In this study, we investigated the effect of water immersion on physical test performance and perception of fatigue/recovery during a 4-day simulated soccer tournament. Twenty high-performance junior male soccer players (age 15.9 +/- 0.6 years) played four matches in 4 days and undertook either cold-water immersion (10 +/- 0.5 degrees C) or thermoneutral water immersion (34 +/- 0.5 degrees C) after each match. Physical performance tests (countermovement jump height, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion after a standard 5-min run and 12 x 20-m repeated sprint test), intracellular proteins, and inflammatory markers were recorded approximately 90 min before each match and 22 h after the final match. Perceptual measures of recovery (physical, mental, leg soreness, and general fatigue) were recorded 22 h after each match. There were non-significant reductions in countermovement jump height (1.7 to 7.3%, p = 0.74, eta2 = 0.34) and repeated sprint ability (1.0 to 2.1%, p = 0.41, eta2 = 0.07) over the 4-day tournament with no differences between groups. Post-shuttle run rating of perceived exertion increased over the tournament in both groups (p < 0.001, eta2 = 0.48), whereas the perceptions of leg soreness (p = 0.004, eta2 = 0.30) and general fatigue (p = 0.007, eta2 = 0.12) were lower in the cold-water immersion group than the thermoneutral immersion group over the tournament. Creatine kinase (p = 0.004, eta2 = 0.26) and lactate dehydrogenase (p < 0.001, eta2 = 0.40) concentrations increased in both groups but there were no changes over time for any inflammatory markers. These results suggest that immediate post-match cold-water immersion does not affect physical test performance or indices of muscle damage and inflammation but does reduce the perception of general fatigue and leg soreness between matches in tournaments.

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