Third-Man-Passing Small-Sided Games Induce Higher Anaerobic Energy Contributions Than Regular-Passing Small-Sided Games in Football Players.

Purpose: This study compared the physiological profiles and energy-system contributions of trained football players engaged in regular-passing and third-man-passing small-sided games (SSGs) that included 4 versus 4 and a goalkeeper.

Methods: Ten male trained football players participated in this crossover study. All participants were randomly assigned to either regular-passing SSG or third-man-passing SSG (4 vs 4 with a goalkeeper, 35-m × 17-m pitch size, and 6-min match duration).