2v2 with Target Players to Small Goals
Two teams play 2v2 with a target player waiting on the end line — play into your target and take the return pass, and you're unlocked to score on the small goal.
Penetrating passes into a target player stretch the field — play forward, get it back, and finish on goal.
Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive
- Grab: Cones for the grid, pinnies to split the teams, balls, and your small goals.
- Build: Build a grid 25 by 40 yards, with the goals set as the diagram shows.
- Place: Split six players into two groups of three — a target for each team on the end line of the goal they're attacking, and the remaining four playing 2v2.
Show me the setup picture
One thing to remember: Penetrating passes into a target player — playing forward to push the ball down the field, target play in one or two touches, and moving into a good supporting position to receive and score.
How it runs — the whole game in one sentence
Play 2v2 — hit your target player on the end line and take the return pass to unlock your goal, then finish on the small goal.
1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Split six players into two groups of three. Each group sends one player to the end line their team is attacking as the target; the other two take the field for 2v2. With more than six, create multiple playing fields so all players stay engaged.
Coach says
Groups of three — one of you is the target on the far end line, two of you are playing.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the unlock rule — to score, a team must play the ball into their target player and receive it back from them; only then are they unlocked to score on the small goal. The target player can move along the goal line.
Coach says
You can't score cold — play your target, get it back, then go finish.
3Play▾
Coach does
Let the 2v2 run. Encourage both teams to play forward and push the ball down the field, hold the target players to being ready in one or two touches, and watch the attackers move into a good supporting position to receive the ball back from the target and score.
Coach says
Play forward! Targets — one or two touches. Move for the give-back!
Look for: The move after the pass — attackers repositioning into a good supporting spot to receive the target's return ball and score.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Switch out the target players so everyone plays both jobs, and keep any extra fields running.
Coach says
New targets! Field players to the line — line players, you're in.
If it's not working
If the ball never reaches a target, widen the grid while they play — more room to find the forward pass — then bring it back in.
Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.