Over the past month or so Tim, @7amkickoff, and I have been having some great discussions about soccer, statistics, and the ways or means in how to use statistics to better communicate what may be happening on the pitch outside of what may normally be seen by supporters. I'm not sure we've cracked the nut completely... Continue Reading →
Major League Soccer – Week 25 – Portland finally show up…
While most were probably focused on some other battles this past weekend - and rightly so in some cases - the Timbers might just have shaken the Western Conference a wee bit to reinforce, that when they get their defense right, they will be a team to reckon with. Before diving in though; here's a link... Continue Reading →
Disheveled Defense has Dominic’s Dynamo in Disarray
Orange uniforms are normally considered a great color for a couple of reasons - the first team that ever comes to mind when you see Orange are the Dutch, (Holland/Netherlands) and if you watched the World Cup 2014 they reinforced just how strong and (to be feared) the men in Orange should be. Another, less obvious... Continue Reading →
Are Seattle Sounders and Sporting KC simply too strong?
Plenty of action these past two weeks in Major League Soccer - the most telling is the huge lead in points that Seattle holds over all the other teams in a very competitive Western Conference. Not to be outdone, in the Eastern Conference, it appears Sporting KC have also begun to open up an insurmountable... Continue Reading →
New York – New York, Defense gone pear shaped?
It's half-way into the season and clearly the Red Bulls are not the team they were last year. First and foremost, what sticks out to me, is their overall performance in team defense; like Portland their overall Goal Differential (0) pretty much tells the story that their attack is doing fine but their defense is... Continue Reading →
What did Philadelphia do different in beating New England this past weekend?
What, if anything, did Philadelphia Union do that was different from their historical averages so far this year? If you're reading this article first - you may want to check out this article on Composite Possession with Purpose (CPWP) Predictability Index, results for Week 16 in Major League Soccer, first to see why I am offering it.... Continue Reading →
World Cup 2014 – Group Stages Completed; Who’s leading the PWP Pack?
No more draws... you're out you're out. The true brutality of the game begins; if you're faint of heart and don't want to know how well the USA stacks up against the rest of the World in Possession with Purpose don't read on. I'll lightly touch on my Attacking PWP to set the stage and... Continue Reading →
MLS Soccer – PWP through Week 14 – A deep dive on Dom’s Houston Dynamo…
It's hard for me to fathom a team wearing orange kits not doing good - just seems wrong to me. And after making the Playoffs last year it seemed reasonable they'd be knocking at the door again this year. Not true - at least not yet - so this week is a Study in Orange, to... Continue Reading →
Headline match-up in Week 13 – Real Salt Lake v Seattle Sounders
Pedigree and consistency of purpose are two words/phrases that come to mind when I consider these teams. Both are currently doing very well and in my Composite PWP Index, after 12 weeks, they sit in positions four and five. In considering this early-to-mid-season marquee match-up I've put together a few diagrams that might help paint... Continue Reading →
Hurried Passes – Could this be a new statistic in Soccer?
Aye... the NFL track 'hurried throws' - why doesn't a Statistics agency involved in Soccer track "Hurried Passes"? I'll get to that but first I need to set some conditions. If you've read my article on Expected Wins 2 (XpW) it seems reasonable that a teams' Passing Accuracy in the Final Third has great value... Continue Reading →
