There’s no place like home – And the South Americans are thankful for this!
This summer’s FIFA World Cup is the first tournament to be held on South American soil for 28 years (Mexico ’86). As history tells us, since the tournament started, only South American teams have won the competition when it is held in the sunny south continent. Yet, is there any particular reason for this phenomenon? What seems to be giving South American teams the advantage when the event is held here?
Looking closely at this year’s competition, South American sides average 2.33 points per game with home advantage, whereas their European counterparts are averaging just 1.19 points per game. Even Central and North American teams are beating the Europeans, which traditionally is unheard of. The evidence so far has indicated that the likely winner will come from South America. Much was made before the tournament about the impact of playing on South American soil and the challenges of a different climate for the Europeans, and it appears to be having an impact. Even the Asian sides are struggling to make any sort of impression on the tournament and as things stand, will not make it through to the knock-out stages. At the minute, every group that contains a South / Central American Nation will have at least one qualifier from that region through to the next round.
Looking closer at this, what are the reasons for the South American dominance? Before the World Cup started, many fans, players and pundits were aware that the weather would have a big influence. Some of the opposition coaches were very certain these conditions would give the South Americans by knowing how to “deal with the climate conditions”. The theory behind this is that the climate is much hotter in South America compared to the other continents, coupled with more humidity in the air, meaning it’s more difficult for players who are not used to playing in these types of conditions. More water is required to be taken on board as players are more likely to sweat profusely and lose fluids. However, some reports have indicated that the weather is not playing as big a part as was originally predicted.
Some other theorists have pointed towards more practical reasons for the failure of non-South American nations. Stadium atmosphere at the big venues have been evident for the “home nations”, and this factor (some believe) has a direct influence on the officials. This was quite apparent in the opening match when Brazil played Croatia, and when Chile spent much of the second half of its win against Spain lying on the pitch with exaggerated injuries but received no sanction for time-wasting. It has also been suggested that the travelling involved with getting to Brazil has left some of the European players feeling a little jaded while their South American counterparts are better “rested”, with east-to-west long distance travel producing some jet lag. The failure of the other continents to succeed on South American soil has also been attributed to a “psychological barrier” with the home nations even thinking that this year’s winner will come from their continent.
A final theory might be that teams from the Americas are fresher. The major European leagues just completed play in mid-May after beginning their season last August. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, played in 51 matches for Real Madrid since the start of last summer, including the Champions League final a few weeks ago. The best teams from the Americas, like Brazil and Argentina, also have plenty of stars in the major European leagues. But others, such as Costa Rica and Mexico, are less reliant on such players. That could serve to mitigate the talent advantage that the European teams might have and reward the countries with disciplined and tactical team play.
Whatever the reasons are, it is looking likely that the winner will come from South America, although don’t go running to the bookies just yet as there is still a long way to go before the final on July 13th!
About Metrifit
Metrifit is an athlete monitoring system that gathers subjective and objective information from both coaches and athletes in a simple but effective manner with intelligent visualization helping coaches and athletes to act on that data. Why not have a look at our Ready to Perform product and gain insight on the physical and mental state of your athletes through our daily wellbeing questionnaire? To find out more visit our Metrifit Product Overview page or get in touch for a free demo.
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Metrifit Athlete Monitoring System
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/michael-torres-short/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/aaron-mansfield/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/tommy-mooney-short/
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Jennifer McIntosh
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/jennifer-mcintosh/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/tino-fusco-b-sc-chpc/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/graham-williams-short/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/robert-walsh-short-testimonial/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/edgar-k-tham-2/
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/joe-oconnor/
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Kevin Schultz
Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning
Director of Olympic Strength & Conditioning
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/kevin-schultz-full/
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Jason McGahan
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/jason-mcgahan/
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Dan Rickaby
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/dan-rickaby/
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Yvonne Treacy
Nutritionist, Wexford Camogie
https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/yvonne-treacy-short/
"I wanted to reach out to thank Metrifit for an extremely successful season. Our Regis University women’s side won the ultra-competitive RMAC with a 11-0-1 record. Our student-athletes reported in post-season interviews the positive use of Metrifit that enabled their own reflection about their bodies and also found value providing information to coaches for our strategic planning purposes. On more than one occasion, we recognized deviations from norms and were able to step-in with a quick chat to help a player get back on track or refer her to the proper support personnel for further assistance. Fantastic! "
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J.B. Belzer
Head Coach, Women's Soccer at Regis University
https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/jb-belzer/
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Ryan Osborn
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https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/ryan-osborn/
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Erik Helland
Director of Strength & Conditioning and Head Strength Coach Men’s basketball, University of Wisconsin
https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/erik-helland/
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Dave Passmore
Head Coach, Irish Hockey
https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/dave-passmore-short/
“I have been using Metrifit for the past number of years and I have found it to be an excellent piece of software. It is extremely easy to use and has proved very beneficial in preparing myself for competition. The ability to view my health and wellbeing stats everyday and see how this influences my performance in both practice and competition has been very helpful. I have been able to put more effort into key areas such as fluid intake, sleep and balanced golf practice and training. Having the ability to view my detailed stats helps me to understand exactly where I am and how I need to adjust my training or health choices. I have found using Metrifit this past year has been a crucial help for me to play well. As I now have turned 50 I am playing on The Champions tour in the USA and have played well during my first year. Metrifit has been as important as my golf equipment in achieving that success.”
Metrifit Athlete Monitoring System
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Robert Karlsson, Professional Golfer
https://metrifit.com/blog/testimonials/robert-karlsson/
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