I spend several hours of every week involved in soccer at various ability and age levels - club soccer, high school soccer, youth soccer, camps and clinics,  As would be expected, even amongst players of similar ages, the technical level of individual players varies quite a bit. I had long been of the opinion that individuals and teams with very good technical ability play attractive soccer.  Over time I came to reconsider my thoughts on this.

There can be no doubt individual technical ability is an important prerequisite to playing attractive soccer. However, it became apparent to me many individuals and teams with good technical foundations tend to play at the game of soccer instead of actually playing soccer.

Playing soccer occurs when technical ability is used in the context of helping make sense of the game.There are conscious decisions made by individuals and coordinated with teammates concerning where and how the ball is to be played and also about how players are to move and where players are to move on the pitch.

Players consciously think about what to do with the ball and make plans to execute their ideas about this.  Passes are played with some degree of thought, with intent and not just aimlessly struck forward. The ball is played backwards, diagonally or square with a fair degree of frequency as players and teams seek the path of least resistance to goal.  Possession is maintained through a combination of technical abilities - receiving the ball, dribbling, running with the ball, passing. Movement of players on the pitch is done with forethought and done with purpose. Although many times these skills are not executed perfectly by young players the important thing is players demonstrating they possess ideas about how to intentionally influence the game through their own decision making.

Playing at soccer occurs when individuals play the ball mainly with the intention of gaining better field positions.  The game is often marked by great hustle and energy, but rarely are these executed in a well coordinated manner.  The flow of the game is random and rarely influenced by intentional positive actions. Possessions are truncated and what rhythm there is to the game more closely resembles that of a ping pong match than a proper soccer match.

Possession soccer is not defined by any specific number of successful passes having been completed. A team might successfully maintain possession for 20 passes while never advancing the ball into scoring position. Similarly, a forward might win possession in his attacking third and immediately score the ball without ever attempting a pass. Which of these was a successful possession?

Possession with a Purpose does not even adequately grasp the concept. For example, a player races to a 50 / 50 ball and upon arriving first to the ball whacks it mightily up the pitch towards the opponents goal.  This player had a purpose behind his play. In fact, he might have had multiple purposes behind his play: Win the ball, Gain field position, "Passing" to a teammate.  This, in a snapshot, is how much of the United States views "direct" soccer. 

Direct Soccer is a strategy espousing the shortest distance between two points (the ball and the goal is a straight line. Follow the straight line as closely as possible to advance the ball as quickly as possible and when close enough attempt to score the ball. Sounds good ... until the obstacles opponents present are encountered.  Then, instead of a direct straight line toward goal, the course alters direction at each new obstacle encountered. Even if possession is successfully maintained the pace of play is slowed dramatically ... Unless ...

Intelligent Play is combining technical ability with tactical forethought in teamwork to possess and advance the ball at pace into scoring position resulting in an increase in the likelihood of a successful strike on goal. This seeks to eliminate or at least minimize the randomness that permeates the basic concept of direct soccer.

Many years ago while taking the National High School Diploma Course through the NSCAA now known as United Soccer Coaches I had the good fortune of learning from a gentleman by the name of Jeff Vennell who had penned a wonderful document titled The Cues for Combination Passing and shared with us various exercises to introduce these to players. When introducing the concept of Intelligent Attacking Play his thoughts on combination passing remain high on the priority list of topics to teach.  The Cues for Combination Passing are but one example of a collective philosophy I loosely refer to as Intentionally Manipulating the Opponent and the Game itself through Intelligent Possession.  Playing with a well defined and intelligent Purpose.