ORIGINAL PAPER
Relationship between external training load and match load in adult male professional soccer players: a Brazilian team case
1
Fights Department, Graduate Program in Physical Education. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2
Núcleo de Investigación en Ciencias de la Motricidad Humana, Universidad Adventista de Chile, Chile
3
Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4
Pedagogy in Physical Education, Faculty of Education, School of Educational Sciences and Technology, Silva Henríquez Catholic University (UCSH), Santiago, Chile
5
Performance Department, Fluminense Football Club, Brazil
6
Escuela de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, el Deporte y la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas,
Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile
7
Escuela de Ciencias del Deporte, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile
8
Escuela de Doctorado de La Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
9
Departamento de Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación, Facultad de Artes y Educación Física,
Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Chile
10
Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Chile
Submission date: 2025-08-12
Acceptance date: 2025-11-27
Online publication date: 2026-06-01
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
To analyse the association between training external load [volume (TV) and intensity (TI)] and match external load intensity (MI) in professional male soccer players.
Methods:
The sample comprised 16 soccer players from one professional soccer team in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil League Serie A). The inclusion criteria only considered microcycles with one game, including soccer players who played at least 60 min. Six microcycles were analysed. External load was monitored using a portable 5-Hz global positioning system during training and matches, and the following variables were analysed: TD – total distance travelled in match; D20 – distance travelled between 14 and 20 km/h; HIR – high-intensity running travelled > 20 km/h; NS – number of sprints > 24 km/h; ACC – number of accelerations > 3 m/s2; DC – number of decelerations < –3 m/s2. Repeated-measures correlation coefficients were applied.
Results:
A moderate negative correlation was found between DTTV and NSMI, and between NSTV with HIRMI, ACCMI, DCMI and D20MI, and a moderate positive correlation was found between D20TV and D20MI. A moderate negative correlation was found between DTTI and NSMI, between NSTI with HIRMI, DCMI and D20MI, and between ACCTI and ACCMI. A moderate positive correlation was found between NSTI and NSMI, and between D20TI with DTMI and D20MI. Lastly, a strong negative correlation was found between NSTI and ACCMI.
Conclusions:
There are positive and negative correlations between external load variables of different magnitudes. This contribution addresses the limited evidence available on the correspondence between training and competition demands, adding new insights into load management in elite soccer.
To analyse the association between training external load [volume (TV) and intensity (TI)] and match external load intensity (MI) in professional male soccer players.
Methods:
The sample comprised 16 soccer players from one professional soccer team in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil League Serie A). The inclusion criteria only considered microcycles with one game, including soccer players who played at least 60 min. Six microcycles were analysed. External load was monitored using a portable 5-Hz global positioning system during training and matches, and the following variables were analysed: TD – total distance travelled in match; D20 – distance travelled between 14 and 20 km/h; HIR – high-intensity running travelled > 20 km/h; NS – number of sprints > 24 km/h; ACC – number of accelerations > 3 m/s2; DC – number of decelerations < –3 m/s2. Repeated-measures correlation coefficients were applied.
Results:
A moderate negative correlation was found between DTTV and NSMI, and between NSTV with HIRMI, ACCMI, DCMI and D20MI, and a moderate positive correlation was found between D20TV and D20MI. A moderate negative correlation was found between DTTI and NSMI, between NSTI with HIRMI, DCMI and D20MI, and between ACCTI and ACCMI. A moderate positive correlation was found between NSTI and NSMI, and between D20TI with DTMI and D20MI. Lastly, a strong negative correlation was found between NSTI and ACCMI.
Conclusions:
There are positive and negative correlations between external load variables of different magnitudes. This contribution addresses the limited evidence available on the correspondence between training and competition demands, adding new insights into load management in elite soccer.
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