Intro to Soccer Positions

There are several types of soccer positions in which you can play. You may for example play defender, striker, goalkeeper or a midfielder. There are 11 players in each soccer team and all these players are assigned a position.

The goalkeeper
The most well known position is that of the goalkeeper. Your team can have only a single goalkeeper and your team can't either start the game without him. If you were playing as a goalie, you would have immense responsibility on your shoulders since you need to stop the goals. Moreover, you have to be ready and on your toes to save the goals. You are the only one who can touch the ball by using your hands, but this rule comes with a disclaimer. You can only touch the ball when you are inside the penalty box area.

The defenders of the team
As a defender you can play either as the left/right full back, the center back or the sweeper/libero. At times there can also be three defenders depending on the formation chosen by your team. A left or right fullback is often a good runner which is a requirement in order to stop the fast running wingers. Center backs have great heading skills but are often pretty slow in one vs one situation. Sweeper or libero is the back-up for the center backs and is responsible for distributing the ball to the midfielders.

The midfielders ensure that they ward off the opposition in the midfield
Midfielders are placed between the defense and the forwards/strikers of the team. There can be 3-4 players that play as the left half, center-half and right half. When playing as a midfielder you will pass the ball from the defenders to the striker and fence off the defenders as well as strikers of the opposing team. To succeed as midfielder you will need to pose good passing skills.

The forwards and strikers are responsible for scoring goals
If you are a forward or striker, then you are in the attacking position. As a forward/striker, you will have great agility and speed with the ball. A forward is often faster than a striker while strikers are stronger than forwards. Strikers are often defined as purely scoring machines while forwards are more known for their hard work.

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