Effects of scoring method on the physical, technical, and tactical performances during football small-sided games (SSGs): A systematic review

Football is characterized by an invasion sport that involves two teams aiming to score a goal to triumph. Objective: to analyze of scoring method on the physical, technical, and tactical performances during football small-sided games (SSGs). Methods: A systematic review was performed based on PRISMA recommendations in three databases (Medline (Pubmed), Scopus, and Web of Science) using the terms ("small sided games" [Title/Abstract]) AND ("soccer" [Title/Abstract]) OR ("football" [Title/Abstract]) AND ("scoring" [Title/Abstract]). Cross-sectional studies that analyzed SSGs quantity, positioning, and target size were included. Results: A total of 825 articles were initially screened based on the established search. Out of these, 120 were automatically excluded as duplicates and an additional of 65 were manually identified as duplicate. During the title and abstract reading phase, 618 were excluded. Subsequently, during the complete reading phase, 10 more articles were excluded. Still, 4 articles were manually inserted from Google Scholar database due to their theme relevance. As result, a total of 12 studies were included in this review. Conclusion: the number of targets (T) and the scoring zone (SZ) in SSGs seems to influence the training load. SSGs with 1 goal-scoring (1G) and SZ in the end of the field demand more physical effort when compared to 2 goal-scoring (2G) and 3 goal-scoring (3G). SSGs with more T require higher tactical performance. Thus, coaches must use the different formats of the SSGs, SZ or goal-scoring (G) strategies according to the objective of the training session.