ABSTRACT
When preparing soccer players for competition, it is crucial to apply a balanced load and recovery routine during the training process. Too heavy a load or insufficient recovery can result in decreased performance (Kenttä and Hassmén, 1998) and possible injuries (Gabbett and Jenkins, 2011). In contrast, too light a load will not lead to the desired training adaptations. Importantly, the physical preparation for a tournament such as the FIFA World Cup differs from that of regular season preparation for a variety of reasons (Bangsbo, 1998). This tournament with games at the highest competitive level occurs at the end of the regular season when players may be physically and mentally fatigued. For national teams, the players play in different clubs or leagues with seasons ending at different times. Therefore, players may be in different condition at the beginning of the preparation. In addition, the tournament may take place in specific environmental conditions, such as altitude at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, that has an effect on the relative intensity of playing soccer (Levine et al., 2008) and as a consequence on training load. A tournament including preparation lasting for several weeks may also have a psychological stress for the players living separated from their usual social environment over a long period.
