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Regular Season Review |
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Welcome
Welcome to Stats Perform’s US Major League Soccer season review for the 2020 regular season.
Interactive and showcasing a host of detailed performance metrics, this report provides insight into the league’s standout performers, applying innovative frameworks produced by our team of AI scientists.
Within this review, we share a comprehensive breakdown of performance at the key ends of the pitch, as well as sharing detailed insight on team style, both in and out of possession. Detailed player analysis also features, with key metrics ranked across different positions.
Notable additions to our reviews this year include details on the teams most effective at generating opportunities from high turnovers, together with insights into how each team approached the changes to the goal kick rule. We also apply metrics to highlight the ball carrying players who were effective at generating goalscoring opportunities through running with the ball.
These new features reflect Stats Perform’s ongoing commitment to further explore how performance data can inform a club’s decision-making across performance analysis, recruitment and long-term strategic planning.
We hope you find some interesting insights from this review.
Team
Expected Goals (For)
Overview
Key Points:
Listed alphabetically across both conferences, this table outlines teams’ performances in front of goal, from both open play and set piece situations.
Despite only finishing seventh in the Western Conference, Los Angeles FC’s ability to generate high quality chances from open play was demonstrated by them amassing an xG output of 33.3 from 267 shots. New York City FC were the only other team to post more than 260 shots, however Ronny Delia’s side scored seven fewer open play goals and failed to match their xG output by nearly four.
Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union and MLS Is Back Tournament winners Portland Timbers were the joint-highest scorers from open play (34), with both teams exceeding their xG output by seven and ten goals respectively.
Three teams created over 30% of their total xG from set pieces: Real Salt Lake, Inter Miami and Nashville SC. Only Sporting Kansas City could match Nashville’s total of 12 set piece goals, which accounted for 50% of the MLS newcomer’s entire regular season output, helping them secure a playoff berth.
As well as Nashville, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, Montreal Impact and DC United all exceeded their set piece xG by two clear goals.
| Team | xG Ratio | Shots | xG | Goals | SP Shots | SP xG | SP Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta United FC | 0.20 | 144 | 15.0 | 17 | 71 | 4.6 | 3 | |
| Chicago Fire FC | 0.23 | 238 | 28.6 | 24 | 77 | 9.4 | 7 | |
| Colorado Rapids | 0.22 | 199 | 19.4 | 21 | 49 | 5.4 | 9 | |
| Columbus Crew SC | 0.14 | 195 | 24.5 | 30 | 52 | 4.7 | 3 | |
| D.C. United | 0.27 | 155 | 14.3 | 10 | 59 | 6.4 | 10 | |
| FC Cincinnati | 0.29 | 160 | 13.7 | 8 | 72 | 6.3 | 2 | |
| FC Dallas | 0.18 | 209 | 25.7 | 20 | 66 | 6.3 | 5 | |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 0.17 | 257 | 27.0 | 22 | 68 | 6.2 | 6 | |
| Inter Miami CF | 0.33 | 192 | 19.0 | 17 | 105 | 10.1 | 6 | |
| LA Galaxy | 0.24 | 174 | 19.0 | 17 | 71 | 7.0 | 6 | |
| Los Angeles Football Club | 0.21 | 267 | 33.3 | 32 | 89 | 9.2 | 11 | |
| Minnesota United FC | 0.21 | 216 | 23.4 | 25 | 73 | 6.8 | 6 | |
| Montreal Impact | 0.17 | 188 | 23.4 | 21 | 56 | 5.6 | 8 | |
| Nashville SC | 0.31 | 182 | 17.0 | 12 | 90 | 8.1 | 12 | |
| New England Revolution | 0.20 | 231 | 26.9 | 18 | 107 | 7.1 | 6 | |
| New York City FC | 0.19 | 261 | 28.8 | 25 | 92 | 7.4 | 8 | |
| New York Red Bulls | 0.24 | 188 | 21.6 | 20 | 56 | 7.0 | 8 | |
| Orlando City SC | 0.17 | 198 | 26.8 | 31 | 67 | 5.8 | 7 | |
| Philadelphia Union | 0.24 | 217 | 26.9 | 34 | 78 | 9.1 | 7 | |
| Portland Timbers | 0.22 | 191 | 23.6 | 34 | 65 | 7.1 | 9 | |
| Real Salt Lake | 0.34 | 185 | 17.0 | 14 | 89 | 10.1 | 7 | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 0.18 | 219 | 22.7 | 25 | 81 | 5.8 | 5 | |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 0.26 | 191 | 27.5 | 28 | 84 | 10.8 | 9 | |
| Sporting Kansas City | 0.29 | 229 | 23.9 | 24 | 83 | 10.0 | 12 | |
| Toronto FC | 0.15 | 227 | 27.6 | 27 | 58 | 5.7 | 1 | |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0.15 | 138 | 18.3 | 19 | 53 | 3.7 | 3 |
Graphic
Definitions
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Set Play | Chances occuring as a result of a corner, direct free kick, indirect free kick or throw-in. |
| Set Play : Total xG Ratio | The proportion of a team’s total xG that resulted from set plays. |
| Expected Goals (xG) | Expected Goals (xG) measures the quality of a shot based on several variables such as assist type, shot angle and distance from goal, whether it was a headed shot and whether it was defined as a big chance. Adding up a player or team’s expected goals can give us an indication of how many goals a player or team should have scored on average, given the shots they have taken. |
Expected Goals (Against)
Overview
Key Points:
After ranking in the bottom third for MLS open play xG conceded during 2019, Seattle demonstrated a huge turnaround in defensive fortunes in 2020, recording a league-low 15 xG against. The Sounders solidity was also evident at set piece situations, where they conceded chances worth just 4.7 xG.
New England Revolution ranked joint-top in MLS for the fewest open play goals conceded with Seattle, however based on the quality of chances the Revs conceded, they were perhaps fortune not to have conceded more goals.
Despite possessing a significant threat at attacking set plays, DC United were not as effective inside their own box, conceding the highest number of goals from set pieces (12). Portland were another team to concede a high volume of shots from set piece situations, which were collectively worth the highest xG in the competition (11.1).
Philadelphia Union conceded the fewest goals during the regular season, however their opposition failed to capitalise on the quality of chances they created. Based on Union’s xG conceded from both open play and set pieces, we would have perhaps expected the Supporters’ Shield winners to have conceded 40% more goals during the campaign.
| Team | xG Ratio | Shots | xG | Goals | SP Shots | SP xG | SP Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta United FC | 0.30 | 195 | 19.6 | 21 | 70 | 8.5 | 9 | |
| Chicago Fire FC | 0.26 | 208 | 25.6 | 29 | 68 | 9.7 | 8 | |
| Colorado Rapids | 0.28 | 172 | 16.9 | 18 | 76 | 7.4 | 7 | |
| Columbus Crew SC | 0.26 | 186 | 17.5 | 13 | 85 | 7.9 | 2 | |
| D.C. United | 0.22 | 246 | 28.2 | 26 | 97 | 8.8 | 12 | |
| FC Cincinnati | 0.19 | 209 | 25.1 | 25 | 77 | 6.3 | 8 | |
| FC Dallas | 0.22 | 261 | 20.1 | 18 | 76 | 6.3 | 3 | |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 0.18 | 251 | 29.1 | 29 | 86 | 7.0 | 7 | |
| Inter Miami CF | 0.22 | 163 | 19.9 | 27 | 62 | 7.1 | 3 | |
| LA Galaxy | 0.18 | 228 | 25.4 | 37 | 70 | 6.4 | 5 | |
| Los Angeles Football Club | 0.26 | 153 | 19.9 | 24 | 78 | 8.1 | 8 | |
| Minnesota United FC | 0.15 | 233 | 26.0 | 18 | 59 | 5.2 | 4 | |
| Montreal Impact | 0.19 | 247 | 30.4 | 30 | 83 | 7.8 | 10 | |
| Nashville SC | 0.19 | 209 | 21.7 | 18 | 55 | 5.1 | 4 | |
| New England Revolution | 0.22 | 181 | 20.8 | 13 | 64 | 6.2 | 9 | |
| New York City FC | 0.23 | 179 | 21.1 | 17 | 73 | 7.1 | 5 | |
| New York Red Bulls | 0.20 | 186 | 24.8 | 23 | 71 | 6.7 | 4 | |
| Orlando City SC | 0.25 | 204 | 20.5 | 15 | 98 | 7.3 | 8 | |
| Philadelphia Union | 0.22 | 182 | 20.3 | 14 | 83 | 6.3 | 5 | |
| Portland Timbers | 0.27 | 231 | 28.6 | 25 | 99 | 11.1 | 9 | |
| Real Salt Lake | 0.19 | 174 | 22.6 | 24 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 0.22 | 196 | 25.7 | 34 | 70 | 8.2 | 11 | |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 0.22 | 152 | 15.0 | 13 | 56 | 4.7 | 7 | |
| Sporting Kansas City | 0.19 | 143 | 19.2 | 19 | 54 | 5.0 | 4 | |
| Toronto FC | 0.23 | 173 | 19.1 | 15 | 60 | 6.5 | 8 | |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0.21 | 289 | 32.0 | 30 | 87 | 9.2 | 8 |