A soccer player's job depends on his position on the field. As a player develops in his career, he will naturally become better at some aspects of the game rather than others. Each soccer club or national team will have a pool of players within the squad who are specialists at each position on the field. The job of any individual player is to excel in the role he was recruited for and to do the best for the team.
Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper is probably the most specialized position on a soccer team. As a goalkeeper, you are the only player who is allowed to touch the ball with your hands or arms. You only have the license to do this within the penalty area, an 18 yards square box that surrounds the goal. As the goalkeeper, it is your job to do everything you can to stop the opposition team from scoring a goal.
Defender
The job of a defender in a soccer team is to stop the opposing team's attacking players from getting into goal-scoring opportunities and taking shots. There are normally four or five players with specialist defensive duties in a soccer team. As a defender, you must make sure that you do not play an opposing attacker onside by being closer to your own goal line than the attacker when the ball is passed to that attacking player, as noted by FIFA.
Midfielder
The midfield positions in a soccer team are the engine room. Winning the battle in midfield against the opposing midfield players means having control of the game and keeping possession of the ball. As the BBC website notes, a midfielder must be composed when she is on the ball and look for opportunities to spring attacks by either dribbling or passing forward. As a midfielder, you also cannot be shy about going in for a tackle and winning the ball.
Attacker
The attacker, or striker, has the job of scoring a majority of the goals for the team. When given a chance in front of goal, you are expected to at least get the ball on target and work the goalkeeper. You must be a skilled shooter with your feet but also with your head. Midfield players will often cross the ball in from the sides of the pitch, and as an attacker, you must be able to win the header in the air.
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