Set Pieces - Kickoffs

Chaaarrrggee!
A quick little play to catch the defense napping! It's simple to implement and at the very least let's your team quickly penetrate the attacking third of the field.

The trick to this one is the diagonal runs that overlap the defenders zone of responsibility. There are also a couple of variations in case a defender picks up on the plan.

Offense: Players A, B and C line up to take the kick. Player A makes a quick pass diagonally to either D or E, who are positioned on the far wings and make quick runs in diagonally. A B and C begin a sprint straight down the middle. Player D then has several options.

1. D first looks to serve the ball to A B or C if any of them are on a clean breakaway and are unmarked.
   
   
2. D can continue his diagonal run, eventually serving the ball to E who is coming down the far sideline. This gives A B and C sufficient time to penetrate the box and be waiting for a service from the outside.
   
   
3. If D becomes tightly marked quickly, a back pass to a supporting midfielder could be used to relieve the pressure. The support player would then look long to the corners.

Variation: Players BC and DE make overlapping diagonal runs to pull the central defenders outward. The defenders will at first see the central players moving out, but won't recognize the flank players that are making diagonal runs to the center. This should free up the center of the field briefly allowing A to sprint forward and take the pass from D.

Defense: On quick counter attacks or kickoff attacks, its important for one defender to pressure the player with the ball while the other two seek positions to intercept passes. Defenders should realize that the first two touches of the ball will most likely be passes (the first one has to be a pass) so they should look at the alignment of the offense to try and imagine possible scenarios and plays.