Scouting is one of those things that every coach does at some point or another. Maybe you’re coaching a club team at a tournament and have the opportunity to observe your next opponent. Maybe you’re a college coach and are able to directly watch or obtain footage of the next team you’re about to face. Before I really knew what to look for, which was cultivated by learning more about soccer tactics, watching more live games, and picking the brains of more experienced coaches, I found myself not really knowing all that much about another team, even after watching them play a full game. I’m sure plenty of other coaches, particularly club coaches, have found themselves in similar situations. Well fear no more; I’ll let you in on the secrets to successfully scouting an upcoming opponent.

While you can certainly follow this process in your head, it’s preferable that you have a piece of paper or two and a pen. This may or may not be as crucial depending on what level your coaching (maybe not as crucial for U-8, but who knows these days?)

1. Make note of what formation the team initially appears to use. This can be a good key to determining how the team prefers to play, so make sure you watch to see how many players are lining up on the back line and in the midfield. Teams may attempt to disguise their formation to a degree by lining players up in deeper or more advanced positions than they will normally be playing. This is especially true for outside players. I’ve rarely seen teams disguise players along the backline. Especially if there appears to be four defenders lined up, you can be almost certain that this is the number of defenders they will use.

2. Watch the first couple of minutes and see if it appears that any players have adjusted their positioning. This is where you’ll be able to determine if the team was disguising their formation or not at kick off. Players will settle into their average positions and you’ll be able to really tell who is playing at what positions. Make sure that you notice how this changes depending upon if the team is attacking or defending. If the outside players really push up high as soon as the team gains possession, you can be sure they’ll try to use those wide players to spread the opposing defense. Conversely, you might see players such as the wide midfielders or a central midfielder adopt very defensive positions when not in possession. In more advanced tactics, one of these players may even become a member of the backline depending on where the ball is at. It’s important to note these tendencies so you know what to expect during all phases of play (defending, building up, attacking).

3. Look to see what passing patterns are most common. Which players are passing to one another the most? Does the team always look to play through a specific player like the central midfielder, or do they try to use the wide spaces as much as possible? Does the team usually hit long balls from the defenders into a target man (or into space behind the opposing defense for a fast striker) or do they like to maintain possession through lots of short and medium range passes among the midfielders? This is really the key to unlocking the other team SO MAKE SURE YOU PLAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS DETAIL! This information tells you exactly how the team likes to play and how they believe they are most effective. As long as this is an evenly matched game or the team you’re watching is stronger, you can be sure this is how the team will try to play against you. If they’re seriously outclassed then they might try to play more directly (long balls out of the back, lots of hopeful 50/50 type balls played forward), but will still offer glimpses of the style in which they’re most familiar when given a bit of time on the ball.

4. Do they have a particular player that is their main threat/will be a major threat against your team? If there’s one player who you think can hurt your team given the opportunity, make sure you know who that player is and why they’re dangerous. Do they have a striker that is infinitely faster than your defense? Can one player just dribble circles around your team? This is also where you can start to take notice of where the attacks come from. We know which players look to combine with one another, but who actually is beating defenders 1v1 or generating shots? Try to observe the tendencies of these players. If one of their strikers always tries to dribble as his means of penetrating the box and then shooting, does he have a favored foot? Do they try to get the ball into the corner before working back to a central midfielder at the top of the box who simply hits a long range shot? Notice the attacking tendencies and then you can think of ways to neutralize them (like forcing the striker to his weak foot, forcing a central midfielder to drop back and stay close to their central midfielder, etc.) You don’t have to worry about trying to figure out every matchup that will occur when you play the team, just the really standout mismatches/threats.

5. Watch the dead ball situations to see if the team tries any exotic plays. Make note of whether the team always tries the same routine for free kicks or corners. Do they always try to serve a lofted ball to the back post, or do they sometimes play a short corner? Do they try to get a dangerous 1v1 player isolated behind the wall or at the edge of the box on a free kick? At both the club and college level I’ve seen teams try to confuse the opponent with players moving in patterns that eventually isolate one or two key targets at the back post unmarked. If you see anything you’re concerned might confuse your team, write it down and either practice it or run through it a few times in the warmup. You’ll gain a great psychological advantage if the other team sees you thoroughly thwarting their secret free kick weapon thirty minutes before kick off!

6. What else can you notice about the other team? Are they very aggressive and pushing their defensive line up high? Do they high pressure your outside backs or do they drop off and start defending somewhere closer to their own half of the field? The notes about the way in which they defend will let you know who on your team will have the most time on the ball. Will the outside backs have a lot of time to pick out a pass? Will they condense space but give time if you can get the ball to an outside player in front of their backline? This can help you to determine where your team should look to play the ball when in possession. This goes hand and hand with observing how the team plays defensively. There will always be at least one or two players who will have time on the ball and your team should look to use these players to relieve pressure and maintain possession. Look for the team’s weak points defensively and ways to take advantage of them. If they have weak outside backs, try to have your wide midfield players attack them 1v1. If they have small, weak center backs, try lots of crosses to your bigger, stronger strikers. There is plenty of other information that you can make note of and look to take advantage of, particularly if you have a practice in between the scouted match and your upcoming one. This additional information can be key at higher levels where you can really fine tune your team’s performance with respect to the opponent.

Now you have a wealth of information that should theoretically tell you every facet of the opponent’s play at best and provide a good idea of what the team wants to do at worst. After assessing the strengths of the opposing team, make sure you compare these to your own team’s strengths and weaknesses. If the other team really likes to counter attack and capitalize on the other team’s mistakes, tell your team to play a bit cautiously. You can even try playing low pressure (only close down the opponent starting about 40-45 yards from your own goal) and force them to adopt an entirely different style of play with which they are unfamiliar. Consider adding an extra central midfielder to help disrupt their build up if they like to play with a lot of possession. Alternately, you may decide that your team is strong enough that you need change very little about your style of play. In that case you should simply provide an overview for your team that highlights the other team’s preferred style and main threats, along with some instructions to the players who will be dealing with said threats.

Those instructions might include forcing their midfielders or strikers onto a specific foot that you identified as their weak foot. Possibly let your goalkeeper know she will have to communicate with the defenders and come off the line hard to clear any through balls intended for a fast striker. It might involve telling your wide midfielders to quickly drop off ten yards and pinch in slightly whenever your team loses possession. Whatever the team and individual instructions might entail, make sure the other team’s main threats are accounted for and any mismatches that favor the opposing team are neutralized. If you are able to make small changes (like playing Jimmy instead of Joe up top, not employing a revolutionary system your team has never heard of) to capitalize on the opponent’s weaknesses, that’s great as well.

Hopefully you’ve learned a few things from reading this article and at least feel more prepared the next time you have the chance to watch an upcoming opponent. I wish you success on the soccer field!

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