Understanding Soccer Positions - Defense

Understanding Soccer Positions - Defense
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Harvey_Russell]Harvey Russell

As a team game, soccer requires coordination from various soccer positions on the field. Plays are sometimes complicated to formulate and much more to execute in the playground, especially if you are to consider different positions playing together to form a cohesive unit.

Complication-turned-simple is the real beauty of soccer. It is an addictive game that can glue fans to their TV sets for ours. This makes it one of the most watched sports in the world today. Millions are watching professional football games any day in the world simply to watch teams battle each other. Fans are sometimes perplexed by plays of the game due to lack of knowledge how each individual in a team work for the whole team. What they do not know is that each one of the 11 players on the field tries to consolidate their efforts to score a goal. Strategies of soccer revolve around 3 fundamental positions on the field: defense, attack, and midfield. Check out below to know the functions of each player on the field.

Defense

Defenders are players whose main function is to prevent strikers from scoring a goal. If there are more underrated players in soccer, they are the defense guys. Strikers often get the glory but a winning team also invested as much time on defense as they are on offense. A team that cannot seal the goal is no good. Solid defense is a key to winning games. Read on below to see certain positions on the field those compose the defense of a team:

The Goalie

Goalkeepers, as their name suggest, are those guarding the goal posts and considered the last line of defense of a team. They are the only guys on the field allowed to touch the ball with their hands inside the penalty box area. He has great view of the entire field so he usually shouts to the other defenders which point to concentrate to form a good chance of preventing a score.

The Centerback

Centerbacks are talented players who are tasked to assist goalkeepers by blocking shots made by the opposition's best attacking players. They usually stand in the middle of the back line in a line of 4 defenders. They are usually agile, great jumpers who usually used heading to block shots. They are given the delicate task of "sweeping" the line for possible out-of-nowhere attackers close to the goal, and as such cannot afford to commit any mistakes.

The Fullback

Fullbacks are the two players on the opposite wings of the centerbacks. They assist centerbacks in blocking players streaking from the middle, as well as help block opposition players coming on the edge of the field.

The next time you watch your favorite Premier League or rel=nofollow [http://www.bigpondsport.com/Football/ALeague/tabid/85/Default.aspx]A-League game, identify each of the defending players on the field. They are usually not difficult to spot as they are the ones closest to the goal post.

Harvey has been writing on [http://www.bigpondsport.com/Football/EnglishPremierLeague/tabid/88/Default.aspx]Premier League for several years now. He also writes regularly on topics about the latest A-league news and highlights.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Understanding-Soccer-Positions---Defense&id=5067644] Understanding Soccer Positions - Defense