Selected soccer players are quicker and better decision-makers in elite Brazilian youth academies

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies in talent identification and selection showed that more talented players usually possessed better decision-making skills. Nevertheless, studies on this topic have not yet been carried out: 1) assessing both decision-making time and quality based on offensive and defensive skills among selected and deselected youth soccer players; 2) neither assessed South American samples. This study aimed to compare the decision-making skills among selected and deselected players from Brazilian elite youth soccer academies. The sample comprised 317 Brazilian youth elite male soccer players (U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-17) from teams of the first national division in Brazil. Players’ decision-making skills, both quality and response time, were assessed with an objective video-based test (TacticUP®). Results showed that selected players, compared to those deselected, possessed advantages (p < 0.05) in every age group assessed on: 1) the decision-making time (U-16 and U-17); 2) the quality of decision-making (U-15); or 3) in both decision-making quality and time (U-14). Moreover, among all variables assessed (n = 72), the deselected players did not show any advantage compared to the selected ones. It is concluded that selected players by youth elite soccer academies in Brazil possess superior decision-making skills related to decision time and quality compared to those deselected.