Effects of cumulative school soccer matches separated by 24-h or 48-h intervals on physical recovery status of U-19 players

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cumulative school soccer matches separated by 24-h or 48-h intervals on the recovery status of U-19 players. Thirty-four school athletes (17.6 ± 1.1 years) who played in an U-19 school soccer competition (composed of one group with four teams and another group with three teams, followed by semifinals and final) were examined before three matches, which lasted 70 min. Seventeen athletes had a 24-h rest interval between each match (GGG group), while 18 athletes had a 48-h rest interval between the second and third matches (GG48hG group). Total Quality Recovery, countermovement jump, 10-m sprint, and maximum lumbar isometric strength were measured. The internal load of each match was calculated by the product of the session Rating of Perceived Exertion and match time. There was a 22% reduction in Total Quality Recovery (p< 0.001) and 12% in 10-m sprint performance (p< 0.001) before the third match in the GGG group, while the GG48hG group showed no changes for the same variables (p> 0.05). The countermovement jump decreased before the second match in both groups (GGG= 12% and GG48hG= 10%; p< 0.001), with no difference between groups (p> 0.05). In addition, both groups showed no changes in the isometric strength or the internal load match over the games (p> 0.05). Despite not providing complete muscle recovery, a 48-h interval between the second and third matches seems to have minimized the reduction of muscle performance due to consecutive matches.