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Third-Man Runs in Soccer, Explained

By Sherif Madkor · Tactico · Last reviewed 30 October 2026 · How this page was made

The short answer: a third-man run is an off-the-ball run by a third player into space that two teammates’ passes have just opened. It happens when the team in possession “attracts an opponent towards the ball”, and the third player then runs into the space the defender left.1 It works because “it is often the involvement of a third player which unlocks a well-organised defence”.2 For youth teams, treat it as a principle, not a fixed move,3 and build the habits first: pass and move, and look for the player who hasn’t touched it yet. An older US Soccer document says not to introduce combination play to 7- and 8-year-olds.4

  • 4 beats
  • 4 age groups
  • 3 options to read
  • 3 cue words
CUEHide!
01 · See it

Watch who Red follows, then choose

Blue has the ball in the middle third, and Red waits in a compact mid-block: two tight lines of four, with the strikers around halfway. No.9 drops from between Red’s centre-backs into the gap between the lines and shows his chest to No.6. The pass up to him is the lure, because it pulls Red toward the ball.1 FIFA’s first phase is a vertical pass out of defence or midfield, and its Croatia analysis shows the same idea: the second player moves toward the ball to draw pressure and open space behind him.2,5 Keep your eye on No.10, who stays out of sight until the pass is struck. Freeze when No.9 is on the ball. What would your players do?

A note on the name. The FA calls this family of moves “Up, back and through”, one of its five “three-player core football moves”,6 and FIFA calls it a third-player combination.2 None of the US Soccer or England Football Learning pages I opened uses the words “third man”. The roles here (passer No.6, wall No.9, runner No.10) are my own labels; sources number the players differently.

Blue has the ball in the middle third. Red sits in two compact lines of four and waits. No.10 is a few steps behind the ball.

Freeze. What should No.9 do?

Ask your players before you show them. Tap an option to play it out.

  • Pass
  • Our run
  • Their shift
  • Cue word
  • Us (Blue) · Them (Red)

Open it on your board (Pro): Bounce it to No.10 Turn and carry it Hit the diagonal

Read the sequence as text

Setup

Blue has the ball in the middle third. Red sits in two compact lines of four and waits. No.10 is a few steps behind the ball.

The lure

  1. No.9 drops from between their centre-backs into the gap between the two lines and shows No.6 his chest. Red’s block waits. No.10 stays out of sight.
  2. No.6 plays it up into his feet. That pass is the lure: their block slides toward the ball, and No.10 sets off as it is struck.
  3. Their centre-back steps out onto No.9’s back. A midfielder turns to close him and the far midfielder slides across, so they all lose sight of No.10.

The freeze

Freeze. No.9 has the ball, with one defender on his back and two closing. No.10 is arriving from behind them. What now?

A. Bounce it to No.10

Best answer: bounce it to the third man. Red moved toward the ball, so the player they didn’t follow is the one arriving. A first-time ball along the ground, firm and to No.10’s front foot, puts it with a player who is facing play. It also drags the marker toward the wall, which is the point of the move.1,2,7,8,9

  1. No.9 plays it first time, along the ground, into No.10’s path. The midfielders who closed on him have their backs to the ball.
  2. No.10 takes it on the move with the pitch in front of him. As he touches it, No.11 sets off, and the firm ground ball goes into his path. No.9 slips away from his marker.
  3. No.11 started from behind the last defender when the ball was played, so he is onside. He shoots first time, with No.9 running into the box in case it comes back.

B. Turn and carry it

Fine with room, wrong here. A touch and a turn is a good choice when a player has space. Here their centre-back is tight and the midfielders are closing, so the extra touch gives the block time to turn, and No.10’s run is wasted.3,5

  1. No.9 takes a touch and turns away from his marker. But their midfielders have arrived, and with no pass on, No.10’s run has nowhere to go.
  2. Boxed in, No.9 has to play it back to No.6. Their block has turned and reset, and the whole move starts again.

C. Hit the diagonal

Avoid: it plays into their shape. The direct ball is the one a compact line is set to cut out. At 11v11 a runner ahead of the second-last defender is offside, so keep him level until the ball is played. Even where offside isn’t called, their unit hasn’t moved and a defender steps in front of him.1,10,11

  1. No.9 ignores the runner and looks for the long ball. No.11 sets off early and is past their last defender before the ball is played.
  2. No.9 hits the diagonal ball over his marker. At 11v11 the flag goes up: No.11 was past their last defender when it was struck.
  3. Without offside it still fails. Their line hasn’t moved, so a defender steps in front of No.11 and wins it, and Blue is strung out behind the ball.
02 · Say it

Three words for three moments

Players pick out one word over the noise of a match and lose a whole instruction. So choose three words, rehearse them at training until they are automatic, and shout nothing else from the touchline. I haven’t found these three on any federation list of coaching cues, so they are mine. The idea behind each one comes from the sources below. Tap or hover over a card to see the moment for each word.

CUE 01
“Hide!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

The ball is on its way to the wall and a defender is still facing the runner. The runner stays behind the defender’s shoulder and doesn’t show himself early.1,2 In the pattern above that is No.10, until the pass is struck. Soccer Coach Weekly lists disguise and timing among its coaching points for this run.12

CUE 02
“Go!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

The pass into the wall has been struck and the nearest defender turns to the ball. That is when the runner starts. Runners can wait until the passer has made contact,11 and the FA’s coaching point is to “align the timing of the pass with the receiver’s movement”.13 In the pattern it is No.10 as the pass goes in, and No.11 as No.10 takes his touch.

CUE 03
“Bounce!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

You are about to receive with a defender on your back and a teammate arriving. One touch, along the ground, to his front foot. Session 50’s advice is “Use bounce pass to player facing the game when pressure is coming from behind”,7 and the ball should be firm and go to the teammate’s safe side.8 The FA calls the same action a “set back”;6 if “bounce” confuses your team, say “Set!”.

03 · Play it

Build a game where the third man wins

Nobody learns a third-man run from a diagram. Make the pattern the easiest way to score, then add one rule at a time. A group is ready for the next rung when it manages this one without prompts. If you are still giving reminders, stay where you are. Check the rules below against your own league’s before you start.

Rules to check first

  • Formats. US Soccer’s maximum formats are 4v4 for age 8 and under, 7v7 for ages 9–10, 9v9 for ages 11–12 and 11v11 from 13.14 Keepers start at 7v7; 4v4 has no keeper.15 England runs roughly a year older: 5v5 at U8–U9, 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13 and 11v11 from U14 (from 2026–27).16
  • The build-out line, 7v7 only. A line from sideline to sideline, 14 yards in front of each goal. Opponents stay behind it for a keeper restart, and there is no punting.14,17
  • Offside in the US. “As part of small-sided standards, there will be no offside infraction before the U-9 age group.”17 At 7v7, “This line also indicates where offside can be called,” and “teams cannot be called for offside between the midfield and build-out line.”17 My reading: at 7v7 offside can only be called past the attacking build-out line. Check your league.
  • Offside at 9v9 and 11v11. IFAB Law 11: a player is in an offside position if “any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent”, and is judged “at the moment the ball is played or touched”.10 I found no US Soccer text on offside at 9v9, so check your league. One coach moving from 7v7 to 9v9 wrote: “It is a rule that lots of young players find frustrating, because they have never had to play with this rule before.”18
  • Offside in England. The 2025/26 Mini-Soccer handbook shows offside as “No” for U7–U10 and says “There is no offside in Development Football”.19 For 9v9, the FA’s 2014–15 laws say “Normal rules apply, as per Laws of Association Football” under Law 11.20 I couldn’t confirm the current rule, or whether the 2026–27 format change moves the offside line, so ask your county FA or league.
  • Heading. US Soccer recommends (and strongly urges) no heading in practice or games for U11 programs and younger, plus a training limit for U12–U13 of 30 minutes and 15–20 headers a week, with nothing on matches.21 The FA says “No heading in training in the foundation phase” and “No changes to heading in matches”,22 and the 2025/26 Mini-Soccer handbook says deliberate heading is not allowed for U7–U10, with an indirect free kick to the opposition.19 So for 10 and under, the bounce and the final pass stay on the ground.
  • My numbers. Pitch sizes and the “ready when” signs are my own coaching judgment, not research thresholds. The 3v1 triangle (10 metres a side) comes from FIFA.23

7v7 · keepers · build-out line · offside only past the attacking line in the US, none in England (see the rules above). A trio is the right size. US Soccer’s older guidance is to think of decisions as related to “themselves and one or at most two of their teammates”,4 and its U9–U10 game model asks for “short combinations with others”.24 Teach it as a game rule with a joker, not as a tactic. Soccer Coach Weekly tags its practice U9+ and its small-sided game U10+, and calls the game “quite complex in nature”.12,25

  1. RUNG 1

    Joker Bounce

    Setup. 4v4 plus one or two neutral jokers who play for whoever has the ball, in a grid with two small goals. Adapted from Soccer Coach Weekly’s third-man game, which is 6v6 plus two jokers and two keepers with offside on, and which it calls “definitely one for more advanced groups”.25

    Rule · The joker plays one touch. At first he may give it back to the passer. Then ban the give-back, so the ball must go to a third player. Soccer Coach Weekly’s version has an easier start: “Simplify by allowing a one-two off the bounce players to get more success initially if required”.25

    Ready when the player who passes to the joker is already moving and the third player arrives from a different place.

  2. RUNG 2

    Pass It In

    Setup. 7v7 with the line on. Cones mark the final third.

    Rule · The ball may enter the final third only by a pass, not a dribble. Playing 7v7 in thirds is a stage in Cupello’s progression,3 and the vertical pass is FIFA’s first phase.2

    Ready when the player who receives in the final third is facing play or side-on, and the ground pass arrives at his feet.

  3. RUNG 3

    Two Touches Up Front

    Setup. Normal 7v7.

    Rule · In the attacking third every player has two touches at most: one to control, one to pass. Touch limits appear in both coaching sources,3,9 and FIFA says combinations work with few touches.2

    Ready when the player with his back to goal bounces it first time to a runner instead of turning into three defenders.

U10 session in Tactico Pro: Print touchline cards Download session PDF Open in the planner

04 · Spot it

On match day

What to look for when your players try the pattern, and the three slips that show up first.

Watch for

  • Does the passer move after passing? FIFA’s 3v1 rondo coaching point: “Players off the ball should constantly move to create clear and varied angles of support for the ball-carrier”.23 A passer who stands and watches leaves no third man behind him.
  • Where are the defender’s eyes? The run starts when the defender looks at the ball with his back to the runner, not before.1,2 Look for a runner who moves away and back to check his run and create space.8
  • Does the wall look before the ball arrives, and bounce it along the ground? He should be open and side-on to receive, and play a firm pass to the safe side.8 Elite Soccer Coaching links loose, spinning passes to poor body preparation.31
  • What is the shape? Players at different heights, not two on one passing line, and the width used.1 If three players are in a clump, there is no third man.

Mistakes and the fix

The runner goes early, or stands stillThe defender sees him and the run is wasted. Or he waits for the ball at a standstill. Fix: Hide, then Go.11 FIFA’s advice is to avoid receiving the ball while stationary.11 In games with offside, he starts behind the ball.10
The bounce is a give-back, or it’s too soft or too hardThe wall pass back to the passer is the safe habit, and it shows the defender the same picture again. Fix: No Give-Backs (the U8 ladder), then “Bounce!”, with the ball played firm and to the teammate’s safe side.8
Forcing it every timeThe pattern is “not a rigid move, but a principle”,3 and Croatia’s version “was not pre-determined but continuously adapted”.5 Fix: look for the furthest pass first.7 Use the third man only when the direct pass is shut and the defender has been drawn.

Touchline rule. Don’t shout “Run!” at the third man, because he can’t know when. Let the players call Hide and Go, and ask afterwards, “Who was the third man?”

Run it in TacticoPlaycode Pro pack

Take it to training

Set this pattern up for your own squad tonight:

Everything on this page, ready to print and use at training:

  • Lay out your players on the Tactico board and draw each option, free
  • Animate it move by move and export a video for your players (first one free, then Pro)
  • Build the training session in the session planner and print it (Pro)
  • Share it with your coaches and parents with one link (free account)
  • Open every option on your Tactico board, watch it play, then make it your own
  • A ready-made session for every age group in the session planner: the ladder as play, practice, play, timed
  • Touchline cards for every rung, ready to print and laminate
  • Print the session as a PDF or share it with your coaches in one link
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Questions

Coaches ask

What is a third-man run in soccer?

Two players exchange passes, then a third makes an off-the-ball run into space to receive. It “happens when the team in possession attracts an opponent towards the ball”.1 FIFA breaks it into four phases: the initial pass, the bounce pass, the off-the-ball run and the final pass.2

What is the third-man run passing pattern?

The most common youth version is “up, back and through”. The FA’s description: A passes to B and runs round an opponent; B sets the ball back to C; C plays a through ball to A.6 Soccer Coach Weekly’s warm-up has the setter bounce it back for the original passer to run onto.8 Coaches differ on who the “third man” is, and Cupello and others say it isn’t a fixed three-pass move.3 A one-two (wall pass) is different. It has only two players: A passes to B and runs round a defender to get it back.32

What are good third-man run drills for youth?

Start with the ladders above: a 3v1 keep-ball,23 a joker who bounces,25 then the FAI 9v9 zone game.9 Soccer Coach Weekly’s unopposed practice moves to 2v2 and then 3v2 when the runner joins.12 One of the FA’s passing sessions, which looks aimed at 12- to 16-year-olds, tells coaches to introduce the two- and three-player core moves.33

How do you time a third-man run without being offside?

Start from behind the ball and go when the pass is struck. IFAB says offside is judged “at the moment the ball is played or touched”.10 FIFA’s Talent Coach programme says runners can wait until the passer has touched it.11 Women’s Soccer Coaching puts it this way: “Time your run into the opposite half to avoid being offside”.30 An unsigned glossary says early enough to exploit the distraction but late enough to stay onside.34 Many youth games have no offside: England U7–U10 in 2025/26,19 and the US before U-9, and past the build-out line only at 7v7.17 Check yours.

What age can kids learn third-man runs?

Not at 7–8 as a tactic.4 At 9–10 as a game rule with a joker, for a trio of “themselves and one or at most two of their teammates”.4 At 11–12 as a small-group pattern under moderate pressure.26 By 13–14 as part of matches.28 Soccer Coach Weekly tags a warm-up U6–U13 and the match game U10–U15.8,25

Do England and the US use the same ages?

Not quite. England’s formats from 2026–27 run about a year older: 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13, 11v11 from U14.16 In England, “third man” rarely appears on governing-body pages. Search the FA’s “three-player core moves” or “up, back and through” instead.6

Keep going

What next

Next playcodeSwitching PlayThe same Blue-against-Red set-up, with a different trigger: lure Red to one side, then switch to the other. Free tactics boardPut your wall and runner on the boardPlace No.9 and No.10 for your own squad, draw the bounce and the run, and test it before training.
More playcodes
About

How this page was made

Sherif Madkor wrote this page for Tactico from the federation, FIFA and coaching sources listed below. The rules come from US Soccer’s public pages, England Football Learning, the FA and the IFAB Laws of the Game. The animation is drawn on the Tactico board. The scene, the three options, the role names (passer, wall, runner), the cue words and the practice ladders are my own teaching design. They rest on the principles in those sources, but no source I read publishes them as one pattern. Last reviewed 30 October 2026.

What I couldn’t confirm: none of the US Soccer or England Football Learning pages I opened uses the words “third man”, so the age guidance above is built by combining their general statements on combination play and small groups. I found no study of third-man combinations in youth soccer and no success-rate figures, so I claim none. No source gives a third-man cue as a touchline shout. The US Soccer age statements marked as older come from a document of about 2006. I couldn’t confirm the current offside rule at 9v9 in England or the US. Anything I could not confirm is flagged where it appears.

Sources

  1. Coaches’ Voice, Ali Tweedale, “Third-man runs: football tactics explained” (13 January 2022). https://learning.coachesvoice.com/?p=53456
  2. FIFA Training Centre, “Third-player combinations” (game analysis). https://fifatrainingcentre.com/en/game/game-analysis/in-possession/third-player-combinations.php
  3. Cupello, “Coaching back and through” (blog; the author’s UEFA B credential is self-described). https://www.cupello.com/blog/coaching-back-and-through
  4. U.S. Soccer, “Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States” (about 2006), hosted copy. An older document: used for its developmental statements only. https://www.soccerxpert.com/docs/us-soccer-best-practices.pdf
  5. FIFA Training Centre, “Croatia: Evolving third-player combinations” (World Cup 2022, World-Class Tactics). https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/game/game-analysis/world-class-tactics/croatia-evolving-third-player-combinations.php
  6. England Football Learning, “Three-player core football moves” (22 August 2023). https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles/resources/2023/Three-player-core-football-moves
  7. Sports Session Planner, “Session 50 – 3rd Man Concept / Middle to Final Third Entry – U13/U14 Boys” (unsigned). https://www.sportsessionplanner.com/s/A8Sbb/Session-50---3rd-Man-Concept-Middle-to-Final-Third-Entry---U13-U14-Boys.html
  8. Soccer Coach Weekly, David Altendorff, “Warm-up: Third-man running”. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/drills-and-games/drills/third-man-running-2
  9. Sports Session Planner, Darren Moore (FAI Coach Education), “Third Man Run: Fundamentals / Up, Back, Through Game”. https://www.sportsessionplanner.com/s/wHw3i/Third-Man-Run-Fundamentals.html
  10. IFAB, Laws of the Game, Law 11: Offside. https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/offside/
  11. FIFA Training Centre, Talent Coach Programme, “Finishing: 3-player combination play” (21 January 2025). https://fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/talent-coach-programme/create-and-finish/14-2-finishing-3-player-combination-play.php
  12. Soccer Coach Weekly, David Altendorff, “Practice: Third-man running”. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/drills-and-games/drills/third-man-running1
  13. England Football Learning, Emily Senior, “Passing and receiving session: connecting with teammates” (2025). https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Passing-and-receiving-session-connecting-with-teammates
  14. U.S. Soccer, Player Development Initiatives presentation (2015), mirror copy hosted by SSF United. The formats chart is an image, so the formats line is carried from the earlier high-press research. https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/soccer/SSFUNITED/2015_Player_Development_Initiatives.pdf
  15. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U7–U8. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u7-u8
  16. England Football Learning, “What is a format in football”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2022/What-is-a-format-in-football
  17. U.S. Soccer, “Five things to know: how small-sided standards will change youth soccer” (2017). https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/08/five-things-to-know-how-smallsided-standards-will-change-youth-soccer
  18. Soccer Coach Weekly, Dave Clarke, “In a few months we play offside”. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/coaching-advice/in-a-few-months-we-play-offside
  19. The FA (West Riding FA), Mini-Soccer and Youth Futsal Handbook 2025/26. https://www.thefa.com/-/media/cfa/westridingfa/files/clubs/mini-soccer-handbook-2025.ashx
  20. The FA, Laws for 9v9 football 2014–15. https://thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/my-football/the-football-association-laws-for-9v9-football-2014-15.ashx
  21. U.S. Soccer, “Recognize to Recover” guidelines, section V (Heading) (December 2015), hosted by NC Soccer. https://www.ncsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2023/06/file.aspx-8.pdf
  22. The FA, updated heading guidance (2020). https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/about/news/the-fa-announce-updated-heading-guidance
  23. FIFA Training Centre, Talent Coach Programme, “3v1 rondo: Fast readjustments” (13 May 2025). https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/talent-coach-programme/secure-possession/3v1-rondo-fast-readjustments.php
  24. U.S. Soccer, game model U9–U10. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-models/u9-u10
  25. Soccer Coach Weekly, David Altendorff, “Small-sided game: Third-man running”. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/drills-and-games/drills/third-man-running
  26. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U11–U12. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u11-u12
  27. U.S. Soccer, game model U11–U12. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-models/u11-u12
  28. U.S. Soccer, game model U13–U14. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-models/u13-u14
  29. Cal North Soccer, “SportsLab360: Third-Player Runs” (1 December 2021). https://www.calnorth.org/news/sportslab360-third-player-runs
  30. Women’s Soccer Coaching, “Up, back and through to progress”. https://www.womenssoccercoaching.com/soccer-drills-games/full-sessions/up-back-and-through-to-progress
  31. Elite Soccer Coaching, “Finding the third man”, credited to Scott Parker (Fulham); no date or age given. https://elitesoccercoaching.net/in-possession/finding-the-third-man
  32. England Football Learning, “Two-player core football moves” (22 August 2023). https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles/resources/2023/Two-player-core-football-moves
  33. England Football Learning, Megan Todd, “Passing and receiving session: eliminate the opposition” (2025). https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Passing-and-receiving-session-eliminate-the-opposition
  34. Football Paradise, glossary entry “Third man run” (unsigned). https://www.footballparadise.com/en/glossary/third-man-run