How Many Players on a Soccer Team?
There are 11 players on a soccer team that play at once. This includes one goalie and ten outfield players.
There are also about seven bench spots that can be subbed into the game.
Key Takeaways From This Article:
- Eleven players are playing at once in a middle school, high school, college, and professional game.
- The roster size will be larger and sometimes can include 23 players.
- The amount of players on a youth soccer team depends on the age but five, seven, nine, and eleven are standard.
The eleven players (plus bench players) represent age groups U-13 and above. Younger ages will vary and there can be nine, seven, or five players on the field for a team.
How Many Players Does a Youth Soccer Team Have?
A U-9 through U-12 youth soccer team typically has seven to nine players on a field at once.
U-8 teams and younger typically have four players without a goalie.
According to the Youth Soccer Association, here are the number of players for each age group:
- Under-six (U-6), under-seven (U-7), and under-eight (U-8): 4 players and no goalkeeper
- Under-nine (U-9) and under-ten (U-10): 7 players including a goalkeeper
- Under-eleven (U-11) and twelve (U-12): 9 players including a goalkeeper
- Under-thirteen (U-13) and older: 11 players including a goalkeeper
How Many Players on a High School Soccer Team?
A high school soccer team has eleven players on the pitch. Many high school teams will carry over 18 players for substitutes and injuries.
In addition, the size of the soccer field is larger than that of a youth soccer field. It is somewhat similar to the size of a professional soccer field.
How Many Players Should a Team Carry?
In professional soccer, a team can carry about 18 players on game day but more can be active on a roster. For example, MLS teams can carry up to 30 players on their active roster but it needs to be trimmed down to 18 on game day.
In youth soccer, it would depend on your league, organization, and coach. In the MLS NEXT and ECNL, a team can carry 18 on game day.
From my perspective, seven players on the bench is a bit too many. Some teams will carry 15 of their strongest players. It makes it difficult for coaches with full rosters to be competitive and play everyone fairly.
With a large roster size, you’ll always make someone unhappy.
Whether it’s the 18th kid complaining that they only played 15% of the game or the best player frustrated they got taken out with 30 minutes left.
In youth soccer, I think the sweet spot is having four substitutes including a second goalie.
Final Thoughts
While the starting lineup of eleven is important, everyone on the team should be a contributor.
For players that don’t see much playing time, you should make practices a priority.
For your development, you’ll get more out of the training than games…and this is okay.
Remember, as a youth soccer player, it’s all about getting better and trusting the process!
