Soccer Coaching Blog | Professional Soccer Coaching Advice

I’ve just come in from a game at U13s where the two goalkeepers were outstanding.

It isn’t often you see two goalkeepers command their area like the players did today. There were four 1v1s, two on each side and none of them were turned into goals.

What a difference that makes to the spirit of the team and the confidence the defenders have in their goalkeeper.

The defenders on both teams were able to concentrate on defending rather than worrying that the goalkeeper was going to make a mistake.

The only thing that troubled me today was that the referee twice blew up for backpasses to our goalkeeper who picked the ball up. I wanted to go on the pitch and explain that if my players could hit pinpoint passes under pressure at full stretch a long way from the goalkeeper then I would be a happy man.

It was a 3-3 draw and neither of the freekicks for backpasses were turned into goals!

I thought you might like to see this video of how Phil Weddon, the coach of USA ladies national team goalkeeper Hope Solo, coaches the way to control a 1v1. Watch it and take some ideas from it – I have!