to you, but an opponent is dangerously close. This is good practice even if you’re not being directed verbally. (same as Check)

Contain

(When you are covering or “marking” an opponent with the ball) - Contain their movement by keeping “goalside” (between the opponent and your goal), and try to keep them away from the center of the field, don’t over-commit by trying to steal the ball and let them get past you.

Cross

Cross the ball to the opposite side of the field (same as “Switch” if you have the ball).

Cover

Two slightly different meanings, depending on context: 1. Your teammate has moved or is planning to opportunistically move out of position on either offense or defense and you need to cover their normal position to maintain field coverage. (i.e., “cover my zone for me”) 2. Your teammate is providing direct pressure to the opponent with the ball, you need to back them up by providing what’s known as “cover” defense; close enough to pick up the ball carrier if they get past your teammate, but far enough away that you are blocking a dangerous passing lane to another opponent.

Cut Back

You have the ball high in the opponent’s corner, pass the ball back toward the top of their penalty area.

Drop

Pass to a teammate behind you. This is usually a very safe pass and most Pub League players don’t use it often enough. It’s better to keep possession of the ball by moving backwards than trying a low-percentage pass forward that gets intercepted.

Far Post

Pass the ball toward the side of the opponent’s goal that is furthest away from the ball now.

Give and Go

Pass the ball to a teammate (give) and run immediately into open space (go) to receive a pass right back. This is often a good option when you have a 2 on 1 attack (one defender trying to defend two of you at once).

Goalside

On defense, keep between the opponent and your goal, making it harder for them to get off an easy shot or a dangerous pass.

Go

Run into open space to be able to receive a pass.

Half Turn

You may not hear this yelled out on the field, but your coach may tell you to try to receive the ball on the half turn. This means facing your teammate with the ball sideways with one shoulder toward each goal so you are ready to quickly turn towards the opponent's goal, but still be able to shield the ball from an opponent at your back. Video Example

I Go

(On offense or defense) Back off, I’m going to get the ball (Essentially the same as “Leave”, and the opposite of “You Go”)

Keeper

* (When yelled by the goalkeeper or other defenders) - Don’t touch the ball, let the keeper grab it (same as “Leave”). * (When yelled to the keeper) - Heads-up, I’m passing back to you, also, don’t use your hands. (see Back Passes)

Leave

Two slightly different uses, depending on context, but both mean “don’t touch the ball”: * (On offense or defense) Leave the ball alone, a teammate in better position has it covered (opposite of “You Go”) * (On offense) Can also mean more specifically: this pass is coming toward you, but isn’t intended for you, let it go past you to your teammate (usually said by the passer).

Line

* (Said to you if you don’t have the ball) - Move toward the sideline to provide width and make yourself an option to receive an open pass. * (If you have the ball) - A safe pass is available to a teammate down the sideline.

Near Post

Pass the ball toward the side of the opponent’s goal that is nearest the ball now.

No Hands

Alerting the keeper not to use their hands because you made a Back Pass, with your feet.

Not Here (or Not Me)

Don’t pass it to me, it’s too risky right now.

One On

An opponent is covering you tightly, be careful with the ball and don’t turn toward them. Protect the ball and/or look for the safest pass. (Opposite of “Time”, “Turn” or “Settle”)

One More

Pass the ball continuing along the same direction it’s heading (i.e., the ball came to you from left to right, and someone is open to the right of you). (Same as “Again” or “Another One”)

Overlap

Your defender teammate is running past you to attack the opponent’s goal (pass the ball to them if they are open, but you may also need to cover their position, especially if your team loses the ball).

Pressure

You are nearest the opponent with the ball, so you need to quickly move to within arm’s length of them, closing down the open space and providing defensive pressure. (same as “Step” or “Take Ball”)

Push Up

* When your team is on defense: Your team has been able to clear the ball away from your goal, now whole team needs to move upfield while maintaining basic shape to take back space and make their attackers retreat in order to stay onside, and/or support your counter-attack when you get the ball back. * When your team is on offense: The whole team needs to move upfield to support your attack and force the opponents backward. This also makes it harder for opponents to get close to your goal without being offside if they win the ball back.

Settle

(As you’re receiving the ball) - You have time to get the ball under control, don’t rush and be sloppy (essentially the same thing as “Time”, and is especially used when you’re dealing with a less than ideal pass).

Show

Move into open space so your teammate with the ball has an open lane to pass to you.

Square

Pass the ball horizontally across the field. (You should almost never do this in your own half of the field unless you are 100% sure no one can steal the ball. Square balls in the back lead to giving up a huge number of goals in all levels of soccer.)

Step

You are playing defense and you need to step to the opponent with the ball, closing down the open space and providing defensive pressure. (same as “Pressure” and “Take Ball”)

Switch

Two different meanings, depending on context: * (If you have the ball): Switch the ball to the opposite side of the field. (same as “Cross”) * (If you’re playing defense): Let me now cover the opponent you’ve been covering and you switch to cover the player I was covering. (Usually this is because the opponents are crossing through multiple zones and this will allow both you and your teammate to stay in your own zone while still marking opponents.)

Take Ball

Your teammate wants you to be the “pressure” defender, marking the opponent with the ball directly. It does not mean you need to take the ball from them, unless you can do so safely. Normally it’s best to just contain the defenders and try to force them into wide areas rather than trying to go in for a tackle and potentially missing. (Essentially the same as “Pressure” or “Step”, but “Take Ball“ also usually means your teammate is telling you they will provide “cover” defense nearby as a backup to you, and to block dangerous passing lanes.)

Through

* (Said to you when you have the ball) - Pass the ball through the back of the opposing team’s defense into open space for your teammate to run onto. * (Said to you by the ball carrier) - I’m going to pass the ball through the back of the opposing team’s defense into open space, make a run onto it (but stay onside until the ball is played).

Time

No one is defending you too closely so you don’t have to rush. You have time to trap and control the ball, then look up for the smartest/safest play. (Similar to “Settle” or “Turn”) *Note: There are no timeouts in soccer, so this does NOT mean someone is calling for a timeout— keep playing until you hear a whistle!

Turn

Turn toward the opponent’s goal, no one is defending you too closely. (Similar to “Settle” or “Time”)

One More Time: Pub League Classic Priorities

1. Safety - Play safely to not endanger yourself or others. Warm-up and condition adequately to limit the potential for injury and minimize soreness.
2. Fun - If you’re not having fun, we’re doing something wrong.

Do your part to make it fun for everyone: be encouraging, forgiving, and supportive to your teammates and your opponents.

1. Learning - Learn and apply the basics of the game.
2. Everything else - It’s fun to score goals and win games, and we’ll try to do that; but we’ll also try to appreciate other things both big (our teammates and the friendly competition with friends old and new) and small (making that one pass or run, blocking that shot, getting some outdoor exercise).

______________________________________________ Acknowledgements This guide was created by JP Nicols, who is solely responsible for any mistakes, typos, run-on sentences, and confusing language or terminology. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas, suggestions, and feedback; including Duane Nakamura, Michael Smith, Max Aquino, and many others. A very special thanks to Ann Yi for sharing her valuable perspectives as a new player, and for her incredible attention to detail as a copy editor. They are collectively responsible for any clearly expressed ideas. My Pub League Story

When I read this article in Sounder at Heart in 2018, I hadn’t touched a soccer ball in over 30 years. I wasn't skilled or even formerly skilled, and now I was old, out of shape, and out of practice— but I was definitely intrigued.

What got me off the couch was a reader comment to the original post, which is now lost due to a platform change on the blog, but was something to the effect of:

• If you haven’t played in years, come on out anyway
• If you think you’re too out of shape, come on out anyway
• If you think you’re not good enough, come on out anyway
• If you’ve never played soccer at all, come on out anyway

I went to check it out and loved how friendly and welcoming everyone was. It felt great to be on the pitch again, and I couldn't wait for the next Sunday, even though I was pretty sore. My then-25-year-old daughter and I were diehard Sounders fans, but she had never played in her life. I had to badger her for a week just to get her to give it a try, but now she’s hooked too. We’ve both played every season since then, as players in Classic and then Premier, and also as coaches in Classic.

We even won the Classic division trophy on the Bad News Beers (pictured). I was #18 "Kelvin Beerdam", and we also had a #17 "Still Brewin' " (paying homage to then-Sounders players Kelvin Leerdam and Will Bruin), and a whole bunch of other drinking themed names on the backs of our jerseys. Perfect for the whole "pub" part of Pub League, where players get together after the games. It sure beats the heck out of playing soccer video games.

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