José Carlos Ponce-Bordón

Background: Monitoring athletes’ responses to training is essential for optimizing performance and player management in football. Although training load is considered an important component of physiological adaptations, its relationship with body composition changes during preseason remains unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to (i) examine changes in body composition, training load, and fatigue throughout the preseason and (ii) determine whether accumulated training load and fatigue were associated with body composition changes in semi-professional football players. Methods: Twenty semi-professional male football players from the same team were monitored during a six-week preseason that included 28 training sessions and seven friendly matches. Body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis at the beginning (Testing Session 1, TS1), middle (Testing Session 2, TS2), and end (Testing Session 3, TS3) of the preseason. External load and heart rate (HR) were quantified using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, while internal load was assessed through session rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and fatigue was assessed using wellness questionnaires. Results: Significant changes in body composition were observed across the preseason. Fat mass increased, whereas fat-free mass, lean mass, and skeletal muscle mass decreased by TS3 (all p < 0.01; large, standardized effect sizes). No significant associations were found between accumulated external load, internal load, HR exposure, fatigue indicators, and body composition changes after baseline adjustment and multiple comparisons. Conclusions: Significant alterations in body composition were observed over the preseason period. Given the observational design and absence of a non-training control group, the observed changes cannot be attributed solely to the preseason training stimulus.

Objectives: This study investigated the influence of coaches’ perceived team performance on training load and fatigue across the weekly microcycle in semi-professional soccer players. Methods: Twenty-four players were monitored over 183 training sessions during a 34-week competitive period in the Spanish fourth-tier league. External load was assessed using 10 Hz GPS devices, while internal-load-related, mental-load-related variables, and wellness were measured using validated self-report questionnaires. Coaches’ evaluations of team performance following matches were also included as a key variable. Results: No statistically significant associations were detected between coach-perceived performance and any external load variable after adjustment for multiple testing. Also, no significant associations were observed between perceived performance and internal or mental load. No significant associations were detected for wellness variables. However, weekly comparisons showed that microcycles following good perceived performance involved lower accumulated external load than those following medium or poor performance. No statistically significant differences were detected between conditions for internal-load-related, mental-load-related variables, or wellness. Conclusions: In this single semi-professional male team, lower accumulated external load was observed in microcycles following good perceived performance, whereas no corresponding differences were detected in internal load, mental load, or wellness. These preliminary associations require confirmation in multi-team designs.

Introduction: Monitoring training load (TL) is key to optimizing health, performance, and injury prevention in soccer, yet evidence across full-season microcycle types in women’s soccer is limited. Purpose and objectives of the study: This study analyzed the weekly TL distribution in a semi-professional women’s soccer team throughout a full competitive season, and examined diff erences in total weekly workload (training sessions and match demands) between diff erent types of microcycles. Additionally, the percentage contribution of training and match loads to the total weekly workload in each microcycle type was calculated. Applied methodology: A total of 170 training sessions and 35 offi cial matches were analyzed during the 2024/25 season from 20 semi-professional soccer players who competed in the Spanish Second Women’s Division. Training sessions were categorized based on proximity to the match into four categories. In addition, microcycles were classifi ed into three types: Non-Congested (i.e., included only one offi cial match during the week; NCON); Congested (i.e., included two offi cial matches in the same week; CON), and Non-Match weeks (i.e., corresponded to weeks without offi cial competition; NMA). External load (EL) variables were collected during training sessions and offi cial matches using 10 Hz GPS devices. Achieved major results: Linear Mixed Models revealed that the NCON microcycle emerged as the most demanding week, with the highest EL observed on MD-4 and MD-3. Specifi cally, players covered signifi cantly greater total distance and sprint distance during NCON weeks than during CON weeks (p < .01) and NMA weeks (p < .001). Leads: These fi ndings may guide coaching staff in adjusting weekly workload according to microcycle type, balancing training stimulus, and avoiding large week-to-week fl uctuations in training workload across diff erent competitive schedules. Originality/Value: This study clarifi es how EL is distributed throughout the microcycle and highlights the diff erences between training and match demands across diff erent microcycle structures in women’s soccer.

This study analyzed the influence of match context on match running and accelerometry-derived performance in the Spanish semiprofessional women’s soccer. A total of 20 players from a Spanish Women’s Second Division team during the 2024/2025 season were involved in the study. Contextual factors were included: match location (i.e., home or away), match outcome (i.e., win, draw, or loss), type of competition (i.e., League, Cup, or Play Off), time of day (i.e., morning or evening), and playing surface (i.e., artificial or natural grass). Total distance, medium-speed running (distance 13–18.9 km/hr), high-speed running (19–22.9 km/hr), sprint-speed running distance (Sprint, >23 km/hr), the number of accelerations >3 m/s ² and decelerations 3 m/s and decelerating at <−3 m/s were recorded during matches using Global Positioning System devices. Linear mixed models showed that players covered significantly greater total distance in away than in home matches ( p < .05, effect size [ES] = 0.34). A similar pattern was observed in lost matches compared with won matches ( p < .05; ES = 0.49), as well as in matches played in the evening compared with those played in the morning ( p < .01, ES = 0.47). In addition, significantly greater high-speed running distances were recorded in League matches compared with Play Off ( p < .05; ES = 0.66). In conclusion, contextual factors such as match location, match outcome, competition type, and the time of day significantly impact match running and accelerometry-derived performance in a Spanish Women’s Second Division soccer team.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar las diferencias en las relaciones de pases y movimientos realizados entre los equipos Clasificados y No Clasificados para la fase final del Mundial de fútbol de Qatar en 2022. Para ello, se analizaron 64 partidos de fútbol con el fin de evaluar las diferencias en el rendimiento táctico-técnico entre los 32 equipos y 727 futbolistas participantes. En el análisis se incluyeron variables táctico-técnicas relacionadas con los pases y movimientos realizados (ej., pase filtrado, etc.). Para el análisis de los datos se empleó R-Studio. Los Modelos Lineales Mixtos mostraron que los goles (p < .01) y desmarques de apoyo (p < .05) fueron significativamente mayores en equipos Clasificados con respecto a los No Clasificados. En general, se observó que los equipos Clasificados realizaban un mayor número de pases hacía sus líneas cercanas, optando por realizar jugadas más elaboradas que los equipos No Clasificados.

Context: When soccer players reach high speeds, the hamstring complex is exposed to injury, with sprinting being the mechanism for 70% of injuries suffered in this muscle group. Objective: To examine and summarize the impact of hamstring injuries on match running performance in elite male soccer players. Data Sources: An electronic database search (Web of Science, Scopus, SportDiscus, and PubMed) was conducted (until December 12, 2023). Study Selection: Potential studies were searched by using the following keywords: “monitoring,” “quantification,” “hamstring injuries,” “injuries,” “recovery,” “rehab,” and “return to play.” The next criteria were also added: professional male soccer, studies reported pre- to postinjury values, included data from matches. Study Design: Systematic review. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Data Extraction: A total of 4082 papers were reviewed and after 2 screening phases, only 5 papers were selected. Results: A total of 169 hamstring injuries were analyzed (from 18 to 72 in each included study), and a total of 136 matches were included (from 10 to 81 in each included study). This review showed that high-speed running (HSR) distance was the variable reported most frequently. Overall, a decrease in match running performance was found after hamstring injuries compared with baseline values. Conclusion: Hamstring injuries impact negatively on soccer players’ physical performance, particularly in variables related to HSR. These findings have implications for practitioners regarding the management of player participation after returning to play in terms of volume (ie, minutes), but should be taken with caution due to the limited number of studies included in the present systematic review.

The aim of this study was threefold: (i) to analyze the influence of previous match outcome on subsequent weekly training load (TL); (ii) to examine whether accumulated weekly TL varies throughout the season; and (iii) to investigate the influence of performance streaks got during competition on subsequent weekly TL. Twenty-one Spanish male professional soccer players from the same team were involved in the study. Total distance (TD), medium-speed running (MSR, distance 10.8–18.0 km·h⁻¹), high-speed running (HSR, >21 km·h⁻¹), very high-speed running (VHSR, 18.0–25.2 km·h⁻¹), sprinting speed running distance (sprint, >25.2 km·h⁻¹), player load (PL), number of accelerations (ACC), and decelerations (DEC) were recorded during training sessions using 10 Hz GPS devices. Previous match outcome, period of the season, and the performance streaks were also considered. Linear mixed models showed that team covered significantly less TD during the week after draw than after win (p < 0.05). In addition, most of the variables decreased as the season progressed. Finally, after medium-performance streaks, team covered significantly higher TD compared to high-performance streaks (p < 0.05) and low performance streaks (p < 0.01). These findings showed that low-performance streaks could reduce weekly external TL.

This study aimed (i) to analyze the relationship between weekly accumulated training load (TL) and match physical demands in the same week and (ii) to describe the training/match ratios of different external load measures considering variations across different training days. Twenty-one Spanish male professional soccer players were involved in the study. Total distance (TD), medium speed running (MSR, distance 10.8–18.0 km·h⁻¹), high-speed running (HSR, >21 km·h⁻¹), very high-speed running (VHSR, 18.0–25.2 km·h⁻¹), sprinting-speed running distance (Sprint, >25.2 km·h⁻¹), player load (PL), number of accelerations (ACC), and decelerations (DEC) were recorded during training sessions and matches using 10 Hz GPS devices. Correlations between the weekly TL and match physical demands were trivial and negative for TD (r = −0.08) and PL (r = −0.05); trivial and positive for MSR (r = 0.02), HSR (r = 0.07), Sprint (r = 0.09), and DEC (r = 0.06); and small and positive for VHSR (r = 0.22) and ACC (r = 0.19). The greatest TD, MSR, VHSR, Sprint, HSR, and PL values and their derivate ratios occurred in MD–3. The present study highlights the need for soccer athletes to be exposed to similar demands to those observed during matches.