FUTSAL Is Contributing In The Future Development Of The American Youth Soccer Goalkeeper!

In futsal goalkeepers play a very important role, even more important than in 11v11 soccer game. In an 11 a side game the playing area is very big and there are 22 players on it. If a team is much better than their opponent the goalkeeper usually doesn’t have to make any saves. In futsal things are different. The playing area is small, there are only 10 players on it and the goalkeeper can throw the ball in front of the opposite goal which means that a team can make counter attacks with their goalkeeper throwing the ball on the other side of the field. Some experts say that a very good goalkeeper is the most important element of the team in futsal.

A goalkeeper is a very special position and has to be trained different than other futsal players. In the older days of soccer a goalkeeper’s role was to prevent the ball from entering the goal. In modern soccer a goalkeeper needs to be much more than that. He has to be good with his feet as well as his hands, he has to act like an extra defender when it comes to long balls and he has to even participate in some attacking plays. He must be able to set up his defense since he can see all the players in front of him. If we look at a futsal game we see that the goalkeeper is actively taking part in the game.

The speed of the fast futsal surface and game elevates all these components and their development