Application of Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets in Technical-Tactical Assessment of Young Soccer Players: A Comparative Study with Coach Subjective Evaluation

Evaluating U12 soccer players' technical-tactical abilities remains challenging due to the limitations of objective statistics (e.g., inability to capture "game awareness") and subjective coach assessments (e.g., susceptibility to bias). This study validated Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets (PFS) as an assessment tool by comparing results with expert coaches' ratings. PFS integrates membership (μ) and non-membership (ν) degrees (μ² + ν² ≤ 1), enabling nuanced quantification of ambiguous traits. Twenty U12 male players (5 per position: center-back, full-back, midfielder, forward) from Dalian’s "Jin Pu District Mayor’s Cup" were evaluated. Standardized data collection protocols and rigorous inter-rater reliability checks (κ > 0.90) ensured methodological robustness. PFS scores showed strong agreement with coaches (κ = 0.85), highlighting position-specific strengths and reducing bias. Findings indicate PFS enhances assessment accuracy by resolving theoretical limitations of traditional fuzzy models, offering a transparent tool for youth soccer talent identification.