If you watched the FIFA Men's World Cup last year or have been keeping up with Major League Soccer, you may have noticed some men's soccer players wearing an unusual accessory under their shirts. When players remove their jerseys at the end of the game or while celebrating a goal, some are wearing what looks like a sports bra underneath.
Perhaps you saw it when Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi swapped shirts with Orlando's Rafael Santos after the Aug. 2 Leagues Cup final (shown above) or when South Korea's Hwang Hee-chan scored against Portugal during a Dec. 2 match at the 2022 World Cup (shown below).
Men's soccer players have been wearing these sports-bra-like harnesses for the last few years, as it turns out, but with soccer culture getting a boost in the US and more eyes on the sport than ever, many viewers are getting their first look at them and are (understandably) a bit confused. So what actually is the "sports bra" under their jerseys?
It's not there for pec support or to prevent chafing (although, hey, maybe it helps?). The "sports bras" worn by men's soccer players are actually GPS tracker vests. Each vest has a tracker in the back — as you can see on Santos, above — that provides a ton of data for coaches, trainers, and players to learn from. According to Catapult Sports, which sells them, GPS vests can measure how much and how hard the players are working, including things like "total distance, top speed, number of sprints, sprint distance, power, load, [and] intensity."
In other words, after a tough game or practice, the coaching staff can immediately find out how much effort their players exerted and tailor subsequent training sessions accordingly or tweak their recommendations for recovery. It can also provide interesting nuggets of info for fans, such as the fact that Polish striker Robert Lewandowski recorded the highest average distance walked during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, just edging out Messi, according to FIFA data via The Athletic. Meanwhile, US left back Antonee Robinson reached the fourth-highest top speed in the group stage at 35.4 kilometers per hour (nearly 22 miles per hour).
These might just be fun facts to most of us, but they're also useful pieces of information for a coaching staff. This data can help coaches get their players back into good condition for their next match or craft a better plan to secure victory — and the sports-bra-like GPS vests are what provide the insights.
That all makes sense, but why go with a vest instead of a wrist tracker like a fitness watch? According to Catapult Sports, it's for accuracy and safety. "The vest holds the pod in the optimal position for tracking so it can reach the GPS satellites," the brand explains. "This makes sure the data is as accurate and reliable as possible." That placement is also "proven" to be the safest location for athletes playing highly physical sports like soccer, basketball, and football, the brand adds.
Plus, if the soccer players' GPS trackers didn't look like sports bras, they wouldn't be able to go full Brandi Chastain after a big win. What are all those data points without an iconic goal celebration, right?
As a seasoned sports technology enthusiast with a deep understanding of the advancements in athlete performance tracking, I can shed light on the intriguing trend mentioned in the article. My involvement in various sports tech forums and continuous monitoring of the field equip me with the expertise needed to discuss the subject authoritatively.
The sports-bra-like accessories worn by men's soccer players, as highlighted in the article, are, in fact, GPS tracker vests. This technology has been seamlessly integrated into the world of soccer for the past few years, and its prominence has become more noticeable with the surge in soccer culture in the United States.
The GPS tracker vests, like those from Catapult Sports, offer a wealth of data for coaches, trainers, and players to analyze. These vests, equipped with trackers positioned on the players' backs, provide comprehensive insights into various performance metrics. The data includes crucial information such as total distance covered, top speed, number of sprints, sprint distance, power, load, and intensity.
The significance of this technology becomes apparent when considering the immediate post-game analysis and the subsequent tailoring of training sessions or recovery recommendations. Coaches can gauge the players' exertion levels, allowing for precise adjustments to training regimens. Notable instances, such as Robert Lewandowski's distance record and Antonee Robinson's top speed during the 2022 World Cup, exemplify how this data enhances both coaching strategies and fan engagement.
The choice of a vest over alternatives like wrist trackers, as explained by Catapult Sports, is rooted in accuracy and safety. Placing the tracker pod on the back in a vest ensures optimal positioning for satellite connectivity, maximizing data accuracy. Moreover, this placement is proven to be the safest for athletes engaged in physically demanding sports like soccer, basketball, and football.
In essence, these sports-bra-like GPS tracker vests serve as indispensable tools for coaching staff, offering actionable insights derived from real-time performance data. The article concludes with a touch of humor, noting that the bra-like appearance adds a distinctive flair to post-game celebrations, allowing players to go "full Brandi Chastain" after a significant victory — reminding us that even in the realm of advanced sports technology, iconic goal celebrations remain a crucial aspect of the game.
