Using Goals Added (g+) to Assess Dollar Value

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Using Goals Added (g+) to Assess Dollar Value

One of the most interesting aspects of MLS when compared to many other popular soccer leagues in the world is that MLS operates under a salary cap. From a roster-building perspective, this has a tremendous impact on how players are valued. Considering the following thought experiment. Let’s say that we have two players who play the same position, have the same age and injury history, and have the exact skill level. For all intents and purposes, they are the same player. Now, let’s say that Player A has a much better agent than Player B and manages to get a contract with a team for 4 times the amount of money as player B.

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MLS Capology: Constructing the Ideal MLS Roster

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MLS Capology: Constructing the Ideal MLS Roster

Major League Soccer is thankfully becoming more and more transparent every year, and as they peel back the curtain fans can understand (and challenge) the strategy of roster compositions of their favorite teams. Ultimately the printed rules allows fans to become more intimate with their teams. This year MLS published rosters that allocated players between the senior roster, supplemental and reserve roster positions. They also shared details about General Allocation Money (GAM). At this point it’s worth the effort to take stock of the various roster rules and funding agreements between the team and the league to determine some paths to building an MLS team.

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Wages Are Still the Best Predictor of Results in MLS

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Isn’t it great when the numbers are on your side? When they are sure to make your case quickly, because one thing for certain is that those numbers will be different next season? As the first MLS semifinal weekend approaches, an examination of the wages paid by the final four teams has parity parrots talking. Both the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas sit at the bottom of the league payroll but are at the top of the league in results and hosting the second leg of the semifinals. The payroll underdog story makes all fans feel good. But should it?

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Value Available vs Value on Field: Evaluating MLS Salary Cap Management

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Value Available vs Value on Field: Evaluating MLS Salary Cap Management

This post sets out to use expansion side Orlando City as an example of how value in MLS can be calculated, and how a teams’ management of the salary cap can be scrutinized using a simple visualization.

With the release of the salary cap last week there are a hundred and one things I want to do with this data. The first idea is something that myself and Ben Torvaney thought of when discussing what we would do if we had the salary data of the Premier League and other European leagues if it was available like it is in MLS (fun topic of conversation I know). Evidently, that data is unlikely to ever be released for any of the big leagues, so MLS is the only league these ideas can be applied to.

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