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Free activity · 100 Possession Activities

Vacate the Pocket

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

A 30x20 with a 6x6 pocket in the center. Nobody may receive in the pocket unless another attacker left it in the last two seconds. One player clears the space so another can use it.

Setup

A 30x20 with a 6x6 pocket marked in the center. 6v4.

How it works

• Nobody may receive in the pocket unless another attacker left it in the last two seconds.
• A pass received in the pocket is two points.
• Six passes is a point.

Scoring

First to 15.

Make it easier or harder

• Progression 1: The pocket shrinks to 4x4.
• Progression 2: A goal at each end: the pocket pass must lead to a shot.

Coach’s notes

• If It Stalls: Pocket always crowded? Only one attacker may be within 3 yards of it at a time.

Why it works

Good attacking is often about the run that does not get the ball. The player leaving the pocket takes a defender away, and the player arriving gets the space.

This is hard, and it should be. It is the movement behind a lot of good goals, and it takes real timing between players.

Where it sits

This is activity 65 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 7 · Movement to Receive). 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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