Overview
Corner Kick
Opponent Goal Kicks
Center Double
This is our standard way to respond to opponent's goal kicks. We play a 3-5-2 formation with the five mid-fielders playing a zone. The mid-fielders play in four zones across the field staying goal side of the opponents and the AM in the center stays attacking goal side of the opponents in the center of the field. The forwards are disrupting any short passes and the midfielders are looking to double team any long pass. When the ball is kicked the mid-fielder whose zone the ball is kicked to marks the opponent body to body disrupting the opponent's ability to trap the ball. The midfielder from the adjacent sound double teams the player and intercepts or steals the ball. The team rapidly transitions into the attack with at least one of the forwards coming back to the Grizzly midfielder with the ball to play a give-and-go or similar action.
Forward Press
This is the most aggressive defense we play against the opponent's goal kick. We play this when the opponent taking the goal kick does not have a long kick capability or we need to score a goal with limited time remaining. We play 3-4-3 with every player except the CB playing on the attacking side of the opponent they are marking. Everyone is playing man-to-man with the intent of intercepting the goal kick.
Deep Defense
This is the most defensive of our postures. We play 5-3-2 with the defensive line back behind the midfield line. The midfielders are in three across zone just on the attacking side of the midfield on the defensive side of the players in their zone. The forwards are up front passively disrupting the opponent's forward movement. We play this way in one of a few conditions.
- Early in the game to test the other team's long goal kick ability
- When we need to pull the opponent out of their defensive half
- To rest our time and slow down the tempo