In soccer, since there are a variety of playing surfaces, there is a need for different footwear options. Selection of the wrong footwear may result in a season ending injury.

Dr. Pearl suffered an injury by selecting the wrong type of footwear. He was playing on a grass with dry dirt base hardening to clay lay with firm ground cleats. With that clay like surface he should have been using turf shoes. While running chasing a loose ball his firm ground cleat got stuck in the clay. This caused his femur to move over his tibia tearing his ACL and medial meniscus.

There are typically four different soccer playing surfaces. Each with their own footwear. First, natural grass surfaces under normal conditions require players to use firm ground cleats. Second, wet grass surfaces require a soft ground cleat to be used. Third, artificial grass surfaces require artificial cleats or turf soccer shoes. Artificial soccer cleats are a new product to hit the soccer world. They look and weigh the same as a firm ground cleat, however the cleat itself is shorter, hollow, and there are more of them on the sole. This hollow cleat grabs the artificial grass better, thus providing better stability. Finally, indoor/futsal surfaces require an indoor soccer shoe to be worn. Careful selection of footwear could prevent an injury and help you get the first step on the soccer field.