what different formations do schools in sc play that are unique to the school? the basic 4-4-2 is annoying and never seems to work with a team i play with?

my club team sometimes plays a 3-4-1-2 or a 3-4-3 but we mostly run the 4-4-2 because it is the most balanced.

I'm a fan of the 3-5-2..

The 3-5-2 is a great formation if you have speed on defense. I really like that formation

..more specifically 3-2-3-2 ..if your two defensive midfielders are all around great players..you can really mix it up on people.. allows a lot of weapons and what not.

We started running the 3-5-2 towards the end of last season and really liked and it worked well for us, so we will probably use it alot this season. other than that we generally stick to the 4-4-2

well, a 1-2-2-2-2-1 would obviously leave huge holes and gaps in a team's defense. the center would be left vulnerable to attack. An effective formation will reflect the team that you are playing. for example: if you are playing against a team that is running a 3-4-3, you might need to run a flat 4 in the back depending on the effectivness of their forwards. It's all strategic.

Personally here at swansea, we usually run something of a 4-1-2-1-2, with a defensive mid/stopper placed directly in front of the defense, as well as an attacking mid right behind the forwards. However, we do occasionally use a 4-3-1-2, pushing the stopper up to more of a central mid role. Again, it all depends on who we are playing.

true, in each of these formations the two central midfielders just have varying roles. An attacking mentality or a defensive one. They are only slightly different.

A question for the HS players: 10 minutes into a game, would you be able to describe your opponent's formation? While on the field, can you tell the difference between an attacking midfielder and a central forward? Can you tell the difference between a stopper and a holding midfielder? More importantly, can you adjust your tactical game in response to their formation?

I'm asking this because as a fairly inexperienced coach dealing with younger age groups, I can usually figure it out when they line up for a kickoff and watch a team's "formation" for the first few minutes. But in the frenetic pace of youth soccer, the teams rarely hold strictly to a formation. I'd be interested in your perspective from the middle of the melee.

LE Dude, I 'm with you. I like a 3-2-3-2. To me it is the most versatile formation you can have. The 2 D mids can get forward to give more attacking power and also drop to give 5 men comitted to the D. Also , gives you another layer of players the other team has to negotiate.This formation is especially effective in the younger age groups.

When I played.. one of our defensive midfielders had the most powerful shot on the team..and the other had the best ball control.

So occasionally..one would enter the attacking third and unload a monster shot.. or the other would dribble in and open up space for someone else.

No matter what..the formation has to fit your personnel..

LEdudeman,
Was the defensive midfielder with the powerful shot named Rebecca?

No.

[Insert joke about sexual relations with your horse-faced daughter]

Oh,Ok. I thought it was your 1st cousin, Rebecca.
FYI.... Did you see where LE made the top ten in the RNL?

No..but the fact that you do it to spite me is comforting.