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August 10, 2024
Jose Maria Oliva Lozano, the Director of Research and Innovation at U.S. Soccer, spoke with MARCA about an ambitious initiative to elevate soccer’s status in the United States.
“Our mission is to make soccer the predominant sport in the United States. We know we are just a few steps away and we have a favorable environment. With the vision that Europe always dominates, but with the idea that with new methods which would be unthinkable in Europe, we can be better”.
Taking on this challenge in 2022, Oliva Lozano is committed to a transformative project that will push soccer to new heights in the land of opportunity.
The Almeria native is fully aware of the complexities involved but refuses to impose limits on what can be accomplished.
From his impressive office at U.S. Soccer’s headquarters in downtown Chicago, overlooking the picturesque Chicago River and Lake Michigan, he shares insights with MARCA about the developments underway. These efforts are geared toward making a decisive impact in the sports landscape, with aspirations to surpass basketball, American football, and baseball as the dominant sports in the country.
“The objective of this department is to generate knowledge, share knowledge, give support to our staff and teams,” he explains.
“We spend a lot of money on recovery methods, but we don’t really know how effective these methods are. We often see them on television: ‘Look how cool this technology is,’ but then the reality is that we often don’t know whether or not it has a positive effect on performance,” He reveals ongoing research aimed at identifying the most effective recovery strategies.
The day American football, the most popular sport in the United States, underwent a transformation, society shifted its perspective. While the game would continue to be played, it was now recognized—even by the NFL that it carries significant health risks.
After years of denying the evident dangers, the league acknowledged the connection between concussions sustained by players and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This condition highlights the long-term neurological effects of repeated impacts on the head.
A similar awakening occurred in soccer following presentations at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), which provided new insights into the contentious issue of repetitive head impacts and their potential effects on brain function.
In response, U.S. Soccer took proactive measures, banning headers for children under 10 in 2016 to create the safest possible playing environment.
“We know there may be some concern in the country because of what has been seen in other sports with the issue of concussions,” he tells MARCA of the federation’s drastic decision.
“From a certain age, 11 or 12 years old, you can introduce pitching in training, but no more than 30 minutes a week and no more than 15-20 actions a week,” he says.
“Every player may have a different path. What we realize is that when we go to spot talent, that talent can have different physical, technical, cognitive and emotional conditions. There is something very visible which is the issue of maturity,” he explains about the real problems that coaches face every day as they encounter age groups with players who vary in terms of physicality.
In this context, Jose Maria elaborates on the ultrasound technology being utilized to conduct research aimed at assessing the skeletal age and height estimates of each soccer player.
“It is an innovative method that we believe can objectively provide data on the projection of that player. And when we value talent, we don’t just value his performance because with that age group the one who is mature (physically) can dominate the one who is more immature, who can also develop other types of skills because he has to defend himself in that context,” he explains.
“The Business Ventures department recently announced a collaboration with a company that allows you to enjoy soccer as a fan from another point of view. Not being at home in front of the TV, but putting on a pair of glasses and being able to enter the pitch,” he explained.
“It will be a mix of the real and the virtual that is starting to attract attention… and allows you to stand near the coach or near the referee, or if you want to change position and watch the game behind the goal seconds away where the cameras are positioned.”
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and football sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Football News Today, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for football, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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