Coaching tools › Activities › Playing out of the back

Build-Up Game

By Gabe Ramos · U.S. Soccer Coach Educator · Updated October 2026

A full 9v9 where every restart is played short from the keeper and the opponents drop to halfway until the first pass is received. A goal that started with the keeper and had more than six passes counts double.

Setup

A full 9v9 on a 60x40. The team in possession starts every restart from its keeper.

How it works

• No goal kicks long: every restart is played short.
• The opponents drop to halfway until the first pass is received, then go.
• A goal that started with the keeper and had more than six passes counts double.

Scoring

Normal game with the bonus rule.

Make it easier or harder

• Progression 1: Opponents leave one presser high.
• Progression 2: Opponents press from the first touch. No safety.

Coach’s notes

• If It Stalls: Goals conceded by playing out? Keep playing out. Count the completed build-ups, not the score.

Why it works

This is the game that makes a team believe in playing out. The drop to halfway gives the builders a safe first pass, and the double goal makes the long kick the worst option on the field, because it can never score double.

Expect to concede a goal or two from playing out in the first week. Keep playing out. Count completed build-ups, not the score, and the players will stop panicking.

Where it sits

This is activity 20 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 2 · Playing Out From the Back). The book is ten themes of ten rungs each, from a 3v1 square to a full 9v9 transition game, and every activity has its setup, rules, scoring, two progressions, three coaching points and an animated video like the one above.

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The simplest build-up picture: a goal, a keeper and two backs on the edge of the box against one presser, with two gates on the far line.

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