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Being a Utility Player in Soccer is Awesome: Here’s 7 Reasons Why

Published: December 15, 2021
Updated: February 20, 2023
By: Jenn Ireland

Category: On the Soccer Field

Every player on your soccer team has a role. You’ve got the teammate who’s exceptional at communicating and leading, is a brick wall defensively and consistently plays great balls forward. She’s clearly the team’s center defensive midfielder, the #6.

She is just one of many that very clearly fit into a specific position and play there 100% of the time they are on the field. This is their role on the team – playing this position.

Besides positional roles, you’ve got the teammates that are the best free kick takers. There are also the reliable super subs, who come in off the bench during the last 15 minutes with the specific purpose of scoring under any means possible. There are players on your team that are best playing on the flanks, and there are those tho are best playing central positions. The point being – there are many roles that soccer players fill on teams.

And one of those roles is a utility player.

What is a utility player in soccer?

A utility player is a player who plays multiple positions on a soccer team, and plays them all well. The word utility literally means “the state of being useful, beneficial or valuable”.

A utility player’s role on the team is fluid, they are often assigned to play different positions depending on the needs of the team at that moment. They are typically strong, athletic soccer players who have a large variety of skills. They are players who are versatile, flexible, adaptable and extremely dependable.

A utility player can be someone who plays two different soccer positions very well (primary and secondary positions) or someone who plays all positions. Or anything in between. As a utility player in soccer, you can still specialize in a position and in the skillset required for that position, but you also have the ability to flex and play other positions with competence and confidence when needed.

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Positional players vs utility players

Part of a soccer coach’s job is to look at individual skillsets and arrange players in a balanced, complimentary way that is optimal for the group at large. Coaches take into account the team formation, responsibilities of the roles and the team’s style of play when they are sorting out the lineup and putting players in positions where they will be most effective.

During this process, which usually occurs early in the season, some players clearly fall into defined, specific roles, and some player’s fit best into the group as a utility player, a swing player that can fills multiple roles as necessary. Neither having a defined position or bouncing between several is “right or wrong” or “good or bad”, they are just different, but each of equal importance.

Having a specific, specialized position is best for some players as it does make the game more manageable. A utility player in soccer needs to be someone that can handle adversity and not get flustered in changing situations.

Different roles on different teams

If you are a utility player on your team, that doesn’t mean it is always and forever going to be your roll. A lot of it depends on the makeup of the team as teams all fit together differently.

So while on one team (your club or ECNL team for example) you may play one specific position and specialize in it, on your high school soccer team you may best fit the role of utility player. This is actually quite common, as advanced club players often are the best players on their school teams and can fill many roles during the course of the season, or even a single game.

Playing multiple positions does not automatically make you a utility player in soccer

This is important to note, the term utility player does NOT refer to anyone & everyone who plays multiple positions on a soccer team. This is a hard truth, but sometimes coaches DO move players around simply because they don’t know what to do with them and they need to get them minutes. Typically you see this happen across the top attacking line, with players moving between wings, striker and midfield positions. Basically everything furthest away from goal where they could be considered a liability.

Utility players in soccer are players who are capable of COMPETENTLY playing more than one position. The keyword here is competently. If you are unsure which you are, a utility player or a player who’s getting shuffled around aimlessly, you should talk with your coach.

Go to your soccer coach and ask them, in a curious, nonjudgmental way. For the sake of your development you need to know. Your coach should be able to answer your question right away and then, if you ask what you can do to improve and get a more defined role, they should be able to help guide you. This is your opportunity to get invested in your soccer game, take responsibility for your development and get better at soccer.

Utility players on the USWNT

There are many great examples of professional utility players in soccer. Let’s look at the US Women’s National Team for some examples:

Lindsey Horan comes to mind first. Her primary role on the USWNT is an attacking center midfielder, but she spent the first half of 2021 playing center defensive midfielder because Julie Ertz was recovering from injury. To avoid bringing in someone completely new to the team and changing the dynamics too much before the Summer Olympics, Coach Vlatko Andonovski used Horan as she is a versatile, adaptable, physical player that filled the role well.

A utility player still, but in a different way, Ertz, recently traded to Angel City from Chicago Red Stars, has spent most of her soccer career as a center back. When she started playing with the USWNT in 2013 she continued in the center back role for a bit, but eventually was moved into a defensive midfielder role where she excelled. This move was what solidified her roster spot with the team. She currently plays CDM for the national team and has solidly established herself as the rock of the USWNT midfield.

Probably the most versatile player on the team, Crystal Dunn plays leftback for the USWNT, but she plays midfield for her NWSL team – Portland Thorns FC. She also previously spent a lot of time playing forward for the North Carolina Courage before joining the Thorns. Dunn is an adaptable player that has a very large skillset and fills very different roles for different teams, depending on what benefits the group best. She plays all these different positions during the same calendar year and is able to switch back and forth between the roles.

7 reasons why being a utility player in soccer is awesome

This question often comes up – is being a utility player in soccer a good thing?

There is a certain camp of people in the soccer world that have put a negative connotation on being a utility player. They have the attitude that utility players are ‘less than’ other players, the players with assigned, specific positions that is. These people (often soccer parents) evoke worry about players developing an identity as a utility player, as if it was a bad thing.

Well, it’s not a bad thing. Utility players are extremely important and are often some of the brightest, most reliable players on the team. Having an identity of being a utility player in soccer is only a bad thing if YOU assign it that label. It’s all about how you look at it. I love this quote I ran across about the value of a utility player on a blog from life coach and former UCLA softball player Marti Reed:

"In sports and in life, the most valuable people on a team are the ones that can do more than one thing well; people that excel and specialize in a few skills and expertise, but can adjust and adapt to certain situations when needed."

Being a utility player in soccer is a good thing, absolutely. It’s unique for sure, but definitely good. Let’s dig into why.

Reason 1: It means your coach trusts you

If your coach has made you a utility player on the team, you should look at it as an honor because it means your coach can depend on you, they trust that you can do the job and get things done. They know that you are up for the challenge and they have faith in your ability to execute.

When your coach trusts you, this speaks immense volume about what type of soccer player (and person) you are. When your coach assigns you the roll of utility player, it shows that they think you are coachable and growth-minded as well.

Reason 2: It means your value is recognized

Coaches love good utility players for many reasons. For example, in the event that a teammate is sick or gets injured, their tactical game plan isn’t completely knocked out of wack if they have a dependable utility player they can rely on to fill an important role. By being able to play more than one position well, your value and usefulness increases.

Being a utility player in soccer means that you are a skilled player in many areas, aka you’ve got a lot of tools. And that is recognized and valued. When you know that your hard work is appreciated, when you feel VALUED & SEEN, you feel good about your game – which leads to increased confidence in soccer.

Reason 3: It helps you stay focused

Staying in the present moment and focused on the task at hand is a necessity for a utility player in soccer. When you play multiple positions (especially in the same game!) you need to be very aware of what role you are currently playing and what your current responsibilities are.

When you stay focused on the present moment, you play better soccer. This is because you aren’t tripping yourself up with thinking about something that just happened, or worrying about something that might happen in the future. You are just fully in the moment, which reduces mistakes and helps you be more impactful and communicate better on the soccer field.

Reason 4: It helps you learn more about your strengths & weaknesses

Playing different positions exposes you to different parts of the game, and this in turn exposes you to areas of needed improvement. Example:

You have immense speed so your coach has been playing you 50/50 as both striker and at wingback (which is a new position for you). Players on the wing frequently find themselves in 1v1 situations with space in behind. Without playing this position, you might not have have so clearly seen that you have a tendency to cut underneath the opponent instead of trying to beat them with a positive first touch – but when you started playing on the wing this got exposed immediately. And now you can work on it and continue to expand your game 🙂

Being a utility player in soccer also shows you your areas of exceptional strength, thereby learning more about yourself and your game.

Reason 5: It gives you better understanding of all positions

Learning about other positions is an important thing to do if you plan to have a long soccer career. It helps you enhance your overall soccer IQ and game intelligence, which allows you see the game better and make better decisions on the field. One of the many reasons being a utility player in soccer is so great is that you get this opportunity to learn and experience other parts of the field.

Playing multiple positions also makes you a better teammate and leader as it helps you with understanding the power of collective, supportive play. It often actually makes you better at your primary position too, because you have a better understanding of how all the parts work together. Being a utility player gives you a much deeper tactical understanding of the game and helps you connect & play better with players all over the pitch.

Reason 6: It means you get extended minutes

Being a utility player in soccer offers a lot of opportunity for extended minutes beyond what you might receive in another position. Because you are adaptable, reliable and always play hard, you are very useful to your team and your coach, especially in unforeseen circumstances such as injuries.

When someone gets injured on the field, and coach glances over at the bench to decide who’s going in to replace them, even if you just came out a second ago, they’ll put you back in the game over someone else who’s well rested. Why? Simple. Because you are dependable and they know you can handle it.

Reason 7: It helps you get better at soccer

And last but not least, being a utility player in soccer is awesome because it helps you get better at soccer. You get better at soccer because you have to be more focused, you are constantly being challenged, and you have to cultivate (and use) many different skillsets.

Being a utility player in soccer means you have to always always be learning and growing and adding to your game. Utility players get better at soccer because they have an open-minded, self-improvement mentality – one in which they openly seek feedback and constantly look for ways to improve and build their game.

What skills does a good utility player need?

Being a good utility player in soccer requires the following skillsets:

Being a utility player is challenging, so they need to be growth-minded and open to trying hard things
Utility players in soccer need to be people that can handle adversity and not get flustered in changing situations.
They need great situational awareness and decision-making skills
Utility players in soccer need to be good communicators and have good leadership skills
Adaptability is a necessity (because sometimes they’ll be thrown into a new position during stressful moments in the game).
They must be calm, composed and be able to perform under pressure
Utility players in soccer need a positive mindset and good, useful and constructive thinking
They need great fitness and game longevity
They need extreme work ethic, be able to play physically, and have urgency and intensity to get behind the ball and recover after mistakes

Which MENTAL SKILL is Your Strongest?!

Accountability?
Resilience?
Confidence?
Situational Awareness?
Self-regulation?

A mindset of striving for improvement

Happily & enthusiastically taking on the role of a utility player in soccer means that you are coachable, growth-minded and capable of taking on challenge. You understand that doing hard, uncomfortable things is the path forward and the path to greatness.

When a coach thinks that a certain player has the qualities to be an effective utility player and wants them to try and play a second or third position, and the player responds with anger, resentment or any negativity in general – it reveals a lot about the player and their soccer mindset. It shows that they are not growth-minded, that they don’t understand or respect the power of collective play & team mentality, and lastly, that they do not have the healthy striving mentality necessary to reach the top.

No single position or role on the soccer field is worth more or less than another. (In certain moments of the game, yes some are more immediately relevant and important such as during a PK for example, the goalie’s job is very important in that moment). When players say “I can’t and/or won’t play defense, I’m an attacking player” it is extremely telling. This type of mindset will absolutely hold players back and hinder their development as a soccer player.

Keeping the scoreline to zero requires defensive effort from the whole team and is just as important as scoring. If you can’t understand this, you wont’ be able to lead well, you wont’ be able to support your teammates well, and you will never be able to maximize your potential and be the best soccer player you can be.

Be a growth-minded and invested soccer player

Players that recognize challenges and obstacles as a good thing are players who have goals and expectations of themselves that center around self-improvement. They feel good about themselves when they add new things to their game. Players that have outcome based goals and expectations (winning, scoring every game, etc.) often experience a lack of growth and low self-confidence.

Being a utility player invites a growth-minded mentality that inspires and motivates you to keep pushing forward and keep progressing. So, is it a good thing to be a utility player in soccer? You tell me.

Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!

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Hi everyone!

I'm Jenn, a USSF C-licensed youth soccer coach, mental skills coach & founder here at Expand Your Game. I created this site because it is the site I needed when I was a soccer player.

About me: I am a former newspaper photojournalist who loves downtempo electronic music, guacamole and books of every sort. And of course soccer! On days off you can find me researching tiny farms in Portugal , tossing a frisbee for my dog, or tending to my growing collection of indoor plants.