Availability Equals Winnability: The effects of a periodised training model on player availability in elite soccer – A Case Study (Part 2)
Feature / Damian Roden
In the last edition of the Football Medicine and Performance Magazine (issue 32) the structure and rationale behind the training model implemented during Seattle Sounders MLS Cup winning season in 2019 was discussed.
It detailed the intricacies of a typical week, how it contributed to the highest player availability in the club’s history and maybe of more significance how the team started and finished the season so strong.
Whilst the structure of a typical week
from a training and loading perspective is important, the decision-making process and the management of individuals within the framework of the model is of equal importance.
The following article, therefore, discusses the assessment processes that were carried out
during the training week together with the logic behind such assessments in order to determine each and every players ‘readiness to train’.