8 Soccer Journal November-December 2010 By W. W. Simiyu Njororai Wiley College, Marshall, Texas INTRODUCTION In modern sports, the emphasis on winning and the competitive spirit of the participants de- mand a high level of physical and psychological conditioning as well as reined technical-tactical preparation of the individual player (Njororai, 2000; 2007; Singh, 1982; Wade, 1972). In soc- cer, the physical aspect is expressed in the ight for possession of the ball, running off the ball, dribbling, tackling, counterattacking, overlap- ping, jumping to head the ball and long tactical kicks. All these demand a high level of itness in the players (Reilly, 1979, 1995; Reilly & Thomas, 1984; Stone and Kroll, 1986). The physical ability of a player provides the stability needed to execute the tactical and techni- cal skills throughout a match and a tournament. The physiological demands of competitive soccer at the elite level require that all players be in good physical condition if they are to give maximum effort throughout a particular match or tourna- ment. Thus the optimization of physical itness is now an integral facet of player and team prepara- tion. Because of the importance of the physical aspects of soccer, a lot of studies have been done, especially on male players. For a long time the best approach was using labor-intensive time-mo- tion analysis, which demonstrated that elite male players typically cover a total distance of 9 to 14 kilometers during a game (Ekblom, 1986; Mohr, Krustrup & Bangsbo, 2005; Muckle, 1981; Reilly, 1979, 1995; Wade, 1972; Winterbottom, 1964), while female players covered between 8 to 12 kilometers (Carling, Bloomield, Nelsen and Reilly, 2008). The advent of computerized motion analysis has made it easier to monitor the physical demands during a game, including the distances covered by players. According to Impellizzeri, Rampinini & Marcora (2005), aerobic training is an impor- tant component of physical training in soccer. The relevance of aerobic training to soccer has been conirmed by studies showing a relation- ship between aerobic power and competitive ranking, quality of play and distance covered during a match (Bangsbo & Lindquist, 1992). Mohr et al. (2005) cites Helgerud, Engen, Wisloff and Hoff, who established that aerobic training can improve some aspects of soccer performance, including distance covered, time spent at high intensity, number of sprints and touches of the ball during a match. Further- more, the authors contend that high aerobic itness appears to improve recovery during high-intensity intermittent exercise, which characterizes soccer performance and training. The high-intensity movements interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activity in soccer demands that players be prepared physically to adapt to the intermittent match demands (Svensson & Drust, 2005). National teams that rank among the top in the world of soccer are those that excel in competitive matches at international level. Some of the international competitions include the World Cup Soccer Tournament; the Con- tinental Championships including Union of European Football Associations, Africa Cup of Nations; Confederation of South Ameri- can Championships, Confederation of North American and Caribbean Association Cham- pionships (FIFA, 2010). For a team to excel in any of these tournaments, it has to prepare adequately to outplay the opponents. Although winning teams display a mastery of the techni- cal and tactical aspects that put them above the rest of the teams, the key basis for their success is the physical capacity that enables the players to maintain a high level of execution of skills and tactics throughout a match and cumula- tively through a tournament. For example, for a team to win the World Cup, it has to play seven matches, including four that could go to overtime. Thus the physical preparedness of members of team plays a critical role in the performance on the ield of play, and coaches need to monitor the level of itness of their players regularly. Players who are aerobically well-trained can maintain their work rates better, especially toward the end of games, than those of poorer aerobic itness. Increasing maximal aerobic power also may aid recovery following successive bouts of high-intensity anaerobic efforts that produce transient fatigue (Carling et. al., 2008). Recovery from exertion is critical in a game as well as between matches in a tournament or a league. One of the aspects that points to the physical preparedness of a team is the distance covered in a match by individual players and a team as a whole. Traditionally, time motion analysis was used to record distances covered by players. However, with advancing technol- ogy, computerized motion analysis can provide not only the distance covered by a player but also the distance covered when in possession of the ball, without possession and distance covered at top speed during a match. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa witnessed the use of technology to record match statistics to very great detail. This is very important not only to sports scientists but also to coaches, teachers, administrators and journalists. Monitoring of the distance covered, just like match analysis, helps the coach in the overall team preparation in training and for competition. The speciic aims for monitoring the distance covered in a match include: • To identify strengths that need to be main- tained and weaknesses to be corrected or improved. • To help match the physical capacity of a player and the actual tactical demands of his or her role during the game. • To carry out substitution if a player’s work rate shows signs of declining during the later stages of the game. • To offer feedback to a player with regard to the tempo of the game. • To effectively vary the tempo of the match depending on the current status of a match. • To effectively prescribe the training load for players depending on their roles in the game. • To scout potential opponents so that you can prepare your own team adequately. • To prepare the physical conditioning and training schedule throughout the year so as to maximize on peak efforts at the appropri- ate time. • To compare the overall distance run by indi- vidual players with that of teammates or op- position players to ascertain relative exertion rates. Performance records without interpretation and application are of no use. Thus there is need to analyze the performance of Team USA during the 2010 World Cup with a view of helping coaches and sports teachers appreciate the importance of physical preparation--espe- cially the aerobic capacity of their players. Table 1: Matches played by Team USA, Results and Distance covered USA Opponent Match Result Total distance Average Total distance Average USA vs England 1:1 107.518 km/9.774 km 108.154 km/9.832km USA vs Slovenia 2:2 107.109 km/9.737 km 106.815 km/9.710km USA vs Algeria 1:0 110.619 km/10.056 km 104.540 km/9.504 km USA vs Ghana* 1:2 148.231 km/13.476 km 140.317 km/12.756 km Distance covered 473.48 km/10.76 km 459.83 km/10.451km * Match went into extra time Data Source: www.ifa.com/worldcup/statistics SJ Research Physical Demands of Soccer The Case of Team USA During the 2010 FIFA World Cup