5+2 v 5 on the Big Goal
Seven attackers work the ball around five defenders and a goalkeeper in quick four-minute rounds, hunting a way through to score on a real goal.
Preventing the opponent from scoring is a group job — a compact unit defending the goal together.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
Up to 30 min · 7 attackers + 8 defenders in two groups of four + 1 goalkeeper (built for 16)
- Ages 9–11
- 7 attackers + 8 defenders in two groups of four + 1 goalkeeper (built for 16)
- Up to 30 min
- Cones, pinnies in two colors, balls, one standard goal, two mini goals
Grab Cones, pinnies in two colors, a supply of balls, one standard goal, and two mini goals — this one uses a goalkeeper.
Build Mark out a 28-by-36-yard field, played on the standard goal and the two mini goals.
Place Seven red attackers — five on the field, two as outside players who may not dribble into the box — the goalkeeper in the standard goal, and the eight blue defenders split into two groups of four; each round plays 5+2 v 5, and Red always starts with the ball.
One 28-by-36 field with the standard goal and keeper at one end, the two mini goals placed, the box the outside players may not enter, and where the two outside players stand.
- 1
Organize the players
Set the field, put the keeper in the standard goal, place the two mini goals, send Red's two outside players to their spots, and split the eight blues into two groups of four — first group in.
“Reds — five inside, two outside, and outside players never dribble into the box. Blues, first group, you're defending.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk one rep — Red starts with the ball and attacks the standard goal, the outside players feed the attack without entering the box, and rounds run four minutes before the defender groups switch.
“Stay compact. Defend the player, defend the goal.”
- 3
Play
Run it with two breaks, the source's own way — at the first break, ask the guided question and let them keep playing to discover the answer; at the second, they share answers with you and each other.
“What should you do when the attackers pass to one of the outside players? Keep playing — show me.”
Look for Defenders dropping back toward the goal, staying compact in the middle, and marking the forwards tightly when the ball goes wide.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Switch the defender groups after every four-minute round and restart each attack with Red on the ball. Switch variants when the level is wrong — that is the design, not a failure.
“Round's over — next group of blues in. Red ball.”
Too hard? Switch to 5+2 v 6 — one more defender, switching three out each round. Too easy? Go 7v5 — the field ten yards wider and the outside players inside it. Spend the thirty minutes either way.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
The model answers give the defenders the whole protect-the-goal playbook in their own language — defend as a compact unit, actively engage the ball carrier, move with the ball, block shots — and the wide-ball rule too: when it goes to an outside player, drop back toward the goal, stay compact in the middle, mark the forwards tightly. The free-play answers set the direction from the first minute: steer attackers away from the goal, onto the wing.
What they learn
Defending the goal as a unit — marking players and space, making it compact, and keeping it compact.
Where does this come from?
US Soccer — Play/Practice/Play session plans for 9v9, U11–U12.
A governing body published this — the same organization that writes the rules your league plays by.