Selecting autofocus point for soccer photography

My default autofocus point selection for shooting sports is the central one, because it is the most precise sensor that is able to detect contrast gradients in the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions (I am using a Canon EOS-1D X, but this applies to any DSLR, since the central autofocus point is typically the most precise one, regardless of the specific technology).

When shooting soccer games, I sometimes switch to the bottom point to capture the moment when the players jump to receive a high-flying ball with their heads. When I anticipate such moment, for example, when a goalie kicks the ball into the field, I quickly switch the autofocus sensor to the bottom one. I have the sensor selection assigned to the joystick on the back of the 1D X, and one neat feature of this control assignment (which is customizable in this camera) is that pressing down on the centre of the joystick returns the focus selector to the previously used position. I also assign separate default sensors to the landscape and the portrait orientation of the camera (my default for the vertical orientation is the bottom sensor to capture the jumps).

On the other hand, when the action comes closer, I switch to the top autofocus point to focus on the faces of the players.