Rematch: A Quick Guide to Playing with a Brain
This is a team game. Tactics and teamwork beat raw individual skill every time. Read this to stop being a liability and start being a teammate.

Chasing the ball is the single biggest mistake new players make. When you abandon your position to follow the ball, you leave an opponent wide open. This forces your goalie into a 2-on-1 and leads to easy goals for the other team.

Instead: Mark an opponent. Let one teammate pressure the ball carrier while you cover the pass. A boring game is better than a lost game.

It's pointless. You cannot take the ball from the goalie until they drop it or their timer expires. By chasing them, you take yourself completely out of the play. A decent goalie will simply wait for you to commit and then throw the ball to the player you left open, creating an instant breakaway.

Instead: When the opponent's goalie has the ball, fall back and cover the most dangerous open player. Force them into a risky pass.

Calling for a pass every half-second when you're covered is useless. You are not open. You are not in a good position. You are just creating noise and distracting the person with the ball.

Instead: Get yourself into an open position first. A good pass is only possible if there's a good passing lane. Your position speaks for itself; the button is for confirmation.

When your teammate has the ball, running directly at them is the worst thing you can do. You bring your defender with you, creating an instant double-team. You clog their space and remove yourself as a passing option.

Instead: Create space. Move to an open area of the field. Give your teammate an angle to pass to you. Be an option, not another problem.

The Bottom Line: If you want to be a solo hero and just take shots, use the practice mode. Real matches are for teamwork. Play your position, trust your teammates, and make smart decisions.