Tony's Tip

Drills for becoming more proficient in stopping the breakaway

Somtimes patience is the best tactic for a goalkeeper.

Q: How do you recommend goalies prepare for breakaway situations?

A breakaway is when the goalkeeper is the last defender and if the keeper isn't there the attacker will be able to dribble the ball right into the goal.

The goalkeeper must remember three choices: 1. Win the ball before the shot if you can
2. Smother the shot as it is taken if you can win it clearly
3. Play the shot or dribble if the attacking player clearly has possession.

By knowing the three choices that every goalkeeper has every time the ball is player or touched in a breakaway situation, the keeper can now start to read the game. Most keepers are aggressive by nature, but sometimes patience is the correct tactic to use in a breakaway, especially when the striker has possession of the ball.

Here are a couple of exercises you can do with your team or even in your backyard with your friends to work on when to come off your line.

1. Breakaway tag:

It really isn't a tag game, but it may look like one. The keeper is in goal and about 20-30 yards away is a striker with the ball at his or her feet. One yard behind the striker is a defender. Once the striker touches the ball at the goal, the defender can sprint in to get in front of the striker. By creating this pressure, you make the game more realistic. The goalkeeper must evaluate each touch from the striker, if the ball is over-dribbled, then the keeper may be able to come out and win the ball before the shot. If it's a good dribble by the attacker, the goalkeeper can come out a little, stay under control and wait for the next touch, which can be a dribble or a shot and react to that touch. Repeat and have fun with this. Remember, strikers must always avoid contact with the goalkeepers to keep from creating an injury situation.

2. Situation: Breakaway

In this exercise, one friend has the ball 20-30 yards from goal. A second friend (striker) is facing away from goal and near the ball. The player with the ball, passes it into the area around the goal, the striker turns and runs to play it, the goalkeeper must decide whether he or she can win the ball before the striker gets to it, or comes off her line a little and has to wait for the next touch or shot to make the save. By creating little fun games like this, the decision on when to come, how far and fast to come will become easier to read.

Tony DiCicco is the chief operations officer of the WUSA. He was formerly head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team.