Build-Up: Attacking Through Third-Man Runs | SSG Session

Overview

• U15 and up who are just starting to learn why possession matters
• Coaches who want players to see the full flow from build-up to a finished attack
• Age groups you want reading the game and playing together, even in small numbers
• Teams looking to sharpen playing out from the keeper in a game-realistic way

Objectives

• Lay the foundation of possession by building out from the goalkeeper
• Get player after player involved through central midfield to lock in a stable build-up
• Teach players to spot the overload and attack into that space once they’ve built out
• Repeat the whole sequence through to a goal so players grasp what possession is actually for

Setup

This session starts with playing out from the keeper, leans hard on “third-man” runs through midfield, and finishes by attacking down the wing to score.

１）Set up a 60m×40m field and split it in two — 5v5 on one side, the other side empty

２）The goalkeeper starts with the ball. The build-up team plays into the central player on the halfway line

３）Once that central player receives, teammates run in one after another as the “third man” to complete a three-player build-up on the halfway line

４）Once the build-up is settled, switch the ball to the overloaded side (the side with no defenders)

５）Attack through the wing and finish with a shot. The goal is to always end with a score