Match Load of Soccer Players in Defensive Formation and Its Impact on the Level of Speed Abilities

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the match load in soccer on the level of the selected speed abilities in the playing positions of the outside defender and central defender. Speed abilities in all their demonstrations are one of the most important fitness skills in today’s soccer. In our research, we assumed that the higher the match load players achieve, the greater the impact of this load on the level of the selected speed abilities would be. We carried out a cross-sectional ex post facto research. The monitored group consisted of the players of the team playing in the first league (Fortuna League). Their average age was 22.9 ± 4.5 years. We conducted the measurements in the preparation periods during pre-season matches. We carried out a total of 63 individual measurements. We measured the level of the match load and the performance in 10, 20 and 30 meter runs from a standing start before the match and after the match. Except of outside defenders in 30-meter run (W = 12; p = 0.02) we did not confirm a significant impact of the match load on the level of the selected speed (acceleration) abilities. Its effect size reached from d = 0.1 to d = 0.6. In addition, the correlations between match load and performance changes in all three tests were nonsignificant (p ≥ 0.5). Only 0.2 to 8.5 % of the variability in speed tests was shared with the level of match load.