Purpose This study aimed to analyze the variations in the countermovement jump (CMJ)-derived metrics in professional soccer players due to match exposure; in addition, it was analyzed if these responses are dependent on the time played by the athlete. Methods Thirty professional soccer players performed a CMJ test one day before and in the second day after the match (i.e., MD-1 and MD + 2), throughout a competitive season. The comparison of the CMJ performance in the situations MD-1 vs. MD + 2 was made by a paired t test. The effect sizes were calculated using Cohen`s d. We also compared MD-1 vs. MD + 2 according to the different time played by athletes (G1, with > 69 min played; G2, 40 to 69 min played and G3, < 40 min played) using an ANOVA. Level of significance was set at p = 0.05. Results The analyzed CMJ metrics presented decrements in MD + 2 compared to MD-1 (p < 0.05). It was observed that the declines in jump height (JH; p = 0.37) and reactive strength index modified (RSI-mod; p = 0.02) on MD + 2 were more pronounced in players with greater match exposure. Conclusions This study suggests that measures of CMJ are sensitive for monitoring post-match neuromuscular fatigue in professional soccer players and can distinguish fatigue levels among groups of players with different match exposures.
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