Center Mid Passing Combination 2
Two lines feed two central midfielders — give-and-goes climb the grid until player 1's diagonal ball drops into the space near the cone for player 2's run.
Playing diagonal balls in the direction you are facing is the center mid's craft — lay-offs and first-time passes, then a ball into space timed to the run.
15 min tonight · Two lines, plus 2 central mids
- Ages 9+
- Two lines, plus 2 central mids
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies
Grab Cones for the grid, and a ball to start.
Build Set up a grid approximately 20 by 35 yards — the size can be adjusted for the age and skill level of your players.
Place Two central mid players inside the grid, and everyone else split into two even lines on one end. Player 1 starts with the ball.
- 1
Organize the players
Put your two central mids inside the grid and split the rest into two even lines on one end, with the ball starting at player 1.
“Two mids inside, two lines down here. First player — start us.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk it through — player 1 plays into the first central mid and starts his run down the sideline. CM1 plays a first-time ball into player 2. Player 2 plays into the second central mid and starts his run down the sideline toward the cone. CM2 lays off to player 1, and player 1 plays a diagonal ball into the space near the cone for the run of player 2.
“Pass, then run your line. Mids — first time, keep it climbing. Last ball goes diagonal, into space, onto the run.”
- 3
Play
Keep the groups flowing and hold the standard the drill is built on — timing. The weight and accuracy of each pass must be precise, the runs timed correctly, everything played in one touch, and the players settled into the rhythm of the game and the passes.
“One touch! Precise — right weight, right moment, onto the run.”
Look for Timing — precise weight and accuracy, correctly timed runs, and the diagonal ball meeting player 2 in stride.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Each group jogs around the outside of the grid back to the starting point. For a variation, when players get to the end, the same group with the same ball reverses the pattern and returns to the starting point.
“Jog it around and go again — or turn it around and play your way back.”
If the passes can't survive the distances, pull the grid in while they play — size it to their age and skill — then stretch it back out as the timing sharpens.
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Why it works
The pattern stacks the center mid's real jobs — receive, play first time, lay off — and ends every rep with the payoff pass: a diagonal ball played in the direction they are facing, into space, timed to a runner.
What they learn
Center mid play — first-time passes, lay-offs, and diagonal balls played in the direction they are facing, with precise weight and accuracy, correctly timed runs, one-touch play, and rhythm.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.