Hello, friends. This is a blog dedicated to stats and insights from Major League Soccer. Specifically, the stats of how a team does when a certain guy or lineup is on the field.
This type of analytics has gained popularity in basketball in recent years, with plus/minus and lineup-based ratings becoming common amongst writers, analysts and fans. Soccer is obviously a bit of a different animal since there are way more players on the field and substitutions only happen 3 times a game. Still, there is plenty to be gained from understanding what lineups and partnerships work best on the field.
The goal here is to look into more than just which starting eleven results in the most wins - that's simple. We're hoping for much more nuance: which left back-left wing combination results in the best total shots ratio when the team is trailing? Which centerback pairing limits scoring opportunities best when holding a lead?
This site will touch on stats and questions like this as often as possible. A couple quick disclaimers: a current limitation of this site is data collection - we basically only cover stats that are readily available. Things like expected goal models, while dope and much better than just counting shots and goals, are too advanced for your humble writer. For that stuff go to americansocceranalysis.com - they can cover you for that.
Additionally, this site is admittedly a fairly ugly, simple design (though I prefer the adjectives "clean" and "crisp"). Don't expect that to change unless I hit the lottery or you want to sponsor me so I can quit my day job and concentrate solely on soccer writing.
If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know on Twitter @MLSOnOffStats or email me at MLSOnOffs@gmail.com.
