What is an Outfield Player in Soccer? Quick Rundown
An outfield player is any player on a soccer team who is not the goalkeeper.
This means it could be the Striker, Left Winger, Right Back, or any other position except the keeper.
What’s the responsibility of the outfield player? Scoring and defending. Anything other than blocking shots from going into the net.
By position, these are essentially the roles
- Defenders: Preventing the other team from scoring
- Midfielders: Controlling the flow of the game
- Forwards: Scoring goals or creating opportunities to score goals
How Many Outfield Players Are There in Soccer?
The number of outfield players on a team can vary. The most common formation consists of ten outfield players and one goalkeeper.
- 11 Players on a Team – 1 Goalkeeper = 10 Outfield Players
- 9 Players on a Team – 1 Goalkeeper = 8 Outfield Players
Simple math!
Written By: Beau Bridges
Founder of SoccerNovo
I’m Beau 👋 a proud dad of an MLS NEXT player, former soccer coach, soccer enthusiast, and board member of our local youth sports program. I created soccernovo.com to share my knowledge of the game and help parents learn more about youth soccer in the U.S. I also authored an eBook ‘Soccer Coach Made Simple‘. Learn more about Beau.
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