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Rondo and Go

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

4v2 in a 10x10 with two mini goals fifteen yards away. After five passes the attackers may break out: a pass to any teammate who has left the square and a finish inside five seconds, with one defender allowed to chase.

Setup

4v2 in a 10x10 with two mini goals 15 yards away. After five passes the attackers may break out: a pass to any teammate who has left the square, and a finish inside 5 seconds. One defender may chase.

Why it works

Keeping the ball is only half of possession; the other half is knowing when to stop keeping it. The five-pass trigger gives the rondo a purpose, and the five-second finish teaches that forward is a decision with a clock on it.

Watch the player who leaves the square. The timing of that run, after the fifth pass and not before, is the striker’s job in miniature: stretch them first, then show.

Where it sits

This is the Rondo block of Week 9 · Session 1 in the Full Season Travel Curriculum for ages 9 to 12 (Weeks 9–10 · Forward Roles). Every session in the book runs the same 90 minutes: rondo, sharpen, solve, play and a set piece, drawn for 7v7 and 9v9, with two coaching points a day and a match-day page for every week.

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Open the activity ›Ages 11+ · Rondos4v1 With a Call

A 4v1 rondo where the receiver has to call a number shown by a helper before the first touch.

Open the activity ›Ages 11+ · Rondos4v2 Split

Four attackers on the sides of a 10x10, two defenders inside working as a pair.

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