Valuing goalkeepers with goals added

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Valuing goalkeepers with goals added

We have updated our goals added (g+) methodology to produce g+ components for goal keepers. You can find these new metrics on the Goals Added window in the app under the Goalkeepers tab (MLS, NWSL). Up to this point, we had not published g+ metrics for goal keepers. We recognize that goalkeepers perform many unique tasks on the field, and the first version of our expected possession value models and g+ framework missed a lot of those. Below I’ll explain the specific keeper g+ components and what they try to measure, share a few examples, and then wrap up with some nitty gritty details.

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2020 Season Preview: New England Revolution

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2020 Season Preview: New England Revolution

“Parity translates to mediocrity. It doesn’t translate to excellence.” - Bruce Arena (2014)

You know, it’s kind of easy to imagine why the coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy might feel that way. After all, circa 2014, they were still the biggest club around, flexing their money advantage as much as the rule book would allow them and maybe sometimes just a little bit more. The Galaxy were more or less a lonely yacht moored in a league mostly populated by the kind of boat owned by upper middle class hobbyists. Those boats that are often neglected, dock fees piling up, the owners wondering if this thing is actually worth any of the hassle.

And to be clear, I don’t think he’s wrong. The boat he found himself the captain of in the middle of 2019 was a result of that parity. Mediocre was a charitable way to describe the mess Bruce inherited following the bizarre and disastrous tenure of Brad Friedel, a captain who motivated his crew by holding a can of gasoline and waving around a torch.

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New England Revolution 2019 Season Preview

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New England Revolution 2019 Season Preview

The New England Revolution began a new era in 2018. Former coach and legendary Revs player Jay Heaps had pushed the team all the way to the MLS Cup Final in 2014, but the team hit a multi-year slide from then on, ending with his dismissal in 2017. Brad Friedel, former Premier League and USMNT goalkeeper, was hired to start fresh and instill a new culture in the club. Friedel’s squads were able to get lots of results early in the year, but New England had a miserable summer, netting two draws and six losses in July and August.

Friedel’s first season in charge brought plenty of off-field stories as well, and for much of the season, the players that weren’t playing generated as many headlines as those who did. But after a year of roster changes and an infusion of attackers, this is 100% Friedel’s team, and the Revolution will look to make a statement that their brand of soccer can make an impact in a league that’s become a bit more top heavy than just a few years ago.

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An Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven

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An Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven

The Major League Soccer season is almost over, which means that it is time to dish out some awards. Today, we are going to put together the official “Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven”. There are only three criteria that a player must fulfill to be in contention for the “AAAMLSYSE” (the trademarks for the name and abbreviation are pending):  

  • All players must be American

  • All players must have played at least 500 minutes in MLS this season

  • All players must be 22-years-old or younger

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