Live The Pitch

When playing a flat-back four it is vital that your team understands the transitioning part of the formation.  When going forward this is the best formation you can play.  If the flat-back four is played right there will be options all around the field.  In my opinion the key players transitioning to offense in this system are the outside-backs.

The outside-backs have to be good technically, and patient with the ball at their feet.  In this formation the four backs have full range of going forward while in possession of the ball.  When the backs move forward there has to be communication with the other players.   If a center-back moves forward, then a center-mid or outside-mid would drop into the space they were covering.  There has to be constant communication while playing a flat-back four.

When moving the ball out of the defensive zone, the defenders must transition forward quickly to avoid leaving space for the opposing team. The goalkeeper and center-backs should act as leaders on the pitch and take charge of the other players on the field to get them forward quickly. If the transition is slow the opposing team will have space to attack the four players in the back.  Every player needs to be on the same page in this formation.  If one player is slow transitioning forward this leaves the entire team vulnerable to a counter-attack.

When in possession of the ball  all players have the ability to get involved in the attack.  This is why a sweeper, man marking formation is not good in my opinion.  In a sweeper formation the backs have man marking responsibilities, which hinders the players from getting involved on offense. Throughout my years of coaching I have had players beg me to play outside-back in our flat-back four.

If played right the flat back will open up the field giving you great chances at the opposing teams goal.  The outside backs should be serving balls in, the center backs should be moving up into the midfield, and most importantly there has to be COMMUNICATION!

There are numerous formations to teach kids at the elite club level in youth soccer. To compete with the best, you absolutely have to play a flat-back four on defense. I have seen teams play with the so called “sweeper” in the back, but for the kids to truly understand and learn the game they need to understand the flat-back four.

First, the main thing when teaching a flat-back four is PRESSURE on the ball. At all times there needs to be pressure on the ball whether it’s the forwards, midfielders, or defenders. The flat back four does not work properly if there is not pressure on the ball. The team you are teaching needs to be in top physical shape to succeed with this formation.

Who pressures the ball?

At all times the first defender provides pressure to the ball with a second defender to provide cover and also a third defender to provide balance to the defense. Throughout my years as a youth coach I have taught the closest player to the ball, no matter what position they are playing to apply pressure.

Next, the flat back four formation is rarely ever actually a straight flat line in the back. The players need to constantly be communicating with each other when playing a flat-back four. Communication is very important to have success with this formation. The two center backs need to be leaders on your team to keep everyone organized.

There is NO man-man marking in a flat-back four. This seems to give the players the most problems when learning this system. The players actually have certain zones or areas that they are responsible for covering. When playing the flat-back four your shape is always changing.

If you come up against a team who is fairly strong up top, your center backs have to ability to drop off into space to provide cover for other defenders. There are many coaches who are strict about the zones that you allow your players to cover, but I don’t believe this is the way to teach it.

Yes, as a coach you would like your right back on the right and your left back on the left but in my years of coaching I don’t like to restrict my players. As I stated before the success of this formation comes from PRESSURE on the ball.

Finally, what are the pros of this formation?

The best thing about playing a flat back four is the ability to spread the field when you get possession of the ball. This formation frees up the outside backs to get involved in the offense on the wings. Since there is NO man-man marking, the outside backs will become a huge asset to your team moving possession forward.

There are numerous ways to play in front of the back four. My favorite is a 4-4-2 with a holding defensive center mid and a free center mid who has the freedom to roam the field when going forward.

Learning this formation does not happen overnight even at the elite youth level. Many coaches will try the flat back four and not get the results they want right away… So they give up on it. In most cases, coaches will stick there best player at sweeper so he can provide cover to the outside backs.

When teaching the flat back four as a coach you need to be patient. Most, if not all youth players today are taught the sweeper formation from day one. If taught properly, the flat-back four is a much more effective defensive formation.

The ideal formation in my opinion for the flat back four.

The level of youth soccer in the United States is improving greatly.  Although it is difficult to get the best youth athletes to play youth soccer in the states,  there is much to be said on the state of youth soccer just in the past few years.

The introduction of the USSF Development Academy 2 years ago was a huge step for soccer here in the United States.  There are a lot of pros with this system but also a lot of problems.  Also, the state associations are doing a much better job with player development on the local stage.

In the US Development Academy are the top 75 clubs throughout the country.   Each club has a U-16 and U-18 Academy team.  For the elite soccer player interested in playing soccer in college, these are the clubs to find.  This year over 300 Development Academy players are going  to college to continue their soccer careers.

There are 2 Academy Showcases each year that every club attends.  There are numerous national team scouts at these showcases and countless amounts of  college coaches.  The structure is somewhat different from local state associations.  Academy gameplay is a bit more consistent with how international soccer works. For instance, once a player is subbed out of a game they cannot return!  Each club in the academy is assigned to a geographically located division.  At the end of the season there is a playoff for the top teams in each division to determine the best teams in the nation.

In my opinion overall,  the Development Academy is a great idea that US soccer has put in place.  There are a few things that need to change for this to be the best it can be.

First,  the national federation should start this with younger players.  The program should start at u-12.  The reason behind my idea for this is that the players can grow together as a team.  Yes individual skills are very important but if a player does not learn the team aspect they will never fully grow as a player.  As a youth soccer coach I have seen first hand teams fully stacked with talent put together at the higher age groups.  Most of these teams do not live up to their full potential.  If this is done at a younger age it would prevent the enormous ego’s of a number of youth players.

The cost to play academy needs to go down.  For an Academy Player, this past year, you are looking at spending anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 dollars a year.  This includes training fees and travel fees.  The federation needs to lock up a sponsor immediately.  If this needs to be done at the Club level than the federation needs to do everything in its power to help. Costs like these are a major problem with youth soccer here in the United States.  Most of our top athletes absolutely cannot afford to play in this program.

Finally,  we need to eliminate the entire ODP program.  The best players in each state should be playing for the academy and not for local club teams.  If the federation starts the program at  a younger age this would ensure the top players are playing for the academy.  As of right now the best players are still spread out on numerous club teams throughout the country.

The local state associations are also doing a great job with youth soccer.  There is still a state cup, regional, and a national tournament in each age group that academy teams are not allowed to participate in.  The coaching has improved dramatically in the last few years on the local level.  There are numerous resources available  for local club coaches to use.  These teams still compete in top notch tournaments throughout the year in front of college coaches but the level of play is not of the academy level.  There are hundreds of players continuing their soccer careers in college through regular club teams.

Our goal in this country needs to be to get the top players in each state on the academy teams and to get more of the top athletes in the US playing soccer.   I believe if we start at a young age this country will become a soccer powerhouse on the international level.  The sky is the limit for youth soccer here in the United States.