How to Attack as a Soccer Goalie

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In the waning minutes of a soccer match, a team trailing or needing a victory may make a bold move. Pulling your goalkeeper out of the net and sending him into the offensive attack provides you with a numerical advantage that sometimes leads to the equalizing goal. The risk of leaving the net open is an obvious one; sometimes the need for a goal outweighs the risk. When attacking as a goalie, there are many precautions to take to ensure the risk is minimized.

Things You'll Need

  • Goalie jersey
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Instructions

    • 1

      Secure possession of the ball with your hands and distribute the ball quickly to a teammate. You can't attack until your team has the ball. If you send a long punt into your attacking area, wait until one of your strikers has received the ball before you begin moving forward. A better play may be to roll the ball to a defender and progress slowly up the field with the ball.

    • 2

      Slowly jog forward, staying behind the ball and watching to make sure your team keeps possession. A goalie who moves into the attack should still remain as the last defender if possible. Push your other defenders forward to stay ahead of you.

    • 3

      Maintain possession of the ball with your teammates. Adding the goalie to the attack gives you an extra player that the defense can't defend. Pass the ball around, searching for a good time to strike. As long as you have the ball, your team isn't in danger of being counterattacked to a wide open net.

    • 4

      Assess the situation and make the proper decision. If a free kick or corner kick ensues, get in the penalty box with your teammates and put pressure on the opposing team. If your team is struggling to keep possession or find openings in the defense, maintain your depth, staying near midfield.

    • 5

      Be ready to sprint back to your own net if your team loses possession of the ball. As the goalie, you're still the only player who can touch the ball with his hands in the penalty box. You must get back as quickly as possible to prevent the other team from scoring an easy goal.

    • 6

      Send passes into the front of the goal to create goal scoring opportunities. As the last defender, all of your teammates should be ahead of you, looking for attacking opportunities. If the ball comes back to you and players are ready for a cross, chip the ball into the penalty area and hope one of your teammates is on the end of the pass.