Goalkeepers are the eyes and ears on the field and may often see things the coaches do not. The goalkeeper communicates with the defensive players and midfielders to place them in correct position and gives them instructions to change formation to prevent the oncoming attack of the other team. The goalkeeper coordinates the defense during free kicks, corner kicks and goal kicks. More advanced players will understand and respect the role of the goalkeeper and follow her directions.
The goalkeeper has an excellent view of the field of play and can change the field of play from one side to another. As an example, the ball can come to the goalkeeper from the right side of the field and he can kick it to the left side of the field. Changing the ball quickly from one side to another is important to move the ball past the opponent’s defense. Goalies can place the ball directly to the midfield with a drop kick so that the team is quickly prepared to attacking the other goal. Soccer teams that effectively use the goalkeeper to distribute the ball to players ultimately dominate play and have more shots on goal.
