Two of our better players were missing and I went with a 3-1-2 today. The other team looked really good (and big) and came out early and popped us in the mouth with an early goal. I was afraid my guys would wilt, but we ripped off 5 unanswered and won 5-1.

Some things I learned/did that worked well.

• Best player on the team LOVES defense, so put him at center back and told him to do whatever he wants. He was a beast. Didn't score a single goal, but we wouldn't have won without him distributing the ball from the back
• Told him to take all the throw ins and just chuck it towards the goal fast. Just run to the spot and throw it. Moving quick on the throw in was a huge part of our success.
• Told my forwards to shoot, shoot, shoot. We scored a bunch on long shots that simply weren't directly at the goalie. Goalies at this age suuuuuuuck (for the most part).
• The other team ran drill after drill in pregame while we basically did a walkthrough and talked simple strategy. Worked out well for us as we still had plenty of energy despite the Texas sun. The other team was very technical, but we were much more organized. Very proud of how these little guys executed. Sounds crazy, but it makes a huge difference if you can keep them spaced instead of ball chasing and it's worth it to discuss that no matter how young the players are.