Playing position as a predictor of strength and endurance among U-19 soccer players

Purpose: The main goal of this research was to determine differences in strength and endurance between attack, midfield, and defense lines in young soccer players. Methods: A sample of 38 U-19 soccer players (N1= 13 attack, N2= 14 midfield, and N3= 11 defense) was measured for motor and functional status, which included one test for the assessment of endurance, five tests for motor skills, and three for anthropometric measures. Results: Analyses of highly reliable data (Intraclass correlation (ICC) ranged from .809– .929; inter-item correlation (IIR) ranged from .85– .93; coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from .02– .07), one-way between-subjects ANOVA revealed a significant main effect with large effect size (P= .032; η2= .407) in power manifestations, while a Bonferroni correction highlighted differences between midfielders and defense players (P= .017).Conclusions: The identified differences were probably due to differences in position-specific dominant movement structures. The results provide in-depth insight into the complex interactions between observed factors and can be useful for the development and application of contemporary position-specific training systems for young soccer players