By ASA Staff

Ten years ago, if an MLS club had one person “doing analytics” it was a big deal. Now a majority of clubs now have multiple full time employees in actual analytics departments and a team is seen as backwards if it don’t have at least one staff member primarily focused on game analytics. Every year, we comb team websites, LinkedIn, and ask those who would know about how many people each team employs to determine The Tiers of MLS Analytics.

Former ASA Contributor Kevin Minkus, now Director of Analytics for Chicago Fire, wrote Soccer Analytics 101 over at MLSsoccer.com where he defined analytics as “using data and statistics to better understand something.” For the purposes of deciding what MLS teams have an analytics staff member the “something” is player recruitment and tactical analysis. We’re talking about using numbers and mathematical models (e.g. xG, xA, g+) to help evaluate transfer targets and team and player performance.

The starting point here is math, not video, although video and the eye test will always be an important step in the process. We’re defining this as separate from sports science, where data and statistics are used to mainly evaluate a team’s own players’ physical performance, things like training loads and injury prevention. Furthermore, it is different from business analytics where data and statistics are used to drive more monetary value for a club, but is not focused on the sporting side even though they may contribute there as well.

There is no doubt that MLS staff members wear multiple hats. Just because you have the job title of “data analyst” doesn’t mean you won’t be recruited to film a training session, break down video, or drive new players to Canada to get a visa. Similarly, a sports scientist, video analyst, or performance analyst may spend part of their time looking at statistics or even coding. But there is a difference between using analytics as part of your job and analytics being your job, and for this we will be counting the latter.

As a reminder, we only count full-time employees - not interns or part time employees - for the tiers, with apologies to ASA’s own Cata Bush, but if we know of them they may get a mention.

Based upon public knowledge and some private communications, and knowing full well that anyone outside a club can’t really know what is going on inside (if we missed anyone or got a job title wrong, please reach out), here are the Tiers of MLS Analytics and what we know about each team as of July 2025:

Tier 0: Nerd Boss.
If you appoint a General Manager/Sporting Director from a primarily analytics background you end up in tier 0. Them's the rules.

Colorado Rapids: Colorado’s Sporting Director is Fran Taylor, who was previously profiled on this site and worked at analytics pioneer StatDNA (exclusively owned by Arsenal). The club has two full-time data staffers focused on recruitment: Matt Pfeffer continues to lead the team as Director of Analytics, Karan Juneja is their Data Scientist. They will increase to three when they fill their open Data Engineer position. This is the club’s third year in Tier 0, officially the longest in the Tier’s short history, and Colorado is well-known to prioritize data when making decisions.

San Diego FC: San Diego is in their second year in Tier 0 and the hiring of Tyler Heaps as their Sporting Director has paid off based on the 2025 standings so far. Joining Heaps is Grant Rhines who moved over from Orlando City to become San Diego’s Head of Data & Insights.

Tier 1: “F” is for friends that do math together.
These are MLS clubs that have at least two full time analytics staff members, an actual department.

Atlanta United: American Soccer Analysis alumnus Arjun Balaraman was hired as Atlanta’s data scientist following Lucy Rushton’s move to DC in 2021. Data engineer Sunny Gu and data scientist Donald Cayton were brought in early in 2025. In 2023, president and CEO Garth Lagerwey revealed that Atlanta was using Sarah Rudd’s SRC FTBL as an analytics consultancy.

Charlotte FC: Daniel Wicker, the former proprietor of Mint City Analytics, tweeted and blogged himself into a job with Charlotte FC as Data Analyst. Additionally Charles William was brought on as a Data Scientist (go read his article on uncertainty in possession value models). Charlotte also utilizes two data scouts, Chaka Simbeye and Philipp Hollenhorst. Vincent van Raam in Charlotte’s recruitment department also has familiarity with data.

Chicago Fire: The Fire have the largest analytics department in MLS lead by ASA contributor, 2018 US Soccer Hackathon champion, Chicago native, and SpongeBob SquarePants aficionado Kevin Minkus as Director of Analytics. The Fire have software engineers Rob Madden, David Portugal, Eileen Egan, Data Scientist Derek Grifka, Data Analyst Gavin Greenberg, and Performance Data Scientist Ian Imery. At sister club Lugano, Edoardo Ghezzi is a data analyst. Note that General Manager Zayne Thomajan is very analytics friendly and presented at the inaugural American Soccer Insights conference. Head coach and director of football, Gregg Berhalter, has long been receptive to analytics from his previous time in Columbus and with the USMNT.

Columbus Crew: Alex Mysiw is Director of Analytics for the 2023 MLS Cup winners and holds a masters in bioinformatics and has been on staff since 2016. Colby Sherwood recently joined the sporting side from the business side as Manager of Soccer Systems as well as Atif Siddiqui as a software developer. Marshall Bushnell is now the Technical Scouting Manager using data for recruitment. Former Soccer Systems Analyst, Dustin Kadri, has moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders.

D.C. United: Caleb Shreve is Assistant General Manager at DC. Shreve became the second primarily analytics focused Assistant GM in MLS after Colorado’s (now promoted) Fran Taylor. DC’s analytics team includes Eamon Dunlavey as Director of Strategy and Analytics, Kevin O’Donnell as Data Scientist, Prateek Senapati as Data Science Consultant. Catalina Bush is a Data Analytics intern, go follow her fantastic MLSStat and NWSLStat accounts on Bluesky if you are not already.

Los Angeles FC: LAFC have Data Analysts Scott Burrola and Darian Ignatius on staff.

Nashville SC: One of Nashville’s first front office hirings was Oliver Miller-Farrel from the data provider Opta, is now Assistant General Manager, the third analytics staffer in this position after Taylor and Shreve. Nashville also employs Data Scientist Addison Wood and Software Developer Austin Wills.

New England Revolution: Will Johnson and Simon Fisher are New England’s Data Analysts. Additionally, Director of Data and Video Analytics, Todd Kingston, joined the Revs from Opta. Revs President Brian Bilello is also an ASA fan.

New York City FC: NYCFC is able to tap into the City Football Group analytics group with local support from Clark Thompson, NYCFC’s Director of Player Personnel and Analysis.

New York Red Bulls: ASA alumnus Sam Goldberg is Head of Player Personnel. Will Orser is the club’s Data Scientist. Like their cross-state rivals, RBNY can also tap into their global club network of analytics staff.

San Jose Earthquakes: San Jose’s analytics is led by Senior Director of Analytics, Grant Wenzinger. Aditya Nag and Benjamin Wong, formerly of the Miami Marlins, round out the analytics department as strategist and Data Engineering Manager, respectively.

Seattle Sounders: Director of Analytics Tyler Cox and software engineer Kyle Beck make up Seattle’s department.

Toronto FC: Devin Pleuler continues to assist TFC (and MLSE’s other teams) as Senior Director of Research and Development for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Toronto hired Kaustubh Kapoor as the new Manager, Analytics to replace Devin last year. Arthur Casupanan is Manager of Scouting and Roster Compliance. Alex Dodgshon, Scouting and Analytics Coach under John Herdman, departed this offseason. Toronto FC did complete the first ever analyst trade, sending a 2026 First Round Superdraft pick for assistant coach Neil Emblen and analyst Jase Kim, though Kim is primarily a video guy, so no bonus points here.

Vancouver Whitecaps: The Whitecaps have one of the larger analytics set-ups in soccer operations and performance. Senior Director of Analytics, Insights, and Research Johann Windt stepped away from the analytics team this year but remains as an advisor, with a new hire yet to be named. Former DC United Data Scientist Blake Parry remains as Scouting Coordinator. Their sports science data team includes Bryce Chevallier, Elise Chourrout, and Luke Peddie. Technical Director Quinn Thompson previously worked as the analytics head for Western University’s Men’s Hockey team.

Tier 2: One is the loneliest number.
These are the clubs that have one full time analytics staff member, regardless of how well regarded this single person is or how many interns the team may have. Other staff members may also help out with analytics work, but it is not their primary responsibility.

FC Cincinnati: Perfect Skyline eater Spencer Niehaus is FC Cincy’s Data Analyst.

Houston Dynamo: Ethan Creagar was hired from SRC as Data Scientist for the club in 2024. Creagar and General Manager Pat Onstad recently spoke at the American Soccer Insights Summit about their scouting process. ASA contributor Carlon Carpenter is Head of Analysis for the Dynamo - but doesn’t count for Tiers purposes.

Inter Miami: Bennett Blanco was hired this year as a data engineer. Sam Gregory left Miami to become Director of Analytics at US Soccer last year, and Jordyn Kaplan, their Data Scientist, left this spring for NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC.

LA Galaxy: General Manager Will Kuntz brought in former Seattle Data pioneer and SRC co-founder Ravi Ramineni as Director of Quantitative Analysis earlier this year.

Minnesota United: After years of having no analytics staff, Minnesota hired Lucas Wiley as Scouting and Data Analytics Coordinator. Minnesota also uses American Soccer Analysis’ consulting services, which is wholly separate arm from the media side of American Soccer Analysis.

Orlando City: Grant Rhines, Manager of Insights and Analytics, left for San Diego FC, and Data Engineer Pranav Nagarajan has moved on to Norwich City. The club recently hired Hugo Rios-Neto, previously with Gemini Sports Analytics and Atlético Mineiro in their stead.

Philadelphia Union: The Union’s analytics department has seen multiple departures, leaving Addison Hunsicker as the Senior Manager of Soccer Analytics.

Real Salt Lake: Joe Thomas, Lead Analyst for Team Operations & Recruitment, leads RSL’s analytics setup.

St. Louis City: Aidan Reynolds is the Senior Recruitment Analyst for St. Louis and leads a team of mostly hybrid sports science/video analysts across the first team, second team, and academy. He has an xG tattoo so you know he is legit.

Tier 3: We have a very important analytic, and that’s the score.
These clubs do not have an analytics staffer listed on their club site or is otherwise unknown. These clubs may use contractors, farm out their data recruitment and/or tactical analysis to analytics companies or consultants, or prefer to keep their in-house staff hidden for some reason. If you are a member of the front office of any of these clubs and need some pointers, contact us. The number of teams in this tier is dwindling, down to five from 13 in 2020.

Dallas: Dallas has no analysis staff, but have a partnership with Driblab. The club parted ways with their Data Consultant Arman Kafai last year.

Austin FC: Both Hayden Van Brewer and Kyle Voigt are no longer with Austin, leaving them with no analytics staffers to our knowledge - it’s the Barca DNAFC

CF Montréal: Assistant Sporting Director Vassili Cremanzidis who previously headed up analytics for Montreal left for San Jose, and analytics friendly coach Laurent Courtois was dismissed. Corey Wray, formerly of Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew, formalized his consulting deal to become Director of Soccer and immediately posted a job for Head of Sporting Analytics and Insights that looks like a whole lot for one person, but a hire was never announced. Louan Schlicht is listed as a video analyst, but is working with data in some capacity.

Portland Timbers: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sporting Kansas City: With Peter Vermes gone, SKC is without an “analytics guru.”