Define "Soccer Team"

A soccer team can entail a group of small tots all chasing the ball with tiny steps, or it can be a juggernaut of elite players flowing like the wind down the field past stalwart defenders and a lightning-reflexed goalkeeper. A soccer team can bring hope to a nation's future leaders, such as South African political prisoners during the era of apartheid, and fleeting peace in wartime, as happened during a Christmas truce game between German and British soldiers during World War I. Most often, a soccer team provides a fun weekly runaround for T-shirted recreational players going for a burn.

Rules

FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, describes in Law 3 of its Laws of the Game rules regarding the number of players. A soccer team consists of not more than 11 players, including a goalkeeper, and a match cannot start if either team fields fewer than seven players. A maximum of three substitutes can be used at the elite level; most recreational soccer allows unlimited substitutions during stoppages in play. "Friendlies" or international exhibition games played under FIFA auspices can choose to allow up to seven substitutes.

Elements

A full 11-player team lines up with a goalkeeper in the back and 10 defenders, midfielders and forwards in the field. The team advances the ball using short passes if it plays a possession-oriented game, with players passing the ball and moving into open space for a give-and-go move to confound the defense. A "long ball" team instead sends the ball upfield with long passes designed to fall near the feet of a speedy forward, who then dribbles to advance the ball past the defender, or passes off or shoots.

Support

Non-players may also play a role on the team. At the recreational and competitive amateur level, teams have a manager who handles roster duties, fee collection, distribution of the season schedule and communication with the league. Teams may also have a coach, who can be a player or not, who leads the team in terms of determining who starts the game, who substitutes and what formation and strategy to follow. Professional teams in the United States have coaches and assistants, while in Europe the coach is typically called the manager. A senior or leadership-oriented player serves as captain, with duties including attending the coin toss before the game and latitude to bring persistent opponent infringements to the attention of the referee.

Concepts

To truly become a soccer "team," versus a collection of individuals, each player as in other sports needs to work cooperatively. "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion," stated U.S. standout Mia Hamm. In practical terms, this means you need to realize that you need your teammates to succeed. During games, when your team has the ball, think "everyone attacks," and when you lose the ball, think "everyone defends," recommends soccer coach John DeWitt in "Coaching Girls' Soccer."