An English Championship League soccer team did not experience impaired physical match performance in a second match after 75 hours recovery

The purpose of this study was to examine the hormonal and neuromuscular responses and physical match performance in a second match after 75 hours of recovery in English Championship League (ECL) soccer players during a mid-season weekly period. Nine male professional outfield soccer players whose mean age, height, and mass were 25.7 (± 3.4) years, 180 (± 6.0) cm, 78.1 (± 3.4) kg respectively from an ECL team competed in two matches separated by 75 hours. Subjects completed an optional post-match recovery strategy that included: massage, cold-water immersion, or low intensity dynamic movement. Team possession was greater in match 2 compared to match 1 (48 to 62%) while average pass frequency by each player increased in match 2. High intensity running was significantly greater during the second half of match 2 in comparison to the first half. Salivary cortisol was significantly elevated immediately post-match 1 compared to baseline. Jump height was reduced post-match 1 for up to 40 hours. In conclusion, the ECL soccer players in this study did not experience impaired physical performance in the second match after 75 hours of recovery, indicating that players coped with this short recovery period between matches. In addition, support for the use of athlete monitoring to assess recovery status is evident since each match elicited different post-match hormonal and neuromuscular responses.