Elite

• Employs strength, speed, and agility to effectively beat opponents.
• Trained use of all surfaces of the body to gain advantage over opponent.
• High-level aerobic endurance for repetitive 1v1 battles.
• Mastery of a variety of moves and skills to use against an opponent.
• Effective and efficient use of ball and body to win 1v1 contests.
• Committed to pursuing 1v1 opportunities.
• Humility and perseverance in both triumphs and defeats.
• Anticipates 1v1 outcomes and adjusts accordingly.
• Maximizes field position and opponent’s weaknesses to dominate in 1v1 opportunities.

Outcome: Player effectively identifies and dominates in 1v1 opportunities.

• Improve fast feet, ability to alter speed and spacing quickly, and rapid change of direction.
• Enhance balance, foot agility, proper hip movement, and core strength.
• Gain advantage over asymmetry in size/strength with position and endurance.
• Develop ability to read and anticipate an opponent’s next movement.
• Proficient at closing the space to challenge an opponent’s fist touch, dribble, or pass.
• Understands level of intensity and emotion needed to gain or maintain possession.
• Places confidence in skill, not size, when competing against an opponent 1v1.
• Discern when and how to delay versus tackle a 1v1 based on the field position and team’s shape.

Outcome: Player anticipates a change in possession, reacts properly, and capitalizesrapidly for an advantage.

• Efficient use of speed, agility, endurance, and body position to dominate an opponent.
• Applies balance, fast feet, hip movement, and upper/core strength together.
• Maintains high levels of intensity and explosive power over time.
• Forces attacker to make a mistake (i.e., bad touch, sets ball on weak foot, forces high center of gravity).
• Master the art of closing space and timing of tackles.
• Demonstrates grit or patience, as necessary, to win the ball from an opponent.
• Places confidence in skill, not size, when competing against an opponent 1v1.
• Uses 1v1 defending effectively to break down the opponent’s attack.

Outcome: Player effectively reads opponent and dominates in 1v1 defense.

• Employs strength, speed, and agility to maintain possession.
• High-level aerobic endurance to make changes in tempo.
• Master ability to accurately pass and receive with both feet, on any surface, from multiple distances, and in any amount of space.
• Proficient at using fouls, set pieces, restarts, and individual capabilities to control tempo.
• Tactical flexibility and willingness to take personal responsibility for controlling the tempo.
• Confident, creative, decision making and willingness to go again.
• Consistently finds the most appropriate way and time to penetrate the opponent’s defense.
• Recognizes strengths and vulnerabilities of opponent and knows how to use them to control tempo.

Outcome: Player who can read the tempo of the match and take steps to change it for an advantage.

• Enhance agility, balance, coordination, and explosive strength.
• High level of aerobic fitness to manage transitions in a full match.
• Develop skill to overcome any advantage the opponent has in size, speed, and strength.
• Master ability to anticipate and exploit the available space on attack or defense.
• Proficient at using first touch to alter tempo in transition.
• Proficient at affecting opponent’s first touch in transition to dictate terms.
• Dominate every 50/50 ball.
• Maintain mental focus on reading cues and anticipating second and third action for duration of the match.
• Proficient at communicating next steps with composure and proper body language.
• Develop ability to envision second and third options upon transition from own team or opponent.
• Using the conditions of the match to inform about ability to manage transitions (identifying opponent’s tendencies in transition).

Outcome: Player’s technical and tactical ability result in an advantage for the team on attack or defense.

• Efficient use of speed, agility, endurance, and body position to dominate time and space.
• Exercises controlled bursts of speed and power and can sustain multiple iterations over time.
• Master ability to identify when to go, stay, intercept pass, or allow a pass.
• Efficiently closes opponent’s passing lanes, penetration opportunities, and regulates number of touches they have.
• Proficient at anticipating changes in opponent’s tempo.
• Resilient at weathering the changes in tempo for the duration of the match.
• Proficient at adjusting defensive shape in a way that dictates how fast or slow the opponent can play.
• Skilled at preventing the opponent from capitalizing on set pieces and restarts to dictate the tempo.

Outcome: Player masters the ability to set conditions to regain possession and gain the advantage of controlling tempo.

• Employs strength, speed, and agility to generate efficient attacking options.
• High-level aerobic endurance for sustained and repeated runs.
• Proficient at identifying the open player and delivering a ball that maximizes their success.
• Master the technique of using dummy runs and feints to create space for a teammate.
• Advance ability to generate combinations and runs irrespective of assigned position.
• Confident that continued effort will produce a beneficial result for the team despite a lack of touches.
• Commitment to take responsibility for orchestrating attacks opportunities.
• Proficient at using space and movement to create pockets or channels to find and exploit overload opportunity.
• Develop a proclivity to go forward and to put extreme pressure on the opponent during attack.
• Master effective patterns and creativity for set pieces and restarts and convert them to goal scoring opportunities.

Outcome: Player properly maximizes space, time, and technique to secure an advantage when in possession.

• Advance fast feet, ability to alter speed and spacing quickly, and rapid change of direction.
• Enhance balance, agility, strength, and stamina to sustain a full match at a high level.
• Gain advantage over asymmetry in size/strength with position and endurance.
• Master the ability to take appropriate individual action upon loss of possession using skill, speed, position, and space to gain an advantage.
• Master the ability to take appropriate individual action upon gain of possession using skill, speed, position, and space to gain an advantage.
• Proficient at using space and positioning to efficiently manage energy.
• Proficient at converting 50/50 balls into possession and/or scoring opportunity.
• Confidence in personal ability and teammates which fosters high amounts of creativity.
• Recognizes personal role in transitions and can direct others to maximize gain an advantage for the team.
• Master ability to establish superiority or dominance over the opponent following a set piece or restart, through communication, shape, positioning, and/or recovery runs.

Outcome: Player effectively reads transitions and efficiently employs proper response (individually and as a team) which secures opportunity for a successful attack.

• Proficient at closing a 5–10-yard gap quickly.
• Efficient use of speed, agility, endurance, and body position to close time and space.
• Exercises controlled bursts of speed and power and can sustain multiple iterations over time.
• Master the ability to effectively press opponent with the ball.
• Proficient at applying proper defensive shape and spacing when defending off the ball.
• Skillfully employs upper and lower body to defend on and off the ball.
• Proficient at shifting within the team’s defensive system to create superiority over the opponent’s attack.
• Develop strong sense of ownership and pride in defending as a team.
• Maintains composure, encouraging communication, and patience when mistakes are made.
• Master the ability to read opponent and apply the correct defensive system collectively to produce superiority.
• Master effective defense of opponent’s set pieces and restarts and convert to an attacking opportunity.

Outcome: Player effectively performs within the team’s defensive system and can adapt according to the opponent and/or position.