Huge respect to USL players seeking a CBA that provides for protections (like health insurance) that should have been in place decades ago.
Not sure the in-stadium DJ in Lexington got the message.
Totally chuffed to have an opportunity to do some weekly data storytelling with resources like g+ from @americansocceranalysis.com and Team Tendencies via @futi.live. This week we look at how RSL operated and how one change in offensive positioning ended up as a double-edged sword.
GAMsmas week is always a wistful time for the fam.
Giddily waking up to finally know how much money your club frustratingly won't spend on a flashy international U22, someone who'd be doomed to failure from the start anyway with the weight of your unreasonable expectation.
Season's Greetings!
Some look to Punxsutawney Phil. I prefer the first Face of the Week to herald the new season as truly begun
Absolutely love to hear Schmetz insist we scored 3 tonight.
ARE YOU WATCHING POCH?!
absolutely absurd decision
I thought so too. Seems like they are saying these fellas will be switching sides throughout which def happened last year with Jesus and Paul.
This came home to roost day one for Dayne.
Pragmatically, with the exception of Albert, the recent history of DP contracts have not lived up to the output needed for a title winning run. DP output will decide your playoff home advantage. DP output decides your MLS Cup ceiling. Jordan’s /90 nums were great last year but we needed him healthy.
bsky.app/profile/timo...
Adding some color to the fun MLS rivalries conversation on the fantastic new Backpost Runners pod via @sounderatheart.com, Gio Savarese shared his own thoughts on the Cascadia rivalry with the @soccercooligans.com and recalls his worst loss to Sounders.
Perpetual Candidate for MVP: Most Venerable Person
The X-Man Cometh
Case and point:
There is a lovely symbiosis between @backheeled.com @mattdoyle.bsky.social's Tactics Free Zone, ASA, and the individual team blogs like @sounderatheart.com and @burgundywave.bsky.social going on that feels very fun in an age when the league and media have decided on no real MLS coverage.
For the Seattle Sounders defense, the Final 1/3 Offensive g+ allowed in Nouhou's area of the field was best in the league.
Wild how lopsided play was from Sounders opponents in 2025 on a g+ basis. Even in a somewhat concerning defensive year Nouhou kept his area well patrolled. This is the argument for why Brian continues to stick with it.
For @sounderatheart.com I dove into @futi.live Team Tendencies and focused in on Sounders' signature tendency "Patient Possession," and how MLS, and the Western Conference in particular, has been more than edging in that same direction for a couple of seasons now.
Just one data point, but as of the moment in the @sounderatheart.com league for @fantasyutd.bsky.social Alex is the most expensive Defender and one of the most bid on players. IYKYK
We all cried bloody murder when Miami was allowed to creatively spread the fee schedule to their benefit with Atletico Madrid for Rodrigo de Paul. Tucked in here is apparently now Sounders have also creatively spread Obed’s fee schedule with Atletico to their benefit just six months later.
Once again showing everyone else how to maximize their use of MLS’ built in incentive structure that favors developing players.
I'm going to choose to believe this Reed Baker-Whiting move in no small part comes from Inter Miami's continuing dark cloud over Nashville. They saw RBW could hang with Messi in a Final and said to themselves "we need exactly that." Winning a Final with the bench is still reverberating months later.
Probably Arriola? for Dallas at the end he was more of a low lying winger in practice.
Reed’s Conundrum: listed as a midfielder on the roster but in actuality stuck on the wide back depth chart. This is the right move.
Happy to see they are just letting him rip it on corners. Not sure why they need the other guy in the corner with him at this point.
Latest @lobbingscorchers.com with @mls-zwazo.bsky.social yarning a tale of data was so so so fun.
overcast.fm/+ABBxA9tRSU8
This did a pretty good job of framing the situation with Polymarket and the information environment they are trying cultivate.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines today!
It felt flukey more than a pattern in the moment, but looking back at that game 3 seems to suggest it was strange pattern playing out.
Less shots allowed than normal from set pieces over a season is good right? Not when you allow the other team to take better shots when they do get a shot. Sounders xG per non-penalty-shot allowed in 2025 was almost double what it was in 2024.
I hadn't fully absorbed how bad Sounders Set Piece Defense was last year. In the WGCF "Set Piece" Build Up Categories only SKC were worse than Sounders in non-Penalty goals and xG/shot allowed.
So I guess that's my main concern going into the 2026 MLS Season. Can't do that again!
