Over the last several years, the team here at American Soccer Analysis has been assessing the State of MLS Analytics by combing through team websites, scouring LinkedIn, and asking those who would know about how many people each team employs. This year, we’ve taken our talents to the women’s game to determine the Tiers of NWSL Analytics.

Before we get into those tiers, we have to define analytics in this context. Former ASA Contributor Kevin Minkus, now Director of Analytics for MLS’ 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 which NWSL (and MLS) teams have an analytics staff member, the “something” is player recruitment and tactical analysis.

We’re talking about using numbers and mathematical models (i.e., 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 analytics as separate from sports science, where data and statistics are used to mainly evaluate a team’s own players’ physical performance, which include aspects like training loads and injury prevention. Furthermore, analytics is different from business analytics where data and statistics are used to drive more monetary value for a club in a way that is not related to the sporting side.

Like we said in the MLS version of this series, there is no doubt that NWSL staff members are tasked with multiple responsibilities. Just because an individual has the job title of “data analyst” doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be recruited to film a training session or break down video. 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 the job and analytics being the job. For this, we will be counting the latter. One NWSL-specific wrinkle we must address: many NWSL clubs are co-owned or share resources with a partner men’s club. We decided that only employees actually employed by the NWSL club were eligible. Get your own staff.

As a reminder, we only count full-time employees - not interns or part time employees.

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 NWSL Analytics as of August 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.

Washington Spirit

The Spirit’s Sporting Director is James Hocken, who was formerly the team’s Head of Data Analytics for a little over two years. The club’s current Director of Data Analytics, Seungbeum Lee, falls into the analytics category but toes the line of medical/sports science, too. The team also has a full-time Data Scientist on staff in Edvin Tran Hoac, cementing them as the NWSL’s only team in the Nerd Boss tier.

Tier 1: “F” is for friends that do math together.

These are NWSL clubs that have at least two full-time analytics staff members, an actual department.

Bay FC

ASA alum Arielle Dror has been the Bay’s Director of Data & Analytics since their arrival to the league ahead of the 2024 season. She’s joined by Data/Video Analyst Rachel Comfort, to round out the team’s analytics staff.

Houston Dash

Michael Poma is the Dash’s Director of Recruitment and Analytics and has been since January of this year. A veteran in the analytics world, Poma was previously an analyst for the U.S. youth national soccer team and the Head of Analytics for the San Diego Wave before moving up the ranks in Houston. Adelaide Gilley was recently hired as the Dash’s full-time Recruitment Analyst, too. The team also employs Chloe Dillon in a data-forward Performance Analyst role, and has three part time employees in the analytics department.

Orlando Pride

Kat Conner is Orlando’s Director of Scouting and Analytics, and Aaron Hegenberger is their Talent Identification Scout. According to Hegenbergers’ LinkedIn, he employs a ‘data-based recruitment’ strategy for the Pride. Pride GM Haley Carter sat down with Evan and Eric to talk about their club’s data usage and her personal views on data, hours before their 2024 NWSL Championship victory.

Tier 2: One is the loneliest number.

These are the clubs that have one full-time analytics staff member. Other staff members may also help out with analytics work, but it is not their primary responsibility.

Boston Legacy

Ahead of their first season in the NWSL, the Legacy hired Jordyn Kaplan as their first ever Director of Analytics, continuing the trend of expansion teams investing in analytics from the jump. Before Boston, Kaplan was a Senior Data Analyst with MLS’ Inter Miami. Recruiting Messi’s friends probably won’t work in NWSL as well as it did in MLS.

NJ/NY Gotham FC

Gotham’s Head of Analytics is Jorma Göms, who is in his first full-time role in sports. Coming from a background primarily in machine learning in STEM, Görns has been with Gotham since the 2022 season.

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 the make-up of their analytics department 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.

Angel City

Though Angel City employs three people whose titles have ‘analytics’ in it, none of them actually fit the analytics bill in this context. Director of Football Mark Parsons is historically reasonably data friendly, and spoke to the xOwn Goals Crew in preseason. Similar is true of Technical Director Mark Wilson and Assistant General Manager Matt Wade.

Chicago Stars

No one on the Stars’ staff is primarily in an analytics role. Karina Báez is employed as an assistant coach, though her background is in analytics.

Kansas City Current

The Current have a Sport Science Analyst on staff, but do not appear to employ an analytics practitioner.

North Carolina Courage

North Carolina employs a data scientist, though he works with sports science and physical data management, leaving the Courage in the bottom tier.

Portland Thorns FC

The Thorns don’t have a single full-time staff member in their analytics team. They do, however, employ Lee Merricks, who is a Data Analytics and Video Analysis Consultant for the club.

Racing Louisville

Racing Louisville’s Malek Shafei is a Data Analyst, but he’s dual employed by Louisville City and Racing Louisville, leaving Racing in tier three.

Seattle Reign FC

The Reign employ two video analysts and a sports scientist, but no data folks.

San Diego Wave FC

Chris Loxston is listed as the Director of Recruitment and Analytics on San Diego’s staff page, but refers to himself solely as Director of Recruitment on LinkedIn and appears to come from a coaching and scouting background.

Utah Royals

Joe Thomas is the Royals’ Lead Analyst - Team Operations and Recruiting, but he is employed by Real Salt Lake in MLS, so doesn’t help the Royal’s Tiers position. Utah also employs two primarily video analysts. The Royals have allegedly worked with a part-time data consultant in the past.
As always, if we’re wrong about your team. Please let us know and we can update the Tiers list.