Last Goal Wins

Soccer: Last Goal Wins Game for Better Possession Play

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

While many players think the only way to advance the ball is straight down the field, in fact, it's often better to first move the ball sideways or backwards until an opening can be spotted in the defence.

Last Goal Wins is a game that will force your players to play a “possession” type of game, in which they must pass to open players who may not be ahead of the them on the field. It will also allow them to compare possession soccer with a more aggressive and risky style of play.

Rules for Last Goal Wins
The rules are simple. Play a regular scrimmage, with some simple modifications:

Once a team has scored, it can't score again until the other team has scored.
Play continues for a set period of time (i.e. 10 minutes). The winner is the last team to have scored when time expires.

Explanation
These rule changes force the scoring team to play possession-style soccer instead of taking risks and penetrating towards the other goal. Once they've scored, their new focus is to safely hold the ball until the time clock expires.

Of course, the other team must work very hard to get possession of the ball, and then take some chances in order to penetrate to the basket.

References:
1. Jay Martin, Coaching Soccer the NSCAA Way; A Complete Guide (Best of Soccer Journal), Meyer & Meyer Fachverlag und Buchhandel GmbH, 2011.
2. Colin E. Schmidt, Advanced Soccer Drills, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1997.

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