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This is the final part of our series on breaking down soccer positions for the beginner player.

Full Backs
Full backs play on the opposite side of the pitch from one another. They are purely defensive and cover a wide range of ground; they are the first line of defense on the field because often they play towards the top of the goal box. If they have to chase down a player, they will do so if they feel it will make a difference or give their team a chance to make a player.

At other times, they will fall back and wait for the opportunity to kick a ball up field to their offensive team mates when the rest of the defense goes after the ball or their man-to-man coverage. The main goal of a full back is to prevent an opposing team from crossing the ball into the penalty box which is a sure-fire way for them to score or create some sort of opening to take a good, clean shot at the goalkeeper.

A few decades ago, many full backs were stereotypically clunky and muscular. They used their strength to overcome forwards who were trying to take a shot. Nowadays, however, full backs are often smaller, quicker and have more skill with the ball. This allows for them to not only keep up with forwards but also outplay them when trying to take away the ball. Often, you'll find full backs sweep in from behind to snatch the ball from unsuspecting feet. Full backs are one of the only positions on the pitch that allow for an almost instant change of pace when it comes to turning over the soccer.

Striker
A striker is a type of center back. This particular type of center back plays a more middle-man roll. They are expected to take chances offensively and defensively. More often than not, they're responsible for going after the ball when it's been kicked into the corner or other undesirable areas down field by their own goal. They then launch the ball with a powerful kick midfield or further to garner some action from the offense.

Strikers have more movement and freedom on the field, and while they will cover positions like their center back counterparts, they are usually the ones who will cover a gap should one occur in a defensive formation if a player managed to make a break for the goal.

Fast, agile and skilled with handling the ball, the striker will sometimes start out as a midfield but find that they are better suited for a purely defensive position. These are also often the players who take corner kicks and throw-in the ball down field towards their own goal. Often, strikers will also send the ball back to the goalie for them to get a better shot at punting the ball up field to the offense.

Such strikers as Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer are renowned for their skills on the field as offensive playmakers and defensive play breakers. Not many players have come and gone since their days on the pitch that have matched their level of play and attitude for going after the ball and taking a risk at changing the focus of the match.

Wing Back
In the beginning of soccer, the wing back position had yet to be fully developed. Instead, the wing back was a take off of the full back, but not by much. The wing back has always more or less had the same goals as the full back, except, eventually those goals evolved into a more offensive attitude on the pitch.

Usually, the wing back is part of the midfield, on the modern soccer field. While there, they can run up field and downfield as the ball dictates to either chase down a would-be scorer or assist a forward in creating an opening to score. Depending on the flow of the ball and how easily it moves up and down the field, the wing back's job can change with less than a second's notice.

This means that a wing back has to be quick on their feet and fast as lightning to chase down an opportunity at any moment. They have to be agile, have excellent intuition and be willing to put their body - particularly their shins and feet - on the line to steal the ball and get it up field to a center back.

During the length of a match, wing backs are expected to not only change with the movement of the ball which in-of-itself can often be tolling on the stamina of the player in question but also support the center backs in their attempts to cross the ball and score. Since their primary focus is supposed to be on providing assistance to the center backs, this separates the wing back from its full back family member.

Teams also have a captain who serves as the primary leader on the field during a match where a coach's words might not always be heard during the game. The captain is typically the player that shows the most on and off the field and who represents the team well in all aspects. In some cases, the captain is also determined by their seniority on the team and in the game.