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Drew, Matthias and I are going to take that site another level, and we hope you will join us.
So you’re excited about the US Men’s National team breaking through the group stage? It may even be that you find yourself liking this whole soccer thing. That’s not surprising; most Americans you talk to that follow soccer, including myself, have had that specific moment that sealed commitment, a moment often from a past World Cup. Whether that be the 2002 World Cup run in South Korea or the 2010 heart break against Ghana that brought you to the “beautiful game,” because of the placement that soccer has in the standings of American culture, it’s just common to have these iconic moments associated with the sport.
The thing that distinguishes people like us from the rest of the excited US supporters across the nation during this time is that, once the World Cup tournament concludes, we’ll still want more.
Well, fear not because there is a serious and thriving league here in the US. If you are or have ever been called a ‘Euro snob’, then you can probably stop reading now. You’re going to argue and just generally disagree with most everything I have to say. So what’s the point? I’m not trolling you and it’s great that you like soccer in Europe. But we’re to talk to these new recruits about soccer in the United States. So here we go. Here are five reasons and examples about soccer in the US, and why you should follow it after the World Cup.
Once upon a time Major League Soccer was viewed as a retirement league. A place where aged stars came for one last pay day once they were out of their prime. It was viewed as such simply because it was exactly that. It wasn’t that long ago, and because of that there some pretty common misconceptions about MLS.
“It used to be that just CONCACAF [The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football] internationals and retirees came here. In 2014 Brazilians, Spaniards, Englishmen (that just miss out), Australians, Persians (Iran), and Irish all play in MLS, and they also play roles for their home countries in the World Cup, or are of World Cup quality.”
Look, most people that don’t like MLS likely have not watched more than a couple of games; which is silly considering they base all their opinions on those few games. It would be like me basing the entirety of the NBA on a Cleveland and New Orleans games or New Jersey and Phoenix. Neither of which are what we would call riveting match-ups.
The quality of MLS is improving every year. If you believe MLS still to be a ‘retirement league’ or a ‘first division with watered down depth’ you haven’t really invested any time in getting your facts straight. Truth is most people are forming opinions based on a small sample size from years ago.
Looking at numbers produced by Dave Clark and the statistician known by the handle Sidereal, one finds strong indicators that MLS has just continued to improved over the last few years. The league is gaining traction to being near par with some quality European soccer leagues.
“Although not often addressed, there’s no question that achieving that vision will require increasing MLS player salaries to attract more top players. It’s just a question of how fast, and the salaries may need to increase much sooner than 2022.”
“…”
“What could the future MLS look like? Or what would it need to look like for the Don Garber to see his vision meet reality? Let’s build the reality. Let’s assume by 2022 the MLS will pay their players 50% of total revenues, in line with the current Bundesliga level. MLS won’t need to reach revenues of the Bundesliga to be considered a top league in the world, but they will need to be close to be paying quality players closer to market rate. Let’s assume that MLS can achieve Don’s dream by reaching Ligue 1 revenues but paying Bundesliga salaries. Finally, let’s assume that Ligue 1 revenues grow at a modest 4% per year until 2022.”
“…”
“The target MLS revenue growth of 16% is very aggressive but Don Garber has a good amount of low hanging fruit to pick. The new rumored TV deal is for about $100M in 2015 and would increase the 2012 revenues (the basis for these numbers) by nearly 15%. The next TV deal might fetch the same 15% growth or more. MLS has also announced a five-team expansion plan which will bring at least 26% growth as the teams come on. Without doing much, MLS can get almost a third of the way to the goal according to my calculations.”
Okay, I pray that Jared will forgive me for lifting so many of his brilliant words from the following article. Go read the whole piece because it’s great. Unfortunately it’s a bit of an involved article, and I just wanted to frame a great thought from his head.
The United States first division is growing, and growing at a substantial rate. That is due to the injection of money and the fact they can start paying players what their worth. This brings in more players from all over the place that can use the league as not just a place to end their career, but really to start it.
A new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be negotiated this year after the season is over. I get that most of us sports fan are sick of labor talks and news of player strikes. I read you loud and clear. The thing that makes this different is simply that the league gets better with increase salary caps for clubs and the increase of minimum player wages. I don’t want there to be a work stoppage, but with the increased revenue from the TV deal that MLS just signed, they owe it to the players and fans to further the cause of soccer in this country.
The main example you could probably point to for young guys coming into the league is Fredy Montero. Montero has transitioned over the last 18 months from one of the MLS top scorers to being a perennial talent in Portugal. Montero, who spent four very good seasons in Seattle, had the opportunity to make mistakes in a league that pushed his abilities enough even four years ago.
Montero’s arrival was followed by an influx of young international talent.
Darlington Nagbe, for example, is an international and former collegiate star at the University of Akron. He has been a critical piece for the Portland Timbers, is one of the most creative and eccentric talents in all of MLS.
Fabian Castillo, the Columbian winger with plenty of technical prowess, passed up opportunities in Europe for a stable playing environment and a chance for consistent playing time in Dallas.
Deshorn Brown is a high-end prototypical speedster from Jamaica. In his first season with the Colorado Rapids, he lead his club in goals scored and took them to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
For every Montero, however, there will always be a player that just doesn’t work out. The examples are many. In spite of that, MLS has begun the reverse transition from retirement league to what many would call a feeder league. While many, if not most, would not purpose to spend the prime of their careers in MLS (see point: 3b), they can still make a fine career for themselves and good wages because of how the league has grown to reward these players.
More and more young players are coming here in the vein of Montero, now viewing the US as an opportunity to get on the radar of European scouts and develop a pathway to launch a more lucrative career while still having stability and having the chance to prove them in a physical league.
“The increased visibility in M.L.S. is attractive to the players, who also benefit from the league’s financial stability compared with some leagues in their home countries.” (Leander Schaerlaeckens, NY Times)
It’s true that MLS still has more players retire at the end of the year from soccer than will transfer out of its league, but the players that are being transferred out are going to better and better clubs.
As I said, there aren’t many who look at MLS and think “gosh, I could have a good living in the US in the prime of my career.” However there are a few where the stars lined up perfectly and they’ve chosen to play in America rather than going abroad with their talents. Such examples are:
Diego Valeri, the creative midfielder from Argentina, has been a force since arriving in Portland. And teamed with their young budding star, Nagbe, they’re a spectacular pair just to watch.
Juninho, the Brazilian, is often glossed over in terms of the whole league, but his consistency in LA and his ability to play both ways centrally is fantastic. He could be earning much more abroad but the allure of being on an iconic franchise and coached by one of the best US coaches in the business, Bruce Arena, keeps him in LA… for now.
Osvaldo Alonso is a unique case. His heroic escape from Cuba and passport situation limit his options abroad, but believe me… he has them. Yet, he loves Seattle and MLS. He’s easily a top-3 midfielder in the entire league and still has a couple prime seasons left in the tank.
Matt Besler, the Sporting KC and USMNT centerback has had chances to go abroad, and yet here he is in his prime. This has happened by way of MLS introducing retention funds to pay for… well, people whom they define as worthy of using it. His salary relative to the cap has been kept manageable because of those funds and he loves playing in Kansas City. He’s possibly and probably the best defender in MLS.
Players like Shane O’Neil (Colorado), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Benji Joya (Chicago) and DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle) are just a few names that play significant roles on their MLS clubs, and they still can’t drink legally in this country. You could almost have thrown Will Trapp (Columbus) on this list too, but he busted the beer-drinking landmark at the beginning of the year.
All four have been featured in U-23 matches gearing up for the Olympics, just two short years away, and all look to be prominent members of future World Cup teams. There are others worth mentioning also, but the point here is that MLS is starting to become a facilitator of growing US talent. That’s important.
That doesn’t even highlight players such as Gyasi Zardes or Jack McInerney, who are both big-time names in the league and may not qualify as members of the Olympic roster. It also doesn’t include 19-year old striking sensation Diego Fagundez, who just graduated from high school two weeks ago and just entered his fourth season as a member of the New England Revolution. Sadly enough, he is still technically not a US citizen…yet.
“The three factors above were weighted equally and assigned a standard deviation (either + or -) for each league and each metric. Add them up and MLS is indeed the most competitive league in this 15-league sample. Interestingly, Brazil was not far behind. Of course, there are multiple ways one can measure parity and competitiveness, and this is just one of many approaches.” – Alex Olshansky
“This consistency, when combined with MLS’s overall lower variation, results in a lower proportion of the MLS’s points variation resulting from actual talent differences. The overall impact is that MLS table results are nearly a 50/50 split between talent and luck.” – Zach Slaton
Everyone hates the Yankees and yet wants to be them. It’s one of the greatest catch-22’s in sports. We all hate the winner—unless, of course, it’s us. MLS has developed a single entity program that just doesn’t lend itself to helping clubs that win, but it helps those that do not. In fact it’s worse to finish middle of the pack in the league than to finish at the back.
The league subsidies the salary cap of certain teams based on the order in which the teams finished. Teams towards the bottom get certain stipend (called allocation money) that assists in pay down contracts for cap purposes. Teams at the top also are awarded this money as a means of deepening the team for international competition in CONCACAF Champions League. This enables them to compete against the Mexican League teams that often tend to be superior in talent depth.
This all creates an environment on a yearly basis that creates volatility in casting predictions and makes the whole process rather difficult. A team can be good and have bad luck (see: LA Galaxy) or it can be mediocre with good luck (see: Real Salt Lake, according to Matthias), or it can have best of both worlds (see: Seattle Sounders). The beauty is that teams are never that far out of it, and never that far ahead.
The team that serve as the best example of this anything-can-happen league is DC United. Our readers had predicted prior to the season that they would miss the play-offs and would be generally sit near the bottom. In fact 15% thought they would end up dead last, opposed to the less than 1% that thought they would win the conference. Currently sitting nearly halfway through the season, they are in good position to fight for that very chance. And last year, this is the same club that nearly set all types of records for being anemic and generally pathetic in their overall performance.
There are few, if any, instances in which you can point to a club going from worst to best in a single season. The 1990 Atlanta Braves come to mind for me, but thinking abroad in the world of soccer, that seems improbable if not all together impossible. In MLS, it’s a yearly event.
——-
These are just a few reasons on why you should turn your attention to Major League Soccer after the World Cup. I’m sure others could add to this list, and generally speaking I know I missed things that others would include. But in talking with so many people down here in the South, I felt compelled to at least try to provide a this motivation to get involved in a dynamic league right here in the United States.
I’ve been terrible with trying to keep up with this quantitative metric, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to throw out an updated version in a vain attempt to try to play catch up with the status quo, being that the league is crawling towards the World Cup break.
Really, the point of this exercise is to try and capture how often players are creating shots–not just for themselves, but for teammates. It’s still pretty simplistic, and by no means the definitive answer to who the most valuable attackers are, but it’s a start in moving away from basing value judgements on goal totals.
To be as clear as possible this is not a metric that measures quality or success of the shot. It’s purely about opportunities to score. Either by way of putting mates* in position to score through passes that lead to shots–key passes–or to create a shot by himself–assisted or not–are the ways I count shots created.
*Editor loves word choice.
One thing I did do to include the best available and least luck-influenced player was to set a threshold of 700 minutes played. That limit was arbitrary and selected merely based upon the results of compiling the list. For that reason, and no other, you won’t see individuals such as Michael Bradley, Gilberto, Brad Davis, Joao Plata, Marco Di Vaio and Kekuta Manneh on this list even though their shot creation rates merited a position in the top 50. I am very high on both Plata and Manneh, and I would love to see both surpass the 600-minute mark and really fly beyond 2,000 minutes this season so we can see what their stable versions look like.
| Rank | Name | Club | Position | Minutes | Key Passes | Assists | Shots | ShC | ShC/90 |
| 50 | Blas Perez | Dallas | FWD | 899 | 6 | 2 | 24 | 32 | 3.20 |
| 49 | Nick DeLeon | DC | MF | 1026 | 12 | 2 | 23 | 37 | 3.25 |
| 48 | Vincent Nogueira | Philadelphia | MF | 1348 | 17 | 2 | 30 | 49 | 3.27 |
| 47 | Juninho | LA | MF | 962 | 9 | 3 | 23 | 35 | 3.27 |
| 46 | Benny Feilhaber | KC | MF | 1260 | 26 | 3 | 17 | 46 | 3.29 |
| 45 | Erick Torres | Chivas | FWD | 1186 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 46 | 3.49 |
| 44 | Jack McInernery | Montreal | FWD | 844 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 33 | 3.52 |
| 43 | Baggio Husidić | LA | MF | 761 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 30 | 3.55 |
| 42 | Dillion Powers | Colorado | MF | 825 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 3.60 |
| 41 | Lamar Neagle | Seattle | MF | 987 | 10 | 2 | 28 | 40 | 3.65 |
| 40 | Teal Bunbury | NE | FWD | 1170 | 15 | 3 | 30 | 48 | 3.69 |
| 39 | Felipe Martins | Montreal | MF | 996 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 41 | 3.70 |
| 38 | Jairo Arrieta | Columbus | FWD | 818 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 34 | 3.74 |
| 37 | Max Urruti | Portland | FWD | 744 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 31 | 3.75 |
| 36 | Justin Mapp | Montreal | MF | 949 | 17 | 4 | 19 | 40 | 3.79 |
| 35 | Travis Ishizaki | LA | MF | 735 | 20 | 1 | 10 | 31 | 3.80 |
| 34 | Andrew Wenger | Philadelphia | FWD | 1012 | 11 | 1 | 31 | 43 | 3.82 |
| 33 | Diego Fagundez | NE | MF | 1086 | 8 | 2 | 37 | 47 | 3.90 |
I’ll admit there is quite a bit of disparity between Diego Fagundez (#33) and Nick DeLeon (#49). This group does however hold a few names seems that, to my mind, seem to fit together. Blas Perez (#50), Erick Torres (#45), Jack McInerney (#44) and Andrew Wenger (#34) all are viewed a bit differently in terms of success, but, again, this isn’t about results-based productivity so much as process-based productivity. We’re merely looking at how much they’re involved in creating goal scoring chances, regardless of the quality of those chances or where they are located. In that context it makes more sense.
The lone surprise for me in this tier is Justin Mapp. I would have assumed he’d be much higher on this list being that he’s been on the few bright spots for Montreal a long with JackMac.
| Rank | Name | Club | Position | Minutes | Key Passes | Assists | Shots | ShC | ShC/90 |
| 32 | Chris Wondolowski | San Jose | FWD | 810 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 36 | 4.00 |
| 31 | Obafemi Martins | Seattle | FWD | 1246 | 19 | 6 | 31 | 56 | 4.04 |
| 30 | Michel | Dallas | MF | 740 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 34 | 4.14 |
| 29 | Lee Nguyen | NE | MF | 1032 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 48 | 4.19 |
| 28 | B. Wright-Phillips | NYRB | FWD | 1051 | 8 | 0 | 41 | 49 | 4.20 |
| 27 | Edson Buddle | Colorado | FWD | 707 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 33 | 4.20 |
| 26 | Shea Salinas | San Jose | MF | 916 | 32 | 4 | 7 | 43 | 4.22 |
| 25 | Sabastian Fernandez | Vancouver | FWD | 654 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 31 | 4.27 |
| 24 | Will Bruin | Houston | FWD | 1221 | 20 | 1 | 37 | 58 | 4.28 |
| 23 | Graham Zusi | KC | FWD | 794 | 24 | 3 | 11 | 38 | 4.31 |
| 22 | Alvaro Saborio | Real Salt Lake | FWD | 869 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 42 | 4.35 |
| 21 | Leonardo Fernandez | Philadelphia | FWD | 701 | 13 | 1 | 20 | 34 | 4.37 |
| 20 | Giles Barnes | Houston | FWD | 1335 | 12 | 2 | 51 | 65 | 4.38 |
| 19 | Gaston Fernandez | Portland | FWD | 757 | 19 | 0 | 18 | 37 | 4.40 |
| 18 | Mike Magee | Chicago | FWD | 714 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 35 | 4.41 |
| 17 | Harry Shipp | Chicago | FWD | 894 | 23 | 4 | 17 | 44 | 4.43 |
| 16 | Marco Pappa | Seattle | MF | 751 | 12 | 1 | 24 | 37 | 4.43 |
| 15 | Mauro Diaz | Dallas | MF | 646 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 32 | 4.46 |
| 14 | Bernando Anor | Columbus | MF | 718 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 36 | 4.51 |
| 13 | Cristian Maidana | Philadelphia | MF | 871 | 23 | 2 | 20 | 45 | 4.65 |
| 12 | Quincy Amarikwa | Chicago | FWD | 880 | 15 | 4 | 28 | 47 | 4.81 |
| 11 | Dom Dwyer | KC | FWD | 1050 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 57 | 4.89 |
| 10 | Deshorn Brown | Colorado | FWD | 902 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 49 | 4.89 |
Two other names that are notable here. Edson Buddle (#27)–whom everyone thought was done two years ago when he was traded to Colorado–and Marco Pappa (#16), who was kind of a last minute signing before the start of the season, and who was a serious question mark considering his lack of playing time in the Netherlands. Now both of these individuals that were stamped as likely non-essentials are two of most involved in the creation of their clubs attack. Lee Nguyen (29) coming in higher than Obafemi Martins (31) makes me laugh, simply because Martins is second in the league in assists and most people still hold that to being the truest or, perhaps, the most obvious sign of team goal contributions. Yet Nguyen has been a catalyst for New England and is simply their most valuable player when it comes to finding the ability to create chances. This is the meat and potatoes of the list.
| Rank | Name | Club | Position | Minutes | Key Passes | Assists | Shots | ShC | ShC/90 |
| 9 | Javier Morales | Real Salt Lake | MF | 1154 | 41 | 5 | 21 | 67 | 5.23 |
| 8 | Fabian Espindola | DC | FWD | 1086 | 30 | 4 | 30 | 64 | 5.30 |
| 7 | Diego Valeri | Portland | MF | 1117 | 28 | 5 | 37 | 70 | 5.64 |
| 6 | Landon Donovan | LA | MF | 802 | 24 | 2 | 25 | 51 | 5.72 |
| 5 | Thierry Henry | NYRB | FWD | 1170 | 23 | 4 | 49 | 76 | 5.85 |
| 4 | Federico Higuain | Columbus | FWD | 1080 | 39 | 5 | 27 | 71 | 5.92 |
So there that is. There shouldn’t be any argument here with any of these names. Fabian Espindola (#8) is the sole reason DC even has a shot at the playoffs. He is going to get every opportunity to be ‘the man’ in black and red. Landon Donovan (#6) despite his uncanny snubbery from the US National Team is still clearly a major factor for the Galaxy and their attack. Sticking with the theme of decline in skills, Thierry Henry (#5) is still one of the greatest to ever play in MLS.
Oh, and I’m just biding my time for Higuian to get past this “slump” and jet into the MVP Candidate category… because that’s simply where he belongs. More on that down the road.
3-1: The MVP Candidates.
| Rank | Name | Club | Position | Minutes | Key Passes | Assists | Shots | ShC | ShC/90 |
| 3 | Robbie Keane | LA | FWD | 990 | 19 | 2 | 45 | 66 | 6.00 |
| 2 | Clint Dempsey | Seattle | MF | 751 | 14 | 2 | 43 | 59 | 7.07 |
| 1 | Pedro Morales | Whitecaps | MF | 821 | 31 | 4 | 38 | 73 | 8.00 |
Clint Dempsey (#2) has had the kind of year that is simply bananas. It’s been so crazy that it’s somehow eclipsed the Pedro Morales (#1) show that is going on just a few short hours north of him. Sure, these guys take penalty kicks, but that’s only a small fraction of their shots generated. If these two take this same show into the later stages of the season I can’t think there would be much reason to consider anyone else for MVP.
Oh, I guess you could probably throw Robbie Keane‘s (#3) name in that list, too. People forget about ol’ faithful, but even without his P.I.C. (read: ‘Partner in Crime’ for those that aren’t as hip as I am) for a game or two here and there, he’s still been incredible. Currently he ranks third in individual expected goals, proving that he also finds dangerous places to take his shots and doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Oh, and despite the angry looks and words AND finger wags, he gets his teammates those same opportunities.
And here’s the Excel File for the top 50.
There is a thing that constantly steals my interest when it comes Major League Soccer. It’s how teams choose to scout and evaluate talent that is already in the league. One thing that has been made quite clear with the financial constraints is that it is difficult to hold on to those players that hover around the $200,000 salary threshold, and yet aren’t stars or obviously consistent difference makers.
Player makers such as Chris Rolfe, Mauro Rosales and Bobby Convey have found new homes in MLS, either in the few months leading up to this season or since the first kick. The names themselves aren’t specific references of importance, but rather examples of what happens in the off-season concerning players in the aforementioned pay range that are just casualties of cap situations in today’s era.
These players we understand to a degree. They are interesting talents with a fair amount of room for critiquing, whether that be due to personality, problems with injuries or just inconsistent displays of performance from week to week. There are always one or two or even three (in this case) of these players that are available come the off-season.
Two of the three players went to clubs with the ability to take chances.
Chivas USA was obviously getting a steal in adding Rosales. Super Mauro, since being added to the roster, has accrued 17 key passes and 3 assists while producing 12 shots on his own. He leads the club in Total Shots Created.
DC United needed anything to help save their season and jump start their offense. The arrival of Rolfe in return for a bit of allocation money was seemingly a worthwhile risk–and his influence on Ben Olsen’s chances of keeping the head coaching job can probably be debated to some extent. Prior to the trade, Olsen and DC United had only produced 1 point through 3 matches. Since the addition of Rolfe, they’re now rolling at nearly 2 points per match.
Now, I’m not saying that Rolfe is truly responsible for the turn around. That idea would represent lazy analysis. In fact, DC United generated 34 shot attempts to its opponents’ 36 in the first three games, and 108 to 112 since, so it’s not like Rolfe’s presence has indicated a stable improvement yet. Frankly, since MLS week 4, it’s been the Fabian Espindola show at RFK, and that is a completely different discussion.
On to Convey, who didn’t go to a team that had to take on a lot of risk. Instead he went to the defending Supporters’ Shield-winning New York Red Bulls. He has been somewhat of middling attacking influence in his time on the pitch for the Bulls, adding 9 key passes and 2 shots in just under 700 minutes over his initial tenure this season.
WhoScored isn’t exactly impressed. They have graded his performance so far by issuing him a 6.39 rating which is well below their league average rating for a player—which sits near 6.7. Squawka ranks him 16th on the roster depth chart which mostly follows up that thinking being that WhoScored placed him 15th overall.
These three players represent teams that have taken advantage of a system available to them in an effort to improve their club. What is intriguing to me at this juncture isn’t necessarily the impact they’ve made upon their current club but how their current clubs targeted them as being upgrades and financially worth their investments.
I’m sure that MLS teams have personnel that help front office types make decisions and help discern player talent and ability that make them right for the acquisition. I am familiar enough with certain clubs to be aware of the individuals that are involved in that process, and much of it seems archaic and awkward in method.
Mauro Rosales may have been less of a risk when it comes to Chivas. In fact it was kind of “duh” type moment that perfectly fell in their lap. The other side of the coin is that Rolfe and Convey were both risks, and heavy ones at that considering their price tags (before New York lapped Convey up, that is).
I would certainly concede that all are substantial talents within the US first division. But how they fit the rosters to which they were added to is a bit interesting.
Some could point to Convey’s addition to New York as an attempt to add competition to the left side and some wide play making, Convey has instead shifted to the back line in the form of a full back. Which begs the question, was that the idea before he was added?
I, as well as many, had thought Luis Silva would be taking over the role of central play maker in Washington after the departure of Dwayne De Rosario. After the stumbles by Silva early on, I thought that Rolfe would take over that role, but instead he looks to be pushed out wide with Nick DeLeon, being featured more frequently in the central attacking role. Was this a decision made before acquiring him, and did the club think he could fill that role any better than some of the more natural wide midfielders who have moved clubs since?
Results-based analysis is often unhelpful, and in these cases, don’t truly tell the story we’re seeking in how MLS teams are valuing these types of players. I’m curious if there are any specific statistical values that teams could point to as to why they made this move–and please, I hope it’s more than the assists or goals totals, or the fact that they’re “winners.” For all the talk about transparency in details for the league, it would be nice to see some of the true thought processes involved in analyzing these talents beyond tired cliches. Especially considering that all these clubs they have access to far better gauges and methods than what most of us have at our disposal.
Hey, we’re back… just like that we have two podcasts (not one, but two!) in less than seven days. This one is a special edition, as Jurgen Klinsmann announced his USMNT 30-man preliminary roster for the World Cup yesterday. In response, Matt Hartley and I decided to record a podcast. The result is brilliant, and you should listen.
Well, after a bit of a hiatus the podcast is back. I sit down with Jacob, aka @MLSAthiest, and we have a conversation about an assortment of (mostly) MLS-related topics. A slight note on the podcast itself, I tweaked the format and presentation ever so slightly, and I would love a bit of feed back on it–good or bad. I hope you enjoy it!
Okay, shots. We talk a lot about shots because, well, shots lead to goals. Obviously you can’t have a goal without first attempting a shot. I know that was a deep thought, but just go with me here.
We put a lot of emphasis on shots here and have dug into their expectation leading to goals. It’s backed by the belief that shots are important statistics in correlation to team success. Now there are plenty of caveats to shots and we use them to influence our ideas of what is good or bad. Matthias has taken time to explain at least some of them.
So with all that said you can’t read too much into all of these numbers. Take for instance the fact that Frederico Higuian creates 7.03 shots per 90 minutes. That’s nearly a shot and a quarter more than Brad Davis at 5.79. Is Higuian a better shot creator because he creates one additional shot over the course of a single match? If that shot is from zone 4 or even 5, the value of that single shot becomes marginalized in that specific instance.
Despite all of those various acknowledgements of how this is marginally interesting, and yet mostly a useless exercise, I put together a follow-up of last week’s top 50 individual shots creators in Major League Soccer. I decided it was best to cut up this data and present it via a tiered system to make it a bit more palatable and to highlight the players that have set themselves apart from their peers. Also, this allows me to be a bit creative in the tier process.
| Player | Club | POS | MINS | G | A | SHTS | Key Passes | Sh-C | Sh-C p90 | |
| 1 | Marco Di Vaio | MTL | F | 326 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 4 | 29 | 8.01 |
| 2 | Clint Dempsey | SEA | M | 393 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 7 | 33 | 7.56 |
| 3 | Federico Higuain | CLB | F | 538 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 42 | 7.03 |
| 4 | Robbie Keane | LA | F | 450 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 35 | 7.00 |
| 5 | Pedro Morales | VAN | M | 472 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 36 | 6.86 |
| 6 | Thierry Henry | NY | F | 449 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 9 | 32 | 6.41 |
Oh, yeah… Marco Di Viao. He’s also pretty good at this whole soccer thing. I guess we can all say that we could have guessed every singl–what the hell is Pedro Morales doing in there??? I guess that probably explains a lot about what’s been happening in Vancouver. He’s second overall in total Shots Created and he could very well be a shoo-in for MLS Newcomer of the Year. He’s like the offensive equivalent of what Jose Goncalves was last year to New England. I only have one question: who is this Camilo guy everyone was talking about?
| Player | Club | POS | MINS | G | A | SHTS | Key Passes | Sh-C | Sh-C p90 | |
| 7 | Landon Donovan | LA | M-F | 450 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 14 | 29 | 5.80 |
| 8 | Brad Davis | HOU | M | 311 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 5.79 |
| 9 | Graham Zusi | KC | F-M | 450 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 28 | 5.60 |
| 10 | Diego Valeri | POR | M | 579 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 5.44 |
| 11 | Dom Dwyer | KC | F | 427 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 25 | 5.27 |
| 12 | Leo Fernandes | PHI | F | 436 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 25 | 5.16 |
| 13 | Lloyd Sam | NY | M | 621 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 5.07 |
| 14 | Mike Magee | CHI | F | 450 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 25 | 5.00 |
| 15 | Giles Barnes | HOU | M | 527 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 6 | 29 | 4.95 |
| 16 | Justin Mapp | MTL | M | 585 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 32 | 4.92 |
| 17 | Michael Bradley | TOR | M | 433 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 4.78 |
| 18 | Mauro Diaz | DAL | M | 604 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 32 | 4.77 |
| 19 | Quincy Amarikwa | CHI | F | 548 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 12 | 29 | 4.76 |
| 20 | Felipe Martins | MTL | M | 626 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 33 | 4.74 |
| 21 | Gilberto | TOR | F | 423 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 4.68 |
| 22 | Cristian Maidana | PHI | M | 425 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 4.66 |
| 23 | Deshorn Brown | COL | F | 448 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 4.62 |
| 24 | Chris Wondolowski | SJ | F-M | 450 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 23 | 4.60 |
| 25 | Fabian Espindola | DC | F | 531 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 4.58 |
| 26 | Michel | DAL | M-D | 401 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 4.49 |
| 27 | Lamar Neagle | SEA | F | 506 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 4.27 |
| 28 | Obafemi Martins | SEA | F | 620 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 29 | 4.21 |
| 29 | Erick Torres | CHV | F | 603 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 28 | 4.18 |
| 30 | Javier Morales | RSL | M | 527 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 4.10 |
Justin Mapp has the same amount of total Shots Created as Mauro Diaz in almost 20 minutes less field time. Try thinking about that next time you’re frustrated by Mapp’s hair line. Try.
Dom Dwyer does not go away. This guy could be someone that we may need to start legitimately talking about in the coming weeks. You should probably add Leo Fernandez and Lloyd Sam to that obnoxious hype list too.
Speaking of Sam, I added him to my MLS Fantasy Roster for tonight, hedging the bet that he finally scores a goal. At last look, the guy currently holds the highest xGoal predictor score without actually scoring a goal. If there was ever a guy that was “due” to score a goal, it’s him and I’m virtually betting on it happening.
On the note of not scoring goals, “Hi, Landon Donovan“. Who, in case you didn’t notice, is still a good player even when not putting the ball in the back of the net. Because, you know, skillz.
| Player | Club | POS | MINS | G | A | SHTS | Key Passes | Sh-C | Sh-C p90 | |
| 31 | Dwayne De Rosario | TOR | M | 254 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 3.90 |
| 32 | Mauro Rosales | CHV | M | 626 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 3.88 |
| 33 | Kenny Miller | VAN | F | 537 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 23 | 3.85 |
| 34 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | NY | F | 358 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 3.77 |
| 35 | Darren Mattocks | VAN | F | 580 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 24 | 3.72 |
| 36 | Jack McInerney | MTL | F | 436 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 18 | 3.72 |
| 37 | Will Bruin | HOU | F | 539 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 22 | 3.67 |
| 38 | Baggio Husidic | LA | M | 344 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 3.66 |
| 39 | Bernardo Anor | CLB | M | 497 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 3.62 |
| 40 | Hector Jimenez | CLB | M | 523 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 3.61 |
| 41 | Teal Bunbury | NE | F | 630 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 25 | 3.57 |
| 42 | Diego Fagundez | NE | M-F | 584 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 3.54 |
| 43 | Sal Zizzo | KC | F | 433 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 3.53 |
| 44 | Kenny Cooper | SEA | F | 358 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 14 | 3.52 |
| 45 | Benny Feilhaber | KC | M | 539 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 21 | 3.51 |
| 46 | Juninho | LA | M | 448 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 3.42 |
| 47 | Andrew Wenger | PHI | F | 528 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 3.41 |
| 48 | Eric Alexander | NY | M | 451 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 3.39 |
| 49 | Alex | CHI | M | 512 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 3.34 |
| 50 | Saer Sene | NE | M | 355 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 3.30 |
There are roughly 19 names here and I’m not going to go through them all. But key surprises are Jack McInerney, who everyone continues to think is “slumping” when he’s not scoring goals. Baggio Husidic is making waves in that flashy new diamond attack in LA. Husidic is filling the hole that once upon a time existed out wide and makes the Robbie Rogers-trade look worse and worse, as he likely won’t make it past a bench position upon return. Bernardo Anor has been doing a lot for Columbus out of the midfield but, perhaps, the bigger story than Anor–or even the LA trade for Rogers–is that fact that Gregg Berhalter pretty much stole Hector Jimenez who is looking brilliant in his new Crew colors.
Lastly, three other off season moves are having impacts with their new clubs.
There are a lot of things to take away from this. Like why didn’t I just make two tiers: IBC Rootbeer and Barqs, which is basically all you’re going to go with unless there is some local brewed Root beer that you want to try for funsies. Anyways, some information here. Not necessarily good information, but at this stage of analysis and data when it comes to MLS, and really soccer in general, what is “good” information?
Harrison and Matty discuss their two most recent articles, respectively about Harrison’s Shots Created per 90 statistic and Matty’s obsessive need to put RSL down because its players are more gooder at soccer than he is. It’s a short one, perfect for your commute!
I’ve briefly mentioned the stat Total Shots Created before. Basically it’s how frequently a player contributes to the moment leading to an attempt on goal. It’s one that I like a lot in terms of crediting individual players for their single contributions to the team’s efforts. Obviously there are other elements to a match that are also important and lead to definitive events that have predictive value (i.e. other things that players can do to help a team win). However, shots are one of the more valuable numbers out there and available. There is also the little fact that everyone loves goals. Goals are awesome and invoke celebrations. Shot deflections, all out blocked shots, or midfield recoveries hardly elicit the same reaction from friends but arguably hold near as much individual performance weight/value to the team.
With all the emphasis on shots and individual production there is another number worth mentioning: %Tsh (Percentage of Team Shots). It’s a pretty percentage of how many of the total team shots a player was involved in creating, not just shooting himself.
This time around, the list is compiled of the top 50 players in shot creation based upon the shots they’ve taken, assists that they’ve been attributed, or other shots they’ve created by their passing ability. Players below have been sorted by their %Tsh.
| Player | Club | POS | GP | GS | MINS | G | A | SHTS | KP | SH-C | ShC-90 | Total Team Shots | %Tsh |
| Federico Higuain | CLB | F | 5 | 5 | 448 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 17 | 37 | 7.43 | 71 | 52.11% |
| Pedro Morales | VAN | M | 6 | 4 | 407 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 14 | 30 | 6.63 | 67 | 44.78% |
| Fabian Espindola | DC | F | 5 | 5 | 441 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 4.90 | 55 | 43.64% |
| Mauro Diaz | DAL | M | 6 | 6 | 515 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 4.72 | 62 | 43.55% |
| Robbie Keane | LA | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 29 | 7.25 | 68 | 42.65% |
| Mauro Rosales | CHV | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 27 | 4.50 | 64 | 42.19% |
| Lloyd Sam | NY | M | 6 | 6 | 531 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 30 | 5.08 | 74 | 40.54% |
| Landon Donovan | LA | M-F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 26 | 6.50 | 68 | 38.24% |
| Giles Barnes | HOU | M | 5 | 5 | 437 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 27 | 5.56 | 71 | 38.03% |
| Diego Valeri | POR | M | 6 | 6 | 518 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 5.56 | 85 | 37.65% |
| Erick Torres | CHV | F | 6 | 6 | 524 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 4.12 | 64 | 37.50% |
| Thierry Henry | NY | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 8 | 27 | 6.75 | 74 | 36.49% |
| Shea Salinas | SJ | M | 0 | 360 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 5.75 | 69 | 33.33% | |
| Alvaro Saborio | RSL | F | 6 | 6 | 540 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 3.67 | 66 | 33.33% |
| Felipe Martins | MTL | M | 6 | 6 | 536 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 32 | 5.37 | 97 | 32.99% |
| Justin Mapp | MTL | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 32 | 5.33 | 97 | 32.99% |
| Gilberto | TOR | F | 4 | 4 | 333 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 5.41 | 62 | 32.26% |
| Michael Bradley | TOR | M | 343 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 5.25 | 62 | 32.26% | ||
| Deshorn Brown | COL | F | 5 | 4 | 366 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 4.92 | 62 | 32.26% |
| Teal Bunbury | NE | F | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 24 | 4.00 | 75 | 32.00% |
| Clint Dempsey | SEA | M | 4 | 3 | 303 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 5 | 26 | 7.72 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Obafemi Martins | SEA | F | 6 | 6 | 531 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 26 | 4.41 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Quincy Amarikwa | CHI | F | 6 | 5 | 475 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 26 | 4.93 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Eddie Johnson | DC | F | 5 | 5 | 441 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 3.47 | 55 | 30.91% |
| Graham Zusi | KC | F-M | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 6.00 | 78 | 30.77% |
| Diego Fagundez | NE | M-F | 6 | 6 | 539 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 3.84 | 75 | 30.67% |
| Darren Mattocks | VAN | F | 6 | 6 | 490 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 3.67 | 67 | 29.85% |
| Chris Wondolowski | SJ | F-M | 4 | 4 | 360 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 5.00 | 69 | 28.99% |
| Joao Plata | RSL | F | 3 | 3 | 207 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 8.26 | 66 | 28.79% |
| Leo Fernandes | PHI | F | 5 | 3 | 326 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 21 | 5.80 | 74 | 28.38% |
| Dom Dwyer | KC | F | 5 | 4 | 340 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 5.82 | 78 | 28.21% |
| Brad Davis | HOU | M | 311 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 5.79 | 71 | 28.17% | ||
| Marco Di Vaio | MTL | F | 3 | 3 | 270 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 4 | 27 | 9.00 | 97 | 27.84% |
| Fabian Castillo | DAL | F | 6 | 6 | 539 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 17 | 2.84 | 62 | 27.42% |
| Will Johnson | POR | M | 6 | 6 | 539 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 23 | 3.84 | 85 | 27.06% |
| Maurice Edu | PHI | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 20 | 3.33 | 74 | 27.03% |
| Hector Jimenez | CLB | M | 5 | 5 | 433 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 3.74 | 71 | 25.35% |
| Lamar Neagle | SEA | F | 6 | 5 | 416 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 4.54 | 84 | 25.00% |
| Mike Magee | CHI | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 5.25 | 84 | 25.00% |
| Will Bruin | HOU | F | 5 | 5 | 449 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 3.41 | 71 | 23.94% |
| Bernardo Anor | CLB | M | 5 | 5 | 416 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 3.68 | 71 | 23.94% |
| Kenny Miller | VAN | F | 6 | 5 | 447 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 16 | 3.22 | 67 | 23.88% |
| Cristian Maidana | PHI | M | 5 | 4 | 293 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 5.22 | 74 | 22.97% |
| Vincent Nogueira | PHI | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 2.83 | 74 | 22.97% |
| Michel | DAL | M-D | 6 | 3 | 312 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 4.04 | 62 | 22.58% |
| Vicente Sanchez | COL | F | 3 | 2 | 193 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 6.53 | 62 | 22.58% |
| Darlington Nagbe | POR | F-M | 6 | 6 | 490 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 3.49 | 85 | 22.35% |
| Juninho | LA | M | 4 | 4 | 358 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 3.77 | 68 | 22.06% |
| Benny Feilhaber | KC | M | 5 | 5 | 449 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 3.41 | 78 | 21.79% |
| Kyle Beckerman | RSL | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 2.33 | 66 | 21.21% |
This list below is sorted by total ShC-90, shot creation per 90 minutes. The one stipulation I would make is to be careful when looking at some of the numbers below. Guys like Justin Meram end up at the top of the list after playing just 58 minutes and scoring a goal in that short time. This leads to incorrect perceptions of certain players, as well as providing horrible and trite narratives like “Justin Meram is the most underrated player ever.” That might be true, but probably not. Just look out for small sample sizes.
| Player | Club | POS | GP | GS | MINS | G | A | SHTS | KP | SH-C | ShC-90 | Total Team Shots | %Tsh |
| Justin Meram | CLB | M | 5 | 0 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 12.41 | 71 | 11.27% |
| Yannick Djalo | SJ | M | 2 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 11.25 | 69 | 10.14% |
| Marco Di Vaio | MTL | F | 3 | 3 | 270 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 4 | 27 | 9.00 | 97 | 27.84% |
| Joao Plata | RSL | F | 3 | 3 | 207 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 8.26 | 66 | 28.79% |
| Clint Dempsey | SEA | M | 4 | 3 | 303 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 5 | 26 | 7.72 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Federico Higuain | CLB | F | 5 | 5 | 448 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 17 | 37 | 7.43 | 71 | 52.11% |
| Robbie Keane | LA | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 29 | 7.25 | 68 | 42.65% |
| Kekuta Manneh | VAN | F | 6 | 1 | 167 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 7.01 | 67 | 19.40% |
| Thierry Henry | NY | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 8 | 27 | 6.75 | 74 | 36.49% |
| Pedro Morales | VAN | M | 6 | 4 | 407 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 14 | 30 | 6.63 | 67 | 44.78% |
| Vicente Sanchez | COL | F | 3 | 2 | 193 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 6.53 | 62 | 22.58% |
| Landon Donovan | LA | M-F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 26 | 6.50 | 68 | 38.24% |
| Graham Zusi | KC | F-M | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 6.00 | 78 | 30.77% |
| Dillon Serna | COL | M | 2 | 1 | 106 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 5.94 | 62 | 11.29% |
| Dom Dwyer | KC | F | 5 | 4 | 340 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 5.82 | 78 | 28.21% |
| Leo Fernandes | PHI | F | 5 | 3 | 326 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 21 | 5.80 | 74 | 28.38% |
| Brad Davis | HOU | M | 311 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 5.79 | 71 | 28.17% | ||
| Shea Salinas | SJ | M | 0 | 360 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 5.75 | 69 | 33.33% | |
| Giles Barnes | HOU | M | 5 | 5 | 437 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 27 | 5.56 | 71 | 38.03% |
| Diego Valeri | POR | M | 6 | 6 | 518 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 5.56 | 85 | 37.65% |
| Gilberto | TOR | F | 4 | 4 | 333 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 5.41 | 62 | 32.26% |
| Felipe Martins | MTL | M | 6 | 6 | 536 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 32 | 5.37 | 97 | 32.99% |
| Justin Mapp | MTL | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 32 | 5.33 | 97 | 32.99% |
| Mike Magee | CHI | F | 4 | 4 | 360 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 5.25 | 84 | 25.00% |
| Michael Bradley | TOR | M | 343 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 5.25 | 62 | 32.26% | ||
| Cristian Maidana | PHI | M | 5 | 4 | 293 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 5.22 | 74 | 22.97% |
| Lloyd Sam | NY | M | 6 | 6 | 531 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 30 | 5.08 | 74 | 40.54% |
| Chris Wondolowski | SJ | F-M | 4 | 4 | 360 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 5.00 | 69 | 28.99% |
| Quincy Amarikwa | CHI | F | 6 | 5 | 475 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 26 | 4.93 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Deshorn Brown | COL | F | 5 | 4 | 366 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 4.92 | 62 | 32.26% |
| Fabian Espindola | DC | F | 5 | 5 | 441 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 4.90 | 55 | 43.64% |
| Jermain Defoe | TOR | F | 3 | 3 | 242 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 4.83 | 62 | 20.97% |
| Mauro Diaz | DAL | M | 6 | 6 | 515 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 4.72 | 62 | 43.55% |
| Lamar Neagle | SEA | F | 6 | 5 | 416 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 4.54 | 84 | 25.00% |
| Kelyn Rowe | NE | M | 2 | 2 | 179 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4.53 | 75 | 12.00% |
| Mauro Rosales | CHV | M | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 27 | 4.50 | 64 | 42.19% |
| Obafemi Martins | SEA | F | 6 | 6 | 531 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 26 | 4.41 | 84 | 30.95% |
| Steven Lenhart | SJ | F | 3 | 3 | 258 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 4.19 | 69 | 17.39% |
| Erick Torres | CHV | F | 6 | 6 | 524 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 4.12 | 64 | 37.50% |
| Saer Sene | NE | M | 6 | 4 | 286 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4.09 | 75 | 17.33% |
| Michel | DAL | M-D | 6 | 3 | 312 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 4.04 | 62 | 22.58% |
| Teal Bunbury | NE | F | 6 | 6 | 540 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 24 | 4.00 | 75 | 32.00% |
| Juan Luis Anangono | CHI | F | 6 | 1 | 113 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3.98 | 84 | 5.95% |
| Sal Zizzo | KC | F | 5 | 4 | 367 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 3.92 | 78 | 20.51% |
| Dwayne De Rosario | TOR | M | 5 | 3 | 254 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 3.90 | 62 | 17.74% |
| Bradley Wright-Phillips | NY | F | 5 | 2 | 278 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 3.88 | 74 | 16.22% |
| Diego Fagundez | NE | M-F | 6 | 6 | 539 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 3.84 | 75 | 30.67% |
| Will Johnson | POR | M | 6 | 6 | 539 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 23 | 3.84 | 85 | 27.06% |
| David Texeira | DAL | F | 5 | 2 | 211 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 3.84 | 62 | 14.52% |
| Marco Pappa | SEA | M | 4 | 2 | 165 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 3.82 | 84 | 8.33% |
Overall, we’re still just getting used to this statistic, but it seems like it could help dig a little deeper into valuing those players that don’t always directly put the goal in the back of the net, but still play a key role in their teams’ abilities to do so.
Hey everyone, here is our latest terrible exhilarating podcast for your listening pleasure. The delay this week in posting was largely due to us switching to ‘Mixcloud’ for the conceivable hosting future as we move way from our current site and into a domain of our own. Admittedly, we ate up a good 15 minutes in the start of the podcast talking about the Seattle-Portland match, but you saw that coming…right? The rest of the podcast is also solid, and perhaps more importantly, less Cascadia-specific, so don’t give up on it just because of that segment!
American Soccer Analysis 