What Do Soccer Scouts Look for in a Defender?
Soccer is a very competitive sport. It takes a lot of coordination, thinking, and team play to become great at soccer. For example, soccer scouts are always on the hunt for a great defender, and it’s really important for any player interested in playing in a major league or professionally to find out what key factors scouts look for in this position.
What do soccer scouts look for in a defender? All scouts look for exceptional soccer abilities in prospective players. They also want to see a player that has a good understanding of the game. Finally, they look for the ability of the defender to attack and win in a 1vs1 situation.
Since defenders are among the hardest positions in soccer, players must be smart, confident, and team players. The remainder of this article will review the main things soccer scouts look for when choosing players to join their teams.
What Gets a Soccer Scout’s Attention
Defining what scouts look for is vital to understanding what makes a great scouted defender. There are some interesting nuances that scouts look for in exceptional defenders that will make their club great and grow their game. Here are some key areas to keep in mind when scouts are looking for defenders:
Soccer Defender Game Play
Scouts look at millions of players yearly. Not all players make the cut. Many have to try numerous times to get noticed by scouts. Scouts not only come to big games, but they also watch videos and review stats. They even might show up to pre-game practices. They look at the whole defender in a three-dimensional makeup to see what this player knows about the sport.
Statistics Can Be Deceiving
Stats are great, but best measured over time and with context. Here’s what scouts review:
- While a player may attack a few times in one game, they may not make any goals.
- If a player encounters a 1v1 situation, how many times did they win that encounter? Time and consistency matter.
- Just because they defend a lot of strikes, that doesn’t automatically get them an offer; there’s more at play. To whom did they pass the ball? Did it get the team a win?
- How many mistakes did the player make?
Sometimes Game Videos Matter More Than Numbers
Great scouts can see greatness, from small flicks of the ball to where the defender was looking. How they play is hard to measure on the stat sheets.
- You can see where the defender sent the ball and how the team responded to their defense.
- How they measure up against other players in a match can be readily seen in a video versus looking at numbers side by side.
While numbers don’t lie, statistics can weigh down a defender’s profile without seeing them in action. Scouts think through how they play and in what circumstances they come into contact with a striker or forward, which really help them determine whether a defender may be a fit for their club.
Soccer Defender Must have Knowledge of the Game
Professional soccer players need to know their sport thoroughly. It’s not enough to just get their own position and ignore the rest of the game. Their role is the last line of defense before the goal. They need to know who should get the ball before it gets into striking distance. They need to know the basic principles and team plays. They also need to master the game at some level.
If they encounter a team with a strong offense, they need to be ready to defend a lot. If they do defend a lot in the game, it’s vital they not make any mistakes, and they find ways to clear the ball and work with the team to move it forward to score. That includes the ability to win in a 1v1 situation and who to rely on to get the ball upfield.
Of course, besides the game, scouts are also making sure their prospective defenders have the qualities that best fit the nature of the position. Scouts look for these strong defense characteristics:
- Ball Control
- When To Attempt Challenges
- Ability to Read the Game
- Anticipation
- Crossing
- Stamina
- Team Responsibility
- Communication
- Accurate and Strong Ball Heading (for attacks and defense)
- Speed
- Marking Ability
Whether Defenders Can Also Attack
The very name of the role is defense. However, to be a great defender, you need to have skills in attacking—whether it be tackling, or ball control, and clearing the ball to avoid the shot. No defender needs to appear as weak, or passable. The real test of a defender is to intimidate the forwards and strikers to making mistakes and keeping them back from the goal.
All defenders will face an attacker with the ball at some point. They need to know when the best time in the game is to defend or to initiate an attack on the forward or striker. It can require keen discernment to know when to make that move, and defenders must be willing to tackle and divert the ball away from the goal.
Scouts need to see the confidence in a defender’s gameplay over time. This is not just a one-game scenario. It’s over an entire set of games that will tell them a defender’s capability. They look to see that the defender has enough play capability to attack without losing the ball to the attacker(s). Scouts are looking for good judgment that needs to happen very quickly to make sure the goal is safe.
Placement on the field needs to relate to where the flow of the game is going. Defenders are always backfield players. They need to read the game well enough so that attacking will help the team win. When a defender initiates an attack, they enter into a 1v1 scenario. It needs to be a calculated risk by the defender such that they will be confident enough to win. Scouts are looking for strong defenders to add to their club.
Soccer Ratings that Go Beyond Technical Skills
Finally, while a defender can have admirable technical skills, they still need internal qualities that play well on and off the field. Major League Soccer is highly competitive, and a lot of money is to be had if the soccer team does well and wins the championships. Scouts look at players who are well rounded on and off the field. They look at many attributes that are and sometimes aren’t in the soccer player’s control.
Scouts may consider the following in a soccer defender’s life:
- Body Type: Scouts may look at a defender’s height, age, body type, weight. They may be looking for a specific attribute that is out of the defender’s control.
- Physiological Makeup: Scouts can have lists of defenders, but they need to look at muscular strength, stamina/endurance for the entirety of the game, speed, agility, balance/power. Many of these things are controllable by the defender, but most scouts don’t reveal these personal goals to help the defender proceed. It’s up to the defender to stay in top shape to be considered.
- Psychological Factors: The best team is built through the best of the best team members playing together on it. Defenders need to live well and take care of their own attitude and team on and off the field. Scouts look into factors like discipline, motivation, attention, awareness, respect, and, most importantly, confidence and determination.
Confidence Levels
A great athlete once wrote on their draft letter that they would “not be a distraction on or off the field” to their future teammates. This is a boost of confidence to any scout.
Scouts are looking for confident players that can build the club up that they play for. It is the commitment by any club to find the strengths and weaknesses of a player to build them up and help their team win.
Scouts are looking for serious defenders who take this game as a great honor to play professionally. If defenders look at their role with confidence and with a desire to help a wider team win, the relationship is mutually beneficial. Scouts want to make sure the player they pick will not hinder their team either by self-sabotage or by hurting the club if the defender were to do something that didn’t lift the team up and help them win.
Typical Scout Scorecards for Soccer Players
While a scout may be looking for a defender, they may use a card similar to this as they scout each player. It’s not an exact scorecard used by every scout; many factors go into it. However, this will give a general idea into their scoring mechanism as they visit players and games to find the perfect defender. Note: Most Scouts use some grading scale like A to F: A being the best and F for failing.
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Attributes |
Performance Rating |
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|
A (Great) |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F (poor) |
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|
Speed |
X |
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|
Attacking |
X |
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|
Passing |
X |
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|
Shooting |
X |
|||||
|
Dribbling |
X |
|||||
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Heading |
X |
|||||
|
Technical Skills |
X |
|||||
|
Fitness |
X |
|||||
|
Movement |
X |
|||||
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Awareness |
X |
|||||
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Decisions |
X |
|||||
|
Work Rate |
X |
|||||
|
Strength |
X |
|||||
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Positioning |
X |
|||||
|
Total |
5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Overall Grade |
A |
|||||
While this is just a sample, you can see how the scout’s judgment on a defender’s performance at one game or over time can greatly impact their view on the defender’s future with their club. There are many areas scouts use to get a total picture of each defender before deciding to go with a specific defender.
The Bottom Line on Choosing Soccer Defenders
Scouts must find the best defender to fit their team. They take long, hard looks at each player and determine the best fit physically, technically, psycho-socially, and finally one that is willing to grow and develop with the club to lead them toward a championship. Nothing is sure, but it’s the job of the scout to give the club the best chance of a win with the best players in each position.
Other Sources for Soccer Defender Tactics and Tips:
What Do Soccer Scouts Look For?
What Do Football Scouts Look For: 5 key areas all scouts assess (2018)
What do scouts look for in footballers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MKos5tAoPk
https://marcetfootball.com/en/football-scouts/