Build A Starting Roster

Building a starting roster in professional soccer is critical as it involves selecting the best combination of players to execute the team's strategy, taking into account their skills, form, and chemistry. A well-balanced starting lineup ensures that the team can perform cohesively, adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.

Objectives

Students will learn about the factors involved in selecting a starting roster for a professional soccer team.

Materials

  • Worksheet
Build A Starting Roster

Academic Standards

Grade 6
PE 6.6.B The student is expected to demonstrate combinations of locomotor, manipulative, and game skills in dynamic activities to achieve individual or team goals.
Grade 7
PE 7.6.B The student is expected to apply combinations or sequences of game skills to achieve individual or team goals.
Grade 8
PE 8.6.B The student is expected to perform, without cue, combinations or sequences of game skills to achieve individual or team goals.

Build A Starting Roster

Discussion Questions

  • What challenges might a coach face when deciding on a starting roster?
  • Do you think it’s more important to prioritize skill or teamwork when selecting players? Why?

Reflection Questions

  • What factors did your group consider when building your dream soccer team, and why?
  • How did the activity help you understand the complexities of creating a balanced and competitive soccer roster?
  • What challenges do you think real MLS teams face when building their rosters, and how might they overcome them?

Answer Key

Responses will vary. Encourage students to provide thoughtful explanations that demonstrate the STEM connection (math, data analysis, systems thinking and decision-making while facing limitations.

Build A Starting Roster
Build A Starting Roster

Setup

  • Students need space to spread out and work in small groups or pairs.
  • Students will need computers or cell phones to complete this activity.
    • This can be done as a whole group, with partners, or in small groups.
    • The younger students will most likely need this to be done as a whole group.

Vocabulary

Roster: A list of the players who will be playing in a particular game.

Build A Starting Roster

Activity

  • Start the lesson by leading students in a short discussion to assess their prior knowledge using the questions provided or your own.
    • Be sure to discuss the concept of a roster in sports with students. Ask them if they know what a sports roster is and its importance in team games. Introduce the idea that building a roster in MLS involves strategic decision-making.
  • Discuss the main components that contribute to building an MLS roster
    • Player position & skills, balancing offense & defense, and team chemistry & leadership
    • Player position & skills
      • Discuss the importance of having a mix of starting pitchers, relief pitchers, and closers.
      • Explore the roles of infielders, outfielders, catchers, and designated hitters.
        • You can refer to an earlier lesson for more information on these roles.
    • Balancing offense & defense
      • Discuss the importance of having a balance between players who can hit for power and those who excel in making contact.
      • Explore how defensive skills contribute to team success, including fielding and throwing accuracy.
    • Team chemistry & leadership
      • Discuss the significance of positive team dynamics and how it affects on-field performance.
      • Explore the role of team captains, veteran players, and managers in shaping the team culture.
  • For this activity, students will use their knowledge of player stats and team salaries to build a team roster and will explain their player selection.
    • You could turn this into a competition or set it up like the MLS Draft, where the students must trade and give up some picks for specific players.
  • Groups will work together to research player salaries to help build their dream team.
  • (Optional) Show students the video below on building their own rosters.
  • Students can use the link below to help with their research.
  • When researching and building their roster, students must remember that there is a team salary limit, and they cannot exceed the salary limit of $175 million.
  • Students can use the paper to display their teams or create a digital presentation with a computer to display on the board.
  • At the end, have each group share their roster and explain the information that helped them to decide who to pick and the process they used.

Additional Activity

  • To extend the activity, students can simulate a mid-season trade:
    • Decide whether to make a trade or not
    • Evaluate pros vs. cons (team chemistry, salary impact, positional needs)
    • Explain how the trade would affect short-term performance vs. long-term success
Build A Starting Roster