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You have just played a grueling soccer match for 90 minutes and it is time to refuel… but what should you choose? Ideally, you will want to consume foods and hydration that help kickstart the recovery process, allowing you to get back into top shape for your next training session to help prevent fatigue and injury.

Nutrition Strategies After Soccer Games

Something to consider is what time your match ends, and what that means for your available fueling opportunities throughout the rest of the day. If you have a morning match, you’ll have more opportunities to refuel and recover with your nutrition than if you play in the evening.

Regardless of the exact match timing - there are two main essential fueling opportunities that exist post-match. The first is the window immediately after you play, where you will want to focus on rehydrating and refueling with both carbs and protein. The second essential fueling opportunity is your post-match meal.

Immediately Post-Match: Your Recovery Shake

In the window of time shortly after your soccer game, choose an easy-to-digest Recovery Shake rich in carbs (40-60g), protein (20-25g), and hydration.¹

• Protein is essential for tissue recovery and repair, especially needed after 90 minutes of gameplay, and a protein shake is one of the easiest ways to get that protein into your system quickly to help support that process soon after a game.
• Carbohydrates are important to help replenish the glycogen stores in your muscles that you used up during gameplay. If you are not a fan of protein shakes, you can combine protein and carb sources together to receive the same benefit.
• After sweating over the course of 90 minutes, you need to replenish the fluids and electrolytes you lost. Drink about one water bottle or sports drink per pound of body weight lost during gameplay. The fluid in your shake counts towards your total replenishment amount.

In addition to your Recovery Shake, you could consider trying antioxidant-rich Tart Cherry Juice to further aid in recovery by reducing inflammation, diminishing muscle soreness, and even helping to support your sleep.^2-5

Post-Match Meal

Within the next couple hours after you’ve consumed your protein recovery shake, you will want to refuel with a post-match meal. Depending on your body composition goals and how many minutes you played on the field, keep in mind that the proportions on your plate may look a bit different than another athlete’s.

In general, your Post-Match Meal should look like:

• Half of your plate carbs (i.e., rice, pasta, potatoes, bread)
• Quarter of your plate colorful fruits and vegetables
• Quarter of your plate protein - try an omega-3-rich fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna
• Plenty of fluids for hydration (16-24 oz)

Try adding in spice-rich foods (especially turmeric due to its active component curcumin) to further support the recovery process by alleviating inflammation levels.⁶

If you had a morning or early afternoon game, you will have more meal opportunities post-match. It is important to ensure you are continuing to prioritize muscle recovery in these meals as well. Aim to eat every 3 hours or so, obtaining ~20-30 grams of protein in each meal in balanced proportions similar to what is outlined above.

What to Limit/Avoid After Soccer Games

Because we want to focus on nutrient-rich foods after a game to promote maximal recovery, this means we also want to avoid the foods and beverages that are lacking in nutrients.

Fried foods and other convenience foods may seem tempting, but these foods do not support muscle recovery and may even further exacerbate inflammation, impeding recovery. While these foods are acceptable to eat in moderation, try not to make grabbing fried foods your post-game ritual. If your options are limited to fried foods, make sure to prioritize adding in some antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables along with your fried dish to ensure you are obtaining the nutrients needed for adequate recovery.

Alcohol is another pro-inflammatory option that does not support recovery after a game. If you choose to celebrate a win with your team by going out and consuming alcohol - just be aware of the potential disadvantages. For one, drinking alcohol can lead to you making choices that you would not usually make - including food choices. Second, alcohol destroys sleep quality, leaving you feeling worse the following day. Not only does alcohol disrupt sleep, which is absolutely essential for recovery, it also suppresses muscle protein synthesis and repair.⁷ This means overall worse recovery overnight, not to mention the potential for a next-day hangover that decreases your ability and motivation to train.

All you need to build your Fueling Timeline is your kickoff time, then you can work to find out what and when you should plan to eat before the match, at halftime, and after the match. Getting your nutrition planned in advance can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that can occur on gameday. Get your nutrition routine down and see how much better you feel and perform on match day.

References

1. Kerksick C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing [published correction appears in J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008;5:18]. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008;5:17. Published 2008 Oct 3. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-17
2. Doherty R, Madigan S, Warrington G, Ellis J. Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):822. Published 2019 Apr 11. doi:10.3390/nu11040822
3. Zuraikat FM, Wood RA, Barragán R, St-Onge MP. Sleep and Diet: Mounting Evidence of a Cyclical Relationship. Annu Rev Nutr. 2021;41:309-332. doi:10.1146/annurev-nutr-120420-021719
4. Gratwicke M, Miles KH, Pyne DB, Pumpa KL, Clark B. Nutritional Interventions to Improve Sleep in Team-Sport Athletes: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1586. Published 2021 May 10. doi:10.3390/nu13051586
5. Binks H, E Vincent G, Gupta C, Irwin C, Khalesi S. Effects of Diet on Sleep: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):936. Published 2020 Mar 27. doi:10.3390/nu12040936
6. Dehzad MJ, Ghalandari H, Nouri M, Askarpour M. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in adults: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Cytokine. 2023;164:156144. doi:10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156144
7. Parr EB, Camera DM, Areta JL, et al. Alcohol ingestion impairs maximal post-exercise rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis following a single bout of concurrent training. PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e88384. Published 2014 Feb 12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088384