Some teams are lucky to have members with impressive capabilities, especially in terms of natural speed. There'll always be rival junior soccer teams who possess a higher level of athleticism, which can be a potential threat if the defending team is unable to setup and execute proper defensive strategies to stop the onset of attacks.
Fortunately, smarter individuals, who received proper soccer coaching advice from their coaches, usually have teams that will emerge triumphant in matches against physically superior teams. From the defensive standpoint of 11v11, more space needs to be covered, so it's crucial that the workload is evenly distributed amongst the members of the team.
Since it's possible the challengers will either be very physical, technical, or even a combination of both, the strategies in which the defending team executes will vary, therefore requiring the coach to carefully assess the situation and devise a game plan accordingly.
One method is to try playing deeper or dropping off when defending - doing so will leave less open space behind the other team. This in turn, leaves the other less space to exploit, and ultimately helps the defense. Junior soccer teams should also work on transition during practice, since a total of nine footballers are needed behind the ball when defending with pace. Soccer coaching professionals constantly tell their teams that this strategy also allows defending players to deny passing lanes, thereby slowing down attacks.
Another strategy to implement is this: have the midfielders (preferably a five-man midfield) exert more effort to close the opponents down, which in turn should ideally force them to execute negative or square passes. To deny the opposing team options, the outside midfielders should be instructed to close the opposing outside backs as they approach the half line. Moreover, in order to prevent easy access to quick forwards, screens can be used in the midfield.
With the use of these strategies, junior soccer teams with inferior physical abilities can stand a chance, and even defeat, stronger opponents. Of course, such tactics should always be coupled with complete knowledge of how to play the game in general. Also, soccer coaching experts like to put emphasis on the importance of developing the all-around skill set of each player.
Having the team members learn new techniques (always consider the age and current capabilities of the members before doing so), as well as develop the ones they currently have, will help the entire team compensate for their shortcomings.
Mike Moore writes for sports websites. Soccer is one of the world's favorite sports. Mike writes for many soccer equipment and soccer coaching websites including http://www.buysocceruniforms.com