Anthropometric Characteristics, Neuromuscular Performance and Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Chilean Youth Soccer Players: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and

Objectives

Comprehensive physical profiling is important for monitoring athletic development in youth soccer players (YSP), yet integrated data from competitive South American players remain limited. This study aimed to characterize the anthropometric profile, neuromuscular performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness of competitive Chilean YSP and explore associations among these components.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 24 male YSP from a Chilean professional club academy. Participants underwent anthropometric assessment, bilateral quadriceps isometric strength testing, vertical jump testing (Squat Jump [SJ], Countermovement Jump [CMJ], and Abalakov Jump [ABK]), and maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The primary analysis was an integrated characterization of anthropometric, neuromuscular performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Secondary exploratory analyses included correlations with false discovery rate adjustment and multiple linear regression.

Results

Participants had a median age of 13.5 years (IQR: 13.0-14.0) and a BMI of 21.1 ± 1.6 kg·m-2. Mean bilateral quadriceps strength was 406.1 ± 70.0 N, while mean jump heights were 24.6 ± 4.2 cm for SJ, 28.4 ± 3.7 cm for CMJ, and 33.4 ± 5.3 cm for ABK. The average relative VO2peak was 55.0 ± 4.7 mL·kg-1·min-1, while absolute VO2peak was slightly higher than predicted. Bilateral quadriceps strength was positively associated with all three jumps before FDR adjustment; after FDR correction, the associations with CMJ and ABK remained statistically significant, whereas the association with SJ did not. Relative VO2peak was not associated with CMJ performance.

Conclusions

This study provides an integrated characterization of physical performance within this cohort of youth soccer players. Quadriceps strength was associated with vertical jump performance, whereas relative VO2peak was not associated with CMJ, supporting assessment of neuromuscular and cardiorespiratory capacities.