Soccer <\/p>\n
The 2025 season is nearly a quarter done, which means underlying numbers are starting to tell us some stuff.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
With that in mind, here\u2019s one telling stat (from Opta unless otherwise noted) for each Eastern Conference team, in order of points per game:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Stat:<\/strong> 8,045<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of yards the Crew<\/a> have carried the ball forward this year, which is first in the league. We rightly venerate them for their commitment to possession and short passing (they are second in the league in possession, first in the league in number of short passes played per match, and dead last in long balls), but it\u2019s important to understand their short passes aren\u2019t just meant to make the team look pretty. It\u2019s meant to make them effective by ripping open lanes for ball carriers to run into, putting the opposing defense into rotation.<\/p>\n We see it basically every week:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Diego Rossi strikes from deep! ????@ColumbusCrew<\/a> take a 2-1 lead in St. Louis. pic.twitter.com\/iIIGIRXLhY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n When I think about what I want soccer to look like, this is basically it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 4.01<\/p>\n Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> is getting basically four box touches per 90, which is 76th in the league among players with 250+ minutes \u2013 just behind Whitecaps<\/a> central midfielder J.C. Ngando<\/a> and just ahead of Rapids<\/a> winger K\u00e9vin Cabral<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is not a complete disaster, since Su\u00e1rez has been dropping in to do a lot of playmaking (even by his standards) and this Messi<\/a> guy has done a deeeeecent job of picking up the goalscoring slack. But it\u2019s a huge drop-off from last year, when Su\u00e1rez was 20th in the league with 6.7 box touches per 90, and there have been times (including this past weekend in Chicago<\/a>) where Miami<\/a>\u2019s inability to get him on the end of sequences was pretty glaring.<\/p>\n For them to be the team they\u2019re supposed to be, he needs to be more goal-dangerous.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 34<\/p>\n That\u2019s the total number of progressive passes hit by Obinna Nwobodo<\/a> and Brian Anunga<\/a>, which, combined, is less than Pavel Bucha<\/a>\u2019s 40.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A divvying up of responsibilities in central midfield that allows each player to play to their strengths is smart, and it\u2019s what Pat Noonan has done. With Matt Miazga<\/a> back on the field and Evander<\/a> back in training, we should see Cincy<\/a> take something close to their best form in the coming weeks, and my guess is they give all those folks who picked them to win the Supporters\u2019 Shield real reason to feel good about that pick.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s still no replacing Bucha in this squad if he goes down for any length of time. They are uniquely vulnerable to an injury or simple fatigue at that spot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 20.8<\/p>\n That\u2019s the average shot distance of new star DP Wilfried Zaha<\/a>, who\u2019s been relatively productive but hasn\u2019t quite found a level of chemistry with the rest of the attack just yet. Which\u2026 I mean, if your average shot is literally from outside the penalty area, it tells me two things:<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that overall, Charlotte<\/a>\u2019s average shot distance is 15.2 yards \u2013 one of the top marks in the league. So I think Zaha and Liel Abada<\/a>, whose average shot distance is 19 yards, eventually sort themselves out and start getting more touches in the box.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> -0.96<\/p>\n That\u2019s the amount Nashville<\/a>\u2019s three primary attackers \u2013 DPs Hany Mukhtar<\/a> and Sam Surridge<\/a>, and midfielder\/winger Alex Muyl<\/a> \u2013 are underperforming their expected goals PER GAME!!! We\u2019re not talking an eight-game underperformance; we\u2019re talking about the team\u2019s attacking core basically giving away a goal every single week, as per the nerds at American Soccer Analysis (and every other website more or less corroborates this, even if everyone\u2019s xG formula varies a little bit).<\/p>\n It\u2019s the far column on the right:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The \u2018Yotes have otherwise played great soccer (they\u2019re one of the five most attractive teams in the league to watch; B.J. Callaghan has been excellent), and they\u2019re starting to win some games.<\/p>\n If these guys start doing what they\u2019re supposed to in the box, they\u2019ll win a lot<\/em> of games.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it. That\u2019s the whole thing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 194<\/p>\n The Union<\/a> are first in the league in total crosses, by a mile. Sometimes that\u2019s good:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) March 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n They had about four more of these against Miami in the second half of that particular game that could\u2019ve resulted in an equalizer. If the defense is scrambled, and you\u2019ve got an elite crosser of the ball like Quinn Sullivan<\/a>, and you\u2019re playing with two up top, then yeah, get ‘er into ye olde mixer.<\/p>\n But more of these have been against set backlines than I\u2019d like to see, to the extent that the Union\u2019s attack has become a little one-note. And with D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a> sold to Columbus<\/a>, they\u2019re in danger of even more of the attack tilting in that direction.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 27.0<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of clearances the Red Bulls<\/a> have been forced into making per 90 this year, one of the highest marks in the league and an almost 50% jump over last year\u2019s number (18.69, which was about mid-table).<\/p>\n So yeah, your eyes aren\u2019t deceiving you: they\u2019re easier to play through in midfield, which means the backline is being forced to make more plays in the box. The good news is these are generally comfortable-ish defensive interventions, and playing with three center backs, as Sandro Schwarz has opted for most of the year, tends to mean you\u2019re in good shape if you need bodies back there to win a 50\/50 and send it to Row Z.<\/p>\n But the data underlines how this is a very different RBNY side playing a very different style than we\u2019re used to seeing. And it hasn\u2019t really been smooth sailing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 11<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of defensive actions outside of the penalty area that goalkeeper Chris Brady<\/a> has logged this season, which ties him for eighth in the league with Columbus\u2019s Patrick Schulte<\/a>.<\/p>\n These are very different players! Schulte\u2019s calling card from Day 1 was how comfortable he is with the ball on his foot; Brady, meanwhile, has always been more of a throwback, a pure shot-stopper who had to polish up the other aspects of his game.<\/p>\n It looks like that\u2019s what\u2019s happening under Gregg Berhalter. Brady\u2019s not only making more defensive interventions outside of the box \u2013 a 40% increase over last year, per 90 \u2013 but he\u2019s launching far fewer goal kicks, playing shorter passes in general, and playing more passes per 90, which he\u2019s hitting with greater accuracy.<\/p>\n So far it\u2019s working. His shot-stopping numbers have been good (better than last year, in fact), while his passing numbers are an elite 83%, which is significantly higher than last year\u2019s 71%. He has not missed a short or medium-range pass all year, as per FBRef.<\/p>\n But I am mindful of how the core part of Zack Steffen<\/a> and Matt Turner\u2019s respective games \u2013 you know, keeping the ball out of the net \u2013 crumbled as more ball-playing responsibility was thrust upon them. If Brady starts showing those same signs, Berhalter\u2019s got to be ready to simplify.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 3.0<\/p>\n The Lions have been generating three direct attacks per game \u2013 i.e., balls through the lines that get them out on the run. Some of them have been among the prettiest attacks we\u2019ve seen in MLS this year:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Orlando City have mirrored RBNY’s shape this afternoon, and that’s made it difficult for the Red Bulls to get any kind of pressure to the visitors on the build-out. pic.twitter.com\/ekEPxNkshu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) March 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That\u2019s patience on the ball deep, then suddenly an avalanche heading downhill. It\u2019s who Orlando<\/a> have become this year (they generate only about 2.2 direct attacks per game last year, which was 25th in MLS) as they\u2019ve gotten more comfortable playing off of Luis Muriel<\/a>\u2019s movement and flick-on brilliance. And the fact that they\u2019ve mostly kept this identity even as starting midfielders C\u00e9sar Ara\u00fajo<\/a> and Eduard Atuesta<\/a> have been sidelined speaks well of the possibility of it translating over the long haul.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 4.4 and 4.2<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of box touches the Pigeons\u2019 U22 wingers, Juli\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> and Agust\u00edn Ojeda<\/a>, are getting per 90.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s not enough. Fern\u00e1ndez was at 7.69 and Ojeda at 6.18 last year. And even those numbers pale in comparison to the guys they\u2019re ostensibly replacing on the depth chart, Talles Magno<\/a> (9.69) and Malachi Jones<\/a> (8.96 \u2013 get well soon, buddy).<\/p>\n And this isn\u2019t, I don\u2019t think, a systemic thing, as Hannes Wolf<\/a> has seen his number climb from 4.53 in 2024 to 5.07 in 2025. How\u2019s he climbing when the kids are dropping?<\/p>\n NYCFC<\/a> aren’t scaring anyone if they\u2019re not getting their wingers into dangerous spots. And this doesn\u2019t just come down to box touches; it\u2019s an all-phases-of-play thing. ASA\u2019s goals added model, which assigns a value to each event, has both Ojeda and Fern\u00e1ndez near the bottom of the league in their \u201creceiving\u201d score among wingers. That means what it sounds like: they\u2019re not receiving passes in good\/dangerous spots.<\/p>\n Got to fix that or this team will be scrapping for an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot all year, and nothing more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 32.1<\/p>\n Only two other teams, Vancouver and San Jose<\/a>, start their average passing sequence closer to the right touchline than Atlanta<\/a>\u2019s 32.1 yards. Last year that number was 34.2 yards \u2013 not a huge mathematical distance, but a giant philosophical one, as it was in the bottom third of the league re: distance from that right touchline.<\/p>\n That pretty much tracks with the eye test, which has suggested right back Brooks Lennon<\/a> is playing a more significant role in Atlanta\u2019s build-ups than last year, or the year before. I have written elsewhere, several times already this season, that that\u2019s not his forte.<\/p>\n The knock-on effect is they\u2019re less sharp on the ball, and as such they\u2019re down near the bottom of the league in through-balls hit per 90 despite having two true through-ball artists (Alexey Miranchuk<\/a> and Miguel Almir\u00f3n<\/a>), as well as a host of the fastest attackers in the league (Almir\u00f3n, Emmanuel Latte Lath<\/a>, Saba Lobjanidze<\/a>, Xande Silva<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 0.14<\/p>\n Speaking of through-balls, 0.14 is the number Carles Gil<\/a> is completing per 90, which is 69th in the league. Last year he hit 0.31 per 90, which was 10th. The year before that he was second behind that year\u2019s MVP, Lucho Acosta<\/a>, with 0.53.<\/p>\n Through-balls tend to produce the most valuable chances in the game, and honestly, in the modern version of soccer \u2013 one more reliant on both pitch control and transitions than what the game was like 15 years ago \u2013 it\u2019s the largest part of the argument for playing with a No. 10.<\/p>\n The Revs<\/a> need to figure out how to create the kinds of passing lanes Gil ripped open for fun in the first part of this decade. Watch him and you\u2019ll see he clearly hasn\u2019t lost a step, so I really think this is a structural thing at play.<\/p>\n Related: The Revs are dead last in MLS in expected assists, and haven\u2019t actually logged either an assist or an open-play goal all year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 1.19<\/p>\n That\u2019s the meters-per-second pace at which D.C.<\/a> have advanced the ball this year, which is significantly slower than last year\u2019s breakneck 1.60 meters\/second, which was the third-fastest mark in the league.<\/p>\n This is all part of a conscious effort to become more of a ball-playing team, as we\u2019ve seen D.C.\u2019s passes per sequence jump from 2.8 to 3.2, their time per sequence rise from 7.6 seconds to 8.1, and the percentage of their sequences going 9+ passes jump from 5.4% to 7.4%.<\/p>\n The shift in game model has not gone well, obviously. But it\u2019s understandable, given 1) their over-reliance on long-balls aimed at Christian Benteke<\/a> last year, and 2) their tendency towards over-pursuit when pressing, that they have tried to slow things down a bit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> +2.2<\/p>\n Veteran Sean Johnson<\/a> has bounced back from a miserable start to the year, saving 2.2 goals over expected over the past four games. Sure, it\u2019s only resulted in three draws and a loss, but they\u2019ve conceded just three goals in that time, and pitched two shutouts. It\u2019s been serious improvement from a guy who was supposed to be a foundational piece for this team, and is now playing like it.<\/p>\n The first four games of the season were rough, as Johnson saved 3.1 fewer<\/em> goals than expected. The Reds<\/a> conceded 10 goals across those four games, and Johnson\u2019s struggles compounded some disastrously disorganized defense.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stat:<\/strong> 0.88<\/p>\n That\u2019s how many individual errors that lead directly to a shot Montr\u00e9al<\/a> are committing per game, which is the worst mark in the league and more than four times their rate last season. You simply aren\u2019t making the playoffs if you\u2019re doing this once every 90 minutes:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a1Pep Biel define de pierna izquierda! ????????@CharlotteFC<\/a> ya gana de visita en Montreal. pic.twitter.com\/EmEFTt1A30<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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