MOBILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a VizMas miracle!

Merry VizMas Eve to every one of us.

Love this. The kinds of things I’ve been sharing on Friday Stat Dump are becoming available for all of you, too!

🎁 ASA VizMas Day 3! 🎄 Have you ever wished that you could see a player's career g+ in graphic form? You can now do exactly that on VizHub! Today's addition is a brand-new chart that shows g+ p96 above average across every season. Let me know what you think!

I’m super excited for this one.

It's been a while since I made any major ASA VizHub improvements... which is why, over the next 5 days, I'll be releasing a new feature every single day, culminating on the 25th with a major update that's been long overdue. 👀 A VizHub xmas... VizMas, if you will. First update tomorrow 🔜

Before you give me your next logo explainer, run it in front of a bunch of U-8 kids and show me the video of what they called your team.

It's here. The single best resource for the 2026 MLS Superdraft has dropped from @paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2025/12...

Just now wrapping SNME, and that is the correct finish to the correct guy. Gunther is the new career ender. Beware Styles, Mysterio, and Jericho. Congrats on a fantastic career, John Cena.

I think I missed this Tiotal article on the first go-round. I’ve been a proponent of cutbacks for several years, but there are definitely good situations for them and almost useless ones. The best ones always involve smart off-ball runs into available space that get defenders/keepers scrambling.

The Fire winning South Dakota gets me. The Revs are biggest in New Hampshire. The Spirit bigger than DC United? The Royals bigger that RSL? Interesting.

This is almost like when the White Sox won the World Series. First Big 10 football championship for IU since 1945. Congrats to the Hoosiers! On to the playoffs.

Let's go IU!

My little guy, same as he does when any MLS playoff team loses: “It’s okay, Vancouver Whitecaps. Maybe next time.”

Nobody knows it, because his attacking overshadows his defense, but Messi is the...*check notes*...14th best ball-winner in this Inter Miami team.

Cubas has chosen the single worst 5 minutes to forget how he's one of the top defensive midfielders in MLS.

Win ball from mistake. Run downhill. Make the right pass. Goal.

Business has picked up. This is very much there for Vancouver’s taking if they don’t let Miami run downhill.

GAME. FREAKING. ON.

Sharing for higher visibility.

Keep in mind the own goal has no xG. If the pass was completed, it probably would have been ~0.4. Vancouver is doing enough to steal this holding Miami to 0.5 xG (+ the own goal’s danger) so far. Now they need to find the back of the net.

It’s an interesting thing that the spouse of an MLS coach is wearing the kit of another team. Completely get it. It’s just an interesting visual.

We got it early! Buckle up.

Friday Stat Dump: MLS Cup Mega Thread As I mentioned last week, Inter Miami and Vancouver led the league in 2025 in xG. Today's game has the potential to be a very exciting one. Team xG by "Where Goals Come From" Goal Category shown below. Set Piece Kick includes penalties. 1/

Friday Stat Dump: MLS Cup Mega Thread As I mentioned last week, Inter Miami and Vancouver led the league in 2025 in xG. Today's game has the potential to be a very exciting one. Team xG by "Where Goals Come From" Goal Category shown below. Set Piece Kick includes penalties. 1/

I'm working on the Friday Stat Dump analysis, and I think it will get better attention before the MLS Cup Final tomorrow, so I'll post it tomorrow morning. I've got a new dimension to the recently-added grouped bar team and player analysis, and I'm looking forward to showing it off in the morning.

Later today (or early tomorrow), I'll come out with a Friday Stat Dump about tomorrow's MLS Cup Finals game between Inter Miami and Vancouver. So that will be a focused thread on the two teams, I wanted to first talk about finals in MLS, and how I expect they will translate to this game. 1/

From your descriptions of this morning's events, I am very happy to have booked myself a complete slate of meetings.

Miami and Vancouver are not only worthy MLS Cup opponents, they were 1st and 2nd respectively in total goals and total xG (ASA's model). This should make for an attacking final instead of the typical "cagey" type of game we usually get until that opening goal is scored. Should be lots of fun.

What a move by Ahmed. Getting free-and-clear into the cutback zone gave him a chance to just pick out the best run. 3-0 at the half and just could not have gone better for Vancouver.

Obviously no Friday Stat Dump this weekend due to time with family, but I’ll be watching these MLS semi as much as possible. I’ll do a special look at the two teams that remain next week.

That was a lot of fun. Vancouver has been a lot of fun this season. Happy for their fans, and the 53K that showed up tonight. Weird season for LAFC, but it’s nice that Son is working out. Can’t wait to see a full season of him with this group.

That second yellow to Blackmon has changed everything. Son goal, LAFC momentum, now an extra time advantage. And even if Vancouver somehow advances, they won’t have a very key player for the Western finals.

Goalkeeper assist! #VANvLAFC

Regular FSD readers (thank you!) might note something new: I've added grouping bars to my analysis toolkit. Not just another chart, it's extremely configurable across the 2,000 metrics/stats I can track. What group of metrics/stats would you like to see next? Here's xG Tier goals:

Friday Stat Dump: MLS 2025 Ball-winning Action leaders. Back in June, I wrote about the value of recovery actions in a FSD thread and for Backheeled. In short, I demonstrated a solid positive correlation between recovery differential and goal differential. 1/ www.backheeled.com/winning-duel...

Alex Freeman’s story I feel like is almost underrated. Became a full time starter this season and not only was MLS Best XI but is also contributing to the national team. His ascendence in 2025 is remarkable

No Friday Stat Dump today due to family plans. I may produce one tomorrow. Either way, enjoy the playoff games and finals across all the American leagues.

Over in USL, Spokane Velocity lead Portland Hearts of Pine in the USL1 semi-final on — what else? — a long-throw set piece. 1-0 halftime in Spokane.

Amahl Pellegrino finding success with San Diego, particularly in the playoffs, warms my heart.

That ball from Jordi Alba to Silvetti was a good example of a linebreaking pass from the outside. That’s what he does.

Everyone is aware we’ve got Cincinnati and Columbus Hell is Real Derby in the playoffs happening right now, correct? My feed is all MNUFC/Seattle, Nashville/Miami, and the Next Pro final…

Would guess that was why MLS’s officials determined not to have Obed Vargas retake his attempt.

The Sounders use of third-man runs and off-ball movement led directly to the first goal and to the corner that led to the second. It’s completely baffled the Minnesota United back line and given the Sounders an early 2-0 lead.

Questions come up when I use linebreaking passes. I'm not ready to share the methodology publicly yet, but I have validated the method visually with dozens of passes. What I can share: the methodology takes ASA's definition of progressive passes (25% closer to the goal) and adds more logic. 1/

Now that everybody is caught up on long throws it's time to start talking about Dyche Zone free kicks

Reminder, Minoungou played 726 minutes. Everyone with at least four completed cutbacks had at least twice as many minutes. Rothrock and Kent both making the top 12 sorta illustrates what the Sounders try to do.

Friday Stat Dump on Saturday: MLS leaders of various pass types. (New: I've enhanced my chart generation with players!) I put no stock in pass completion % which includes passes with no pressure. So let's look at chance-creating pass types. First, the top 25(+ ties) with throughballs! 1/ (lol)