How Many Players on a Soccer Team?
By: Maeve Rich It can be difficult to understand how many player on a soccer team can take the field, as the rules often vary. Professional soccer games, known as matches, consist of two teams with eleven players each. One of these eleven players is the goalkeeper; the rest are outfield players. Though recreational soccer rules generally allow for any number of players on the bench and unlimited substitutions, professional soccer is a bit stricter. A team can only have five, seven or nine players on the bench, and can make just three substitutions throughout the match. Though there are just eleven spots on the field (or pitch), there are more positions than that. Teams have the option of designing their own formation, using any of these positions. Here are the positions of soccer: Goalkeeper The goalkeeper has perhaps the most stressful job of anybody on the team. It is up to him to defend the goal and keep shots out. The goalkeeper is the only team member who can use his hands, but th
