For Copa América soccer touey, US men's team uses tech to reach its 'goool!' - CNET

The technology will also be on the field. The regional body organizing Copa América, CONCACAF, is deploying goal-line technology by Hawk-Eye, a division of Sony Corporation, to automatically detect if the ball has crossed the line for a score.

Of course, none of this will matter if the players aren't in tip-top shape to perform on the pitch.

Ryan Alexander is the US Soccer sports scientist responsible for the technology used to train the male and female teams, and he's also the person who helps analyze the data gathered on players. In an interview at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Califoia, (home to Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes), Alexander went into more detail about the tech the US men's national team uses to whip itself into shape.

The Polar Team 2 is mounted on a fitted elastic belt players wear around the chest. Using a Bluetooth sensor, the monitor communicates with a Stats Sports GPS sensor woven into a training shirt or tucked into a sports bra located on the nape below a player's neck. (Yes, there are sports bras for men.) US Soccer said it chose both devices because they won't restrict an athlete's training, aren't invasive and are simple.

The Stats Sports GPS sensor communicates with between three to six satellites to calculate and track the positions of players on the field. The GPS measures a player's speed, the distance he covers and how he moves around in different zones.

Simultaneously, the heart monitor measures how much physical effort each player exerts and how his body recovers after each sprint.

"This way we know where [each player] may fit in tactically into the lineup for Jürgen," Alexander said. "We can give him as much information from their physical aspect as possible so that he can be as informed as possible."