Dan Stover and Jim Prestifilippo present their infographic of Philadelphia Union player stats for September’s games and the season so far.
Author: Dan Stover and Jim Prestifilippo
When they're not tearing up Fifa '13 online play with the Kaizer Chiefs (Tshabalala for life) or trotting Morecambe FC into the EPL on Lewis Alessandra's back, Dan and Jim spend their weekends in the River End or down at the Iron Abbey cheering (sometimes grumbling} on the Union. These Lansdale natives enjoy the finer things in life - like Old Crow bourbon, cheap tattoos, and thrift store furniture. They're both currently training for their entry into next year's Supplemental Draft.
Love these!
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Shouldn’t Le Toux’s shots on frame % be 67%? It says he’s 2 for 3 but has him at 33%. (The other possibility is he’s 1 for 3 and the typo is there, of course.)
It’s a typo. I can confirm the numbers later but I think it’s 2/3.
the percentage was correct. 1/3
Love this as well. Deep into the season, the statistics on the right side of the page have a lot of validity to them. Stand out points for me:
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1) Season’s leader in possession differential/90 min is none other than Keon Daniel. Again, he gets no respect for the subtle value he adds to Hactics. The guy is a valuable holding midfielder. In the right system, you can’t deny his usefulness. It’s not flashy, and it’s not always obvious to fans who don’t understand the game, but he gets the job done.
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2) Wheeler and Hoppenot’s top rankings on offensive production are misleading since it is extrapolated to 90 minutes. These guys produce because they’re running at tired defenders. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both in certain situations, but MVP for offense still goes to Casey for me. Farfan ranking lower than Okugo in this category is one of the key stories of the team’s season.
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3) I still don’t get Williams’ lower ranking on the defensive play / 90min. Maybe I’m biased because I like him as a player, but is it really possible that he’s more of a defensive liability than Farfan, Gaddis and Fabinho? Doesn’t make sense to me. Someone explain please.
In regards to #3, this is something I’ve noticed since March. Williams is an outstanding defender, but he pulls himself into the offensive 3rd often and is forced to make sometimes slopp tackles/fouls. Also many of the holding MF [Carroll, Daniel, Lahoud, and Farfan] snap up a large number of interceptions and ball recoveries game-in, game-out.
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Also keep in mind that the stat only accounts for recorded events, so if a winger decides to pass the ball backwards or switch the play because Williams has shut down a passing lane, that instance is not recorded. The same goes for 1v1 defending that doesn’t result in a tackle or dispossession etc.
Regarding #1 on your list, I agree. I think Daniel is doing exactly what Hackworth asks him to do, and that’s why he gets on the field game after game, even though pundits keep saying he’s terrible.
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Brian Carroll’s possession differential per 90 is another stand out to me. So often we hear that he’s washed up, over the hill, not good at his job any more, etc. But those observations don’t line up with the numbers.
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My hunch for both would be that their numbers are high because of the type of passes they make – short and safe, even if that means going backward. Both are doing exactly what Hack wants.
This is always a fun read. I did have one point validated that I had kind of felt but was afraid to say out loud. If you compare the September numbers to the whole year, it looks like Danny Cruz is … improving.
Cruz is improving. Absolutely.