How to Play Sweeper in Soccer

Soccer is a popular U.S. sport with an even larger international following. Sweeper is one of the most important positions on the field. Without a sweeper, many more goals would be scored and games would be much less competitive. Sweep up these simple steps to becoming an all-star on the soccer field.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Position yourself five to 10 yards in front of your team's goalkeeper. This is the home base for the sweeper, which is a defensive position.

2. Stay on the defensive side of the soccer field. Sweepers stick by the goalie. There is no need for you to be on the offensive side of the field. In other words, always stay on the opposite end of the field as the other team's goalkeeper.

3. Move across the field from left to right following the action of the soccer ball. Although a sweeper is limited to the defensive side of the field, he can move all the way to the left or right of the field following the action of the ball.

4. Protect the goal. A sweeper is the last defender before the ball reaches the goalkeeper. Therefore, a sweeper must "sweep" the ball away from the goal. For example, if an opposing player dribbles toward the goal on the left side and passes all of the other defensive players, it is the sweeper's responsibility to stop the ball before the player has an opportunity to take a shot.

5. Practice your "boot" kicks. Sweepers need good kicking skills. Often in soccer, the opposing team kicks the ball too hard or misses a pass and the ball lands in front of the sweeper. If the sweeper is not facing any opponents, he or she has time for a huge kick, or "boot," to get the ball to the other end of the field.

6. Back up the goalie. Sometimes the goalkeeper has to come out of the goal to stop the soccer ball or face off with an opponent. When this happens, the sweeper becomes the alternate goalie. Run to the goal immediately if you see the goalie has had to leave his post for any reason.

Tips & Warnings

• A sweeper needs to have quick feet and be able to move across the field fast. This is not necessarily a position of endurance but a position of quick speed and agility.

• Unlike the goalkeeper, a sweeper cannot touch the ball with his or her hands. There will be a penalty called if this happens.