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Former U.S. men’s national team striker Jozy Altidore celebrates with current USMNT player Tim Ream #13 after the United States defeated Paraguay 4-1 win to open their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D play in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alex Livesey – FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
FIFA via Getty Images<\/p>\n
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup having started in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, you could say that the game\u2019s afoot. Or many games and many feet. But feet aren\u2019t the only body parts at risk when it comes to playing football or what\u2019s called soccer in the U.S. No, many different parts of the body can get hurt and, in turn, dramatically change the fortunes of any team on soccer\u2019s biggest stage. So let\u2019s go through a lucky seven things that players can do to protect themselves.<\/p>\n
1. Listen To Pain<\/p>\n
Pain can be, well, a pain. It can seem like an obstacle, something that\u2019s keeping you from doing what you want to do like score goals. But longtime U.S. men\u2019s national team striker Jozy Altidore warned against those \u201cfight through pain\u201d mantras that you may hear often. Pain is the body\u2019s way of telling you that something\u2019s not right. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be able to identify when you are in pain and be able to treat the pain at its source before returning to play,\u201d Altidore told me and recalled what happened before the USMNT\u2019s opening match against Ghana in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. \u201cLooking back at it now, I didn\u2019t feel great before the game.\u201d Altidore then suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring tear in the 21st minute of that match, which forced the star player to miss all of the subsequent group stage. <\/p>\n
\u201cUsing myself as a test case, I would have spoken up in that moment,\u201d Altidore related. \u201cI think a lot of guys will have similar situations, and I hope they say, \u2018You know what, I\u2019m not right.\u2019\u201d In fact, Altidore has teamed up with Advil to push back against this whole misleading \u201cno pain, no gain\u201d belief and the folly of simply moving ahead when you don\u2019t feel right. <\/p>\n
2. Screen Regularly For Concussions And Other Head Injuries<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not get \u201ca head\u201d of ourselves too when hitting the ball with your head\u2014otherwise known as a header\u2014is a common way to pass the ball or attempt to score. But your head does contain something somewhat important, namely your brain. Too much force to your brain can cause injury such as a concussion\u2014which is when your brain experiences a temporary loss of some kind of function\u2014or worse. That\u2019s why Shae Datta, MD<\/a>, a clinical assistant professor of neurology at NYU and co-director of the NYU Concussion Center, has emphasized the importance of regularly screening players during and between games for concussion symptoms and giving those who have suffered some kind of head injury adequate time to recover. She pointed to recommendations in the Consensus statement on concussion in sport from the October 2022 Sixth International Conference on Concussion in Sport<\/a> and mentioned how each team in the World Cup should have a doctor on hand during the games to screen players for any signs of injury. But she did add that the qualifications and experience of the doctors may vary significantly.<\/p>\n 3. Stay Well Hydrated<\/p>\n Altidore also had a hot take on the 2026 FIFA World Cup\u2014it\u2019s going to be hot, in some cases really hot. The heat will not only bring risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which I have covered before in Forbes<\/a>. But as Altidore explained, \u201cIt could throw off mechanics so you could see a lot non-contact injuries. I hope not, though.\u201d Since each player carrying around one of those hand-held fans on the picth is not really an option, \u201cA key is being really hydrated. You can never be hydrated enough,\u201d according to Altidore. <\/p>\n 4. Strengthen And Stretch Your Muscles<\/p>\n Water can be an important friend. So can your muscles. And this goes beyond simply kissing your bicep. Keeping your muscles strong and flexible enough will certainly protect against damage to said muscles. I already mentioned the hamstring tear that Altidore suffered. Other lower extremity muscles like your quadriceps and calf muscles can be at risk, too. <\/p>\n Muscles that are strong and properly stretched can also better protect the joints, ligaments and bones that they support. For example, strong quadriceps and hamstring muscles can reduce your risk of knee injuries such as tears to the ligaments and cartilage of your knee, as I have explained before in Forbes. Such knee injuries are unfortunately quite common in sports that involve a lot of cutting, stopping and starting. <\/p>\n Also common are injuries to the Achilles tendon and other parts of the ankle. I\u2019ve covered in Forbes such injuries<\/a> to NBA players and soccer can be similar. Keeping your calf muscles strong and stretched enough can help protect your ankles. So can warming up your ankles properly. <\/p>\n