So how do you get ready for the big tryout day? Whether you are trying out for a higher-level select team, a high school team, or even a college or pro team, there are certain rules to live by when getting ready for the event. Here's how to ace your soccer tryout. Is the team a good fit? To start, make sure that this team you are trying to make is a good fit for you.  If you are trying to . . .

If you have not prepared your team sufficiently to face an offside trap, your squad may not know what hit it when it plays a team with a talented defense. In an offside trap, the defense steps up just as a ball is being sent through by the attacking opponent so that the forward waiting to receive the ball is stuck behind the defensive line, in violation of the offside rule. In order not to be . . .

USMNT and MLS goalkeeper Nick Rimando explains what to do when setting up the wall to defend a free kick in soccer. During a free kick situation in a game, one of the first defensive strategies for a team is to put up a wall to make sure the opposing team can't get a direct shot on goal. A wall can be as few as two players and sometimes as many as eight. The closer it is to the goal, the more . . .

More than one and a half million children participate in soccer, and over 220,000 adolescents are on soccer teams. The game has surged in popularity since the 1970's, and is now the second most popular youth sport in the country behind baseball. Soccer's benefits for your son or daughter can be tremendous. Soccer builds healthy kids From a physical standpoint, soccer offers one of the best ways, . . .

Transition means switching from offense to defense and back again. To defend against the breakaway, teams must be prepared to face an attacking opponent with fewer than optimal numbers. Sometimes, only the goalkeeper is left in the sole line of defense against two or three opponents dashing towards the goal. Your team must practice defending with numbers down to better prepare for coming up . . .

People think that punting the ball is the best option when a goalkeeper distributes the ball, but that's just not so. Punting is a great way to get the ball out of your end, but it does not compare with throwing for accuracy. Remember that punting the ball 40 yards into the air means anyone can be on the other end of it. The height of the kick often gives the other team time to react to the . . .

There are many components to good team defense as well as to individual defensive skills.  As soon as the opponent gains possession of the ball, the team is on defense, and the defenders must be especially aware and prepared as an offensive attack approaches their own goal.  After a transition (one team switching to offense while another switches to defense) the first responsibility of . . .

  The forward is the glamour position in soccer, the player expected to score the goals. A true #11 knows his or her job is to put the ball in the back of the net. With that in mind, here are the 11 responsibilities of a forward. Forwards are goal scorers. Forwards are our front line of attack, our main offensive players. If the ball is between a forward and the goal or the goal . . .

Many athletes tend to forget how important hydration and nutrition are when the weather turns colder. The cold air can suppress feelings of thirst, leading athletes to not drink as much as they should during outdoor exercise in cold weather. The water or sports drink they were used to drinking in hot weather might not have the same rejuvenating effect if the liquid has turned very cold or freezing . . .