Effects of playing three matches consecutive days in U16-U19 soccer players’ vertical jump, rate of perceived exertion and wellness

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of playing several friendly matches on consecutive days affects neuromuscular fatigue evaluated with countermovement jump (CMJ), session rate of perceived effort (sRPE) and wellness in young male soccer players. Participants: Forty-four young male soccer players from Under 16 (U16) (N= 23; age: 14.70 ± 0.48 years) and U19 (N= 19; age: 17.63 ± 0.52 years) participated in this study. Method: The evaluation of CMJ and Wellness was carried out pre-and post-match. sRPE was recorded 30 minutes after the end of each game. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated using Cohen’s and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: [U16 group]: differences between CMJ values after the last match and first (p < 0.001) and second (p < 0.001) matches. Differences in fatigue, soreness and stress (p