Four Goals, One Gate
Four-a-side keep-away where a pass through the center gate unlocks the goals — then strike whichever of the four mini goals is open.
The gate rewards patient possession and the four goals reward the scan — keep the ball until the moment is right, then attack where the defense isn't.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Two teams of 4 (4v4)
- Ages 8+
- Two teams of 4 (4v4)
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, 4 poles or tall cones, 4 Pugg goals, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones, four poles or tall cones, four Pugg goals, pinnies, and spare balls.
Build Build a 30-by-30-yard square, mark a 5-by-5 square in the center with the poles, and set a mini goal facing inward at the middle of each side.
Place Both teams of four inside the big square, spare balls with you for fast restarts. One team starts in possession.
- 1
Organize the players
Two teams of four in pinnies, both inside the grid, one team starting with the ball.
“Four goals, one rule — nothing counts until you've played through the middle.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the unlock — a pass between the center poles to a teammate opens all four goals; the defenders protect the middle first and cover the goals from there.
“Pass through the middle to a teammate — now any goal counts. Defenders — protect the middle first.”
- 3
Play
Keep restarts fast from your spare balls, and after each goal restart with the team that didn't score. Encourage backside runs away from the ball — they create the space.
“Scan! Middle's closed? Keep it — wait for your moment.”
Look for Eyes up after the unlock — the team striking the most open goal fast, before the defense recovers.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Track goals or play set periods. To stretch them, run a variation — two passes through the center before the goals unlock.
“This round — two through the middle before you can score!”
If the middle pass never lands, make the center square bigger — a wider gate — then shrink it back as they find it.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
Scoring is locked behind a penetrating pass, so possession gets a purpose — control the ball, wait for the gate — and every unlock becomes a scanning decision: four goals, one defense, strike the open one before it recovers.
What they learn
Patient possession, scanning and vision, backside runs, and switching the point of attack quickly.
What's next
Four Corners Passing Game — the goals become corners, and the switch itself becomes the score.
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.