Elite Soccer Players

Ryan M. Curtis, PhD, is a sport scientist and data analyst serving in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was formerly the Director of Athlete Performance and Safety at the Korey Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut, USA. He has served all levels of sport and the military as a sports scientist and practitioner leading large-scale soccer research initiatives and integrating best practices in health and performance optimization. Courteney L. Benjamin, who will be completing her PhD in May 2020, is the Director of Communication and Director of Athlete Performance and Safety at the Korey Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut, USA. She has won NCAA soccer national championships as a player at University of West Florida (’12 – Division II) while earning her bachelor’s degree in exercise science and as a strength and conditioning coach at Florida State University (’14 – Division I) while earning a master’s degree in sports science. Robert A. Huggins, PhD, is the President of Research and President of Athlete Performance and Safety at the Korey Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut, USA. He is experienced in the optimization of human and sports performance through scientific insights in both team and individual athletes at the collegiate, amateur, and professional levels. Douglas J. Casa, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, USA. He has been connected as a researcher and consultant with youth through the most elite levels of international soccer, including but not limited to assisting the NCAA, US Soccer heat policies, US Soccer national teams, IMG, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, the Portugal National Team, UCONN, WAM United, Northeast United (NEU), MLS, Pro European teams, and many others.

Part 1: Laying the Foundation

1. Applying Science and Monitoring Systems in Soccer

2. Psychological Demands of Soccer: A Decision-Making Perspective

Part 2: Athlete Monitoring and Data Analysis

3. Technology in Soccer

4. Workload Monitoring

5. Fatigue Monitoring

6. Data Analytics

Part 3: Optimizing Physical Performance

7. Physical Performance Testing in Soccer

8. Conditioning in Soccer

9. Strength, Power, Speed, and Agility in Soccer

10. Nutrition for High-Level Soccer

11. Recovery

Part 3: Injury Epidemiology and Risk Reduction

12. The Epidemiology of Injuries in Elite Soccer Players

13. Injury Risk Reduction Strategies

14. Soccer Rehabilitation and Return to Play

Part 5: Achieving Peak Performance and Safety in Various Environmental Conditions

15. Hydration and Heat Strategies in Soccer

16. Other Environmental Considerations for Soccer Athletes

Part 6: Unique Aspects of the Game

17. Game Management: Considerations for the Goalkeeper, Substitutes, and Extra-Time

18. Considerations for Variations in Soccer Around the World