Herbalife is the sports nutrition and presentation partner of LA Galaxy. Herbalife nutritionists work closely with LA Galaxy technical staff to ensure we optimize nutrition to support performance goals.

Preparing for game day involves many things, but one common aspect that may be overlooked by some athletes is planning for pre-game energy. Your decisions regarding What And When Eating and drinking before a game can make a huge difference to your performance on the field. Knowing what to eat before a game and what to avoid is important to help you feel energized and perform at your best.

Carbohydrates are a key part of pre-race nutrition. Carbohydrates give you quick energy and are the primary fuel source for your brain, helping you with decision-making and concentration.¹ Eating enough carbohydrates before a game will replenish your glycogen (carbohydrates/glucose) stores in your muscles and liver, providing the energy you need for your activities on the field.

If you skip carbohydrate intake before a game, it can reduce your performance, your ability to sustain heavy loads and high-intensity activities, your mental acuity will decrease, and you will run the risk of premature fatigue, muscle cramps, or even injury.^2.3

Hydration is also an important part of pre-game nutrition. Without adequate hydration, an athlete can quickly become dehydrated during a game, leading to less than optimal performance on the field due to fatigue and cramping. Choose water and sports drinks (containing carbohydrates and electrolytes) to ensure adequate hydration before the game. Drink fluids in sips throughout the day before kickoff.

When planning your match day fueling schedule, work backwards from kickoff to know exactly when you should fuel up.

Typically, you should eat your main pre-match meal around 3-4 hours before kick-off to give your body enough time to digest and absorb the food and to prevent any discomfort or cramps on the pitch.

If kick-off is in the morning, plan to have a pre-game breakfast about 2 hours before the game. Not used to eating early? Your digestive system is like a muscle and athletes can train it to tolerate food and liquid before competition.

You should also replenish your energy reserves with a snack shortly before the game starts, about 1 hour before kick-off.

In your pre-game meal(s), you should compose your Performance Plate in the following proportions:

• Half a plate of carbohydrates
• A quarter plate of protein
• Quarter plate with colorful, low-fiber fruits and vegetables
• Hydration

Although carbohydrates are the main focus of your pre-game meal, you also need protein and colorful fruits and vegetables. Protein and the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables are essential for muscle recovery. A moderate amount of protein will provide your muscles with the building blocks (amino acids) needed for pre-game recovery and repair. Choose lean proteins or fish.

Be sure to choose low-fiber fruits and vegetables to ensure faster digestion and absorption of the nutrients on your plate and to avoid potential digestive discomfort before and during the game. Low-fiber, easily digestible carbohydrates will fuel your muscles throughout the game and increase the likelihood that you’ll last the full 90 minutes. Choose well-cooked vegetables for even easier digestion.

Examples of low-fiber fruits and vegetables:

• banana
• Melon (cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew melon)
• Citrus fruits (oranges, clementines, grapefruit)
• Plums
• Peaches
• applesauce
• Pumpkin (summer squash, zucchini, acorn squash)
• Tomato sauce
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Artichoke hearts
• Green

For athletes with nervous stomachs, liquid food can be an easy alternative. If this is you, try a protein smoothie instead of solid food for faster digestion.

In general, you should choose familiar, simple foods that you have eaten before and that you know are good for You. Listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel as you count down to kickoff and the 90th minute. Ultimately, you want to eat what gives you the most energy and makes you feel good. Many athletes choose the same meal before a game, which gives them the psychological comfort of a pre-game routine.

Your pre-match snack serves as a fuel source to replenish your energy reserves about an hour before kickoff. This snack can help you avoid hunger during the game, cramps, bloating and early fatigue.

Be sure to start hydrating with a sports drink that contains both carbohydrates and electrolytes (don’t forget sodium!). This will provide both energy (carbs/sugars) and fluid/electrolytes (hydration) to help you perform at your best on the court. You need both carbohydrates and electrolytes (sodium) together because carbohydrates enhance water and sodium absorption.

You should also consume 30 to 60 grams of simple, easily digestible carbohydrates to maximize your available pregame energy. Common alternatives include high-carb chews, gels, bananas, salted crackers (contain sodium for extra electrolytes!), and granola bars. And remember: Your sports drink contains carbohydrates and counts toward your total pregame carbohydrate needs to boost your energy.

Many athletes consume caffeine before a game. Caffeine can be taken 15 to 60 minutes before a soccer game to improve jumping height, sprinting ability, running distance, and passing accuracy. The sensible dose for caffeine as an ergogenic aid starts at 3 mg per kg of body weight.⁴

Before trying caffeine on a game day, you should know how caffeine affects you and what dosage is optimal for you. It’s best to try caffeine gradually on practice days so you know how much you can tolerate without experiencing unwanted side effects. Children should avoid caffeine doses over 75 mg per day, so keep the above recommendations in mind before adding caffeine to their pre-game diet.

Caffeinated gels and chewable tablets are an alternative to coffee for those who want to increase their mental focus without the digestive side effects that coffee has on some people.

In general, you should avoid eating foods that are high in fat or fiber before a game. These foods take longer to digest. If your body is still trying to digest high-fiber/fat foods during the game, you may feel sluggish and even experience digestive problems such as bloating or cramping.

Spicy or acidic foods can also cause digestive problems such as heartburn or indigestion if consumed too close to a match. As kickoff approaches, you should eat less protein and focus more on hydration and carbohydrates as a source of energy.

As mentioned above, you should also avoid new foods or new places where you get your food before a game. Sticking to tried and true foods that you know give you energy and make you feel good can take unwanted extra stress out of your game day because you have one less variable to worry about. Try new foods or new eating strategies during training week to test how they affect you during training.

Don’t try a new restaurant until after game day. Preparation methods, ingredients and food sources vary from restaurant to restaurant, meaning you may eat something that doesn’t tolerate you well or that can even make you sick from a foodborne illness.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog series to learn all about how soccer players can optimize their performance with nutritional strategies during the game and at halftime.

1. Hulton AT, Malone JJ, Clarke ND, MacLaren DPM. Energy requirements and nutritional strategies for male soccer players: an overview and suggestions for practice. Nutritional values. 2022;14(3):657. Published 2022 Feb 4. doi:10.3390/nu14030657
2. Schlabach G. Carbohydrate strategies for injury prevention. J Athl Zug. 1994;29(3):244-254.
3. Williams C, Rollo I. Carbohydrate nutrition and team sport performance. Sports Med. 2015;45 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S13-S22. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0399-3
4. Mielgo-Ayuso J, Calleja-Gonzalez J, Del Coso J, Urdampilleta A, León-Guereño P, Fernández-Lázaro D. Caffeine supplementation and physical performance, muscle damage and fatigue perception in soccer players: a systematic review. Nutritional values. 2019;11(2):440. Published 2019 Feb 20. doi:10.3390/nu11020440