More on the Off-5

by Dave Clark on Oct 11, 2009 1:00 AM PDT in Major League Soccer Comment 3 comments

I'm still as certain as ever that while Sigi has been employing the Arrow formation with a defensive midfielder and a box-to-box man the offensive woes of the team are such that finding a way to get five offensive players on the pitch rather than the 4.5 to 6.5 ratio that exists now is vital. The key to this is finding the best man for the CAM role, as the best at the forwards seems to be the Freddyain, with Zakuani on the Left Wing and probably Le Toux on the right (though Evans, Jaqua and Levesqua all have time there).

So who belongs in the middle?

Today the evidence I offer isn't about passing skills, but instead raw data about who has been most effective at putting their shots on target, and of those scoring. Of the current five most regular offensive players Ljungberg is the best (Jaqua worst) at shooting on target, Jaqua the best (Le Toux worst) at having a shot become a goal and Jaqua is the best (Le Toux worst) at having those on target shots become goals.

While this chart is not an indication of who might be best at passing, it does offer further insight into who is best at taking advantage of their chances.

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Have you seen Jeff Sagarin’s ratings dave? an interesting look at the league.

by byronC on Oct 11, 2009 7:34 PM PDT reply actions

It is notable by Sagarin (who I am most familiar with addressing College Football/Basketball) that Sounders should get 4 points. A tie @ KC as the two clubs are near equal, and a win at home v FCD

by Dave Clark on Oct 12, 2009 8:33 AM PDT reply actions

This is interesting. Yes, we sports junkies know about Sagarin from football/basketball. I think it it cool that he has expanded to soccer. There was an old Steve Martin movie called “The Jerk.” In it, Steve Martin saw that his name was in the phone book and that meant that he had arrived. Now that Sagarin put forth soccer rankings, MLS has arrived.

Seriously, I agree with a lot of the rankings. It really shows the strength of the west. I see sometimes other rankings where it shows rankings based on what place they are in in the respective conference, especially with regards to Chicago.

by Coug1990 on Oct 14, 2009 7:46 AM PDT reply actions