space and movement

Soccer, although it is played with a ball, is really a game of space and movement without the ball. Unlike some other sports, (baseball, for instance), soccer does not really have positions. Rather, players have differing responsibilities which change as the ball and the other players move about the field. In a strict sense, only the goal keeper really has a "position" to play.

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Once your players have attained proficiency in the basic techniques of receiving, passing and shielding a football, you can introduce them to the fact that they will actually only spend a relatively small amount of time (perhaps as little as three or four minutes in every hour) with the ball at their feet.

There are many games and drills that will allow young soccer players to practice finding the right space and position for themselves on the soccer field.

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/spread_out.htm

Equally, there are many that focus on providing support for each other. The simplest of these - keepaway - is used by coaches at every level.

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/3_team_keepaway.htm

Keepaway, however, can get a bit boring if the only objective is to string as many passes together as possible. This is, after all, not a 'soccer like' activity - there is no point in possession without a goal at the end.  Children prefer to play games that have an identifiable end result to possession, like the one described below.

Spreading out and positioning - from soccercoachingcourses.com