How to Change Your Position and Become a Utility Player

March 4, 2024
By Rachel Gonzalez

Every soccerista has a role on the field. Some were born to defend, others have hands made for keeping, and still others are speed demons who belong at striker. But there’s always a draw to try something new and be the best you can be for your team. Becoming a utility player will help you better understand this beautiful game from every part of the pitch. Transitioning from one soccer position to another can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be impossible.

Study

It’s important to study up on whatever position you’ll be taking. If you’ve been on the defensive line for years but want to bump up to striker, you need to learn the ways of the fast break and how to take advantage of space. If you’re interested in becoming a keeper, get ready to take serious notes. This is obviously a unique position on the field, and it takes serious guts to tend a net. Pop in on some drills during practice or watch tape of some of the best to get a better feel for the position.

Talk to Your Coach

If you’re not happy in your position or just want to shake things up, the first thing you’ll need to do is talk to your coach. You can’t just go rogue and decide you’re center striker one day. Communicating with your coach will help you get the training you need to expand your game. You’ll likely start by running drills and playing your new position during practice scrimmages.

Be Patient

It can take time to settle into new things, so don’t get discouraged. Odds are you’ve never done this before, and you may not pick it up as quickly as you anticipated. If it’s something you really want, you have to stick with it and know that it’ll be worth the hard work.

Draw On Your Established Skills

You are a Soccerista no matter where you are on the field. You know the game, and you have skills, so use what you’ve got to become a utility player. Take Crystal Dunn of the USWNT. Up until she became a regular member of the team, she was strictly a striker. Now you can see her tearing it up on the USWNT defensive line. You can see that she plays a different defensive game because she comes from a striker background. Dunn started playing defense and became a utility player because it’s what the USWNT needed on their roster, and now she’s a fixture on the field.

Best of Both Worlds

If you’re playing for your school while also playing for a club, use that extra time to literally play the field. If you play midfield for your club, drop back to defense on your school team. Spread yourself out as much or as little as you’d like in position diversity while you have the opportunity to. This will round out your soccer education like no other.

If soccer is what you love, then why not learn everything you can about it? Becoming a utility player will give you a way better understanding of the entire game. Being able to step into any position on the field can seriously boost your confidence as a player and give you a new appreciation for soccer.