Research Mentor Name

Scott Yaekle

Research Mentor Email Address

syaekle@wayne.edu

Institution / Department

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Document Type

Research Abstract

Research Type

basicbio

Graduate Level Research

no

Abstract

Background

Major League Soccer (MLS) and the English Premier League (EPL) differ substantially in geographic footprint, travel requirements, competition structure, and scheduling. These structural differences may influence player injury risk, yet no study has directly compared injury incidence between the two leagues within the same competitive season. In 2024, MLS introduced a centralized, standardized injury-reporting system that improved transparency and created a unique opportunity for direct comparison with the EPL.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study will analyze all reported time-loss injuries during the 2024 MLS and 2024–25 EPL seasons. Injury data will be collected from publicly available league reports, club communications, and verified sports-analytics databases. Injury incidence will be defined as the number of time-loss injuries per team per season and standardized to total matches played and roster size. Travel burden will be quantified using stadium-to-stadium geodesic distances for all away fixtures. A negative binomial regression model will be used to evaluate the association between team-level travel burden and injury incidence while accounting for exposure. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals will be reported.

Results

Final results will include league-level and team-level injury incidence values for MLS and EPL, along with comparative metrics evaluating potential differences between the two leagues. We anticipate that MLS teams will demonstrate higher injury incidence than EPL teams, potentially reflecting the greater cumulative travel burden required during the 2024/2025 season.

Conclusion

This study will provide the first standardized, single-season comparison of injury incidence between MLS and EPL players. Leveraging newly centralized MLS injury reporting, the findings may clarify how structural differences—including overall travel burden—relate to player health and may inform scheduling and injury-prevention strategies across professional soccer.

Disciplines

Sports Medicine | Sports Sciences | Sports Studies

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