Soccer Nutrition for College Athletes

Soccer is a physically demanding sport that requires strength, speed, agility and endurance. Unlike many team sports, soccer players sometimes play the entire 45 minutes of each half without a substitution. During this time, the athlete is continuously moving, running and sprinting. This makes proper fuel essential to maintain a high level of performance.

Tips for Fueling Up

Eating breakfast within an hour of waking up can help with energy balance, recovery and weight maintenance. To properly fuel the body, focus on six fueling times:

• Pre-training snack: Slice of wheat bread and peanut butter
• Post-training recovery drink: Low-fat chocolate milk and banana
• Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs; oatmeal with cinnamon, berries and walnuts; and Greek yogurt with granola
• Lunch: Veggie wrap with hummus, pretzels, fruit and yogurt and 20-ounce sports drink
• Pre-practice snack: Trail mix, banana and sports drink
• Dinner: Grilled salmon, quinoa, a vegetable medley, fruit and yogurt

This is a sample fueling schedule. Work with a sports dietitian for personalized recommendations to meet the demands of your performance.

Hydration also is essential for soccer players. Drink water and a sports drink before, during and after practice and competitions.

Nutrition for Preseason Training

At the collegiate level, January to May and the month of August are generally considered preseason. This is when you might make changes in your nutrition plans to gain muscle and prepare your body for the upcoming season. Strength training is usually heavier during this phase.

During preseason, match the foods you eat to your activity level. On light days, you may need fewer snacks and smaller portions. On heavy training days, choose nutrient-dense snacks, such as nuts and string cheese.

Include lean protein and complex carbohydrate with each meal and snack. Proteins might include chicken, turkey, pork, fish, edamame or tofu, beans, nuts and seeds. Complex carbohydrates include sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole-wheat breads, whole-wheat pasta and quinoa.

Whether in preseason or competition periods, limit or avoid excess calories from sugary juices and processed snacks. Individuals who are of legal drinking age should also limit alcohol.

Competition Nutrition

During the regular season, soccer players must be able to recover quickly and fuel their bodies properly. Games are typically on Friday nights and early Sunday afternoons. This is a short time frame for your body to recover. Choose foods that aid in recovery and replenish glycogen, a type of energy the body stores in the muscles.

Weekend Meals

Eat Friday’s pre-match meal three to four hours before the game and include high carbohydrate, moderate protein and moderate fat. This could be beef tenderloin or chicken pesto pasta, a spinach salad, dinner rolls, fruit and low-fat milk.

Friday’s post-match recovery meal should provide lean protein and carbohydrates, with a side of fruits and vegetables which offer antioxidants to support recovery. An example might be a burrito with chicken, black beans, avocado, vegetables and shredded cheese, sports drink and water.

Saturdays are recovery days. Take advantage of this day by staying active and making healthy choices. It’s important to eat regular meals, drink fluids and have a few healthful snacks to prepare for the game Sunday.

Eat breakfast three to four hours before the match on Sunday mornings. This meal could include oatmeal with fruit and nuts, an omelet with vegetables and ham, fruit and yogurt, water and a sports drink.

Because you will not eat again until after the game, you should have some type of snack on the way to the match, such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or smoothie. Don’t forget to stay hydrated. After the Sunday match, relax and treat yourself to something you simply enjoy eating.

Nutrition For the Offseason

The offseason is the period from May to July when soccer athletes are not practicing. It is tempting to use this time to fully relax and disconnect from the soccer world. However, eating well and staying active during the offseason will help athletes return to play with more strength and endurance, making the transition to preseason much easier.

Nutrition is an important piece of the puzzle often overlooked by college soccer players. In addition to making poor food choices, many soccer players often under-fuel or over-fuel themselves. Under-fueled soccer players feel lethargic, have decreased reaction time and speed, and lose muscle and fat. Under-fueling puts college athletes at risk of nutrient deficiencies, like low iron levels, and can cause fatigue. Soccer players who over-fuel may feel sluggish, have decreased flexibility and speed, and gain more fat than muscle.

This article has been reviewed by Sports and Human Performance Nutrition (SHPN), a dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.