Can we predict who will win the Ballon d'Or in 10 years? I tried to do it: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

May we all never have to watch a game that ends with nine center backs on the field ever again.

Burnley completed 81 passes today. Can't remember the last time I've seen a team go 90 minutes without getting to at least 100.

Hello, friends. It's FORWARD PROGRESS DAY. "A cinematic celebration of college football’s exploding influence and a rigorous look at how and why the sport may look totally new once again," according to whoever wrote the summary blurb on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Forward-Prog...

Liverpool: have played zero good games. Also Liverpool: nine points from nine, two points clear at the top, already won two of the toughest fixtures of the season.

That might be the dumbest soccer game I’ve ever seen.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have made Manchester United better. Now they're pretty much exactly as good as Fulham.

I wrote about the best transfers of the past decade that still totally flopped: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Excited to announce a new paper together with @sigridolthof.bsky.social entitled "Perspectives on data analytics for gaining a competitive advantage in football: computational approaches to tactics". This is a synthesis article that has 3 key objectives www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.... 1 / 4

Marshall Munetsi is becoming one of my favorite players in the Premier League: a midfielder who can't pass, doesn't pass, and just makes runs into the penalty area.

Currently on pace to score 152 goals and concede 76.

This isn’t reflected in the betting odds much (if at all), but from all the predictions I’ve seen: people who make predictions are too low on Arsenal and too high on Manchester City.

Come find out why one of us hates your favorite team!

On the one hand, Liverpool might set the record for goals scored in a single season. On the other hand, Liverpool might set the record for goals allowed in a single season.

The "stats men" collected data for the 1974 World Cup. Via @statsperform.optajoe.com: Franz Beckenbauer won possession more often than any player, and he completed the most passes into the attacking third.

Interested in presenting? There are two ways to showcase your work at the 2026 ASI Summit. For more information on submitting proposals and abstracts, visit: americansoccerinsights.com

Arsenal fans already have Scott pulling out an xG race chart from a preseason game. It's gonna be a long season.

If you loved Sarri's Napoli or De Zerbi's Brighton, you should be watching Mikey Varas's San Diego. I wrote for the Guardian about the risky press-baiting style that makes MLS's newest team its most tactically interesting, statistically extreme and just plain fun.

I copied @billbarnwell.com and ranked the past 25 soccer teams of the past 25 years: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

I wrote about Hugo Ekitike, who has all the makings of a complete bust *and* a generational superstar: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Hi there. For ESPN, I did a long retrospective on Trent Alexander-Arnold's career so far. The article covers: - Liverpool before TAA - How he helped transformed Liverpool - An early glimpse to his potential role with Real Madrid - Challenge he'll face in Spanish football www.espn.com/soccer/story...

MLB, the NBA, and the NFL all have sort-of-healthy, robust individual-award conversations that help us figure out what we value in each sport. In soccer, this, uh, does not exist! So, I wrote about how I'd think about the Ballon d'Or if France Football gave me a vote: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Arsenal appear to be going all in this summer. I wrote about why it's riskier than it seems: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

If I were an Arsenal fan, I too would be upset that my team just signed a really good young player at the most premium position in the sport for less money than two significantly worse players in similar positions were signed for yesterday.

OMG

Riqui Puig is basically a better version of Kevin De Bruyne in MLS. We need to see what De Paul could do — for science.

Wrote this about Diogo Jota and Andre Silva mailchi.mp/theanfieldwr...

Sometimes you just need to get a little more granular. @paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc broke g+ down into its component parts and then broke it down some more www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2025/7/... Breaking it down: g+ Sub-categories — American Soccer Analysis

It's pretty clear that Brentford have discovered the analytical quality that best predicts managerial success: being handsome.

Touched on this in my book, but one positive outcome of the analytics movement in soccer could be: players using data to get paid more.

Our SUF4 condensation paper is finally out! cell.com/cell-reports... Thank you to everyone who has scientifically, mentally, and emotionally supported my co-authors and me over the years. Below is a summary of the work-- we hope you enjoy our findings!

I wrote about the USMNT’s current crisis — and why it’s all totally normal: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

I wrote about the USMNT's biggest problem under Mauricio Pochettino so far: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Welcome to the 2025 FC 100: our biggest version of the ranker yet in its ninth year, with a ton of podcast/video content, versions in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch, and SO MUCH MORE. Dig in. www.espn.com/soccer/story...

I ranked the 30 best players who might play in the Champions League final: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

I was skeptical of the Conference League when UEFA created it, but it's pretty cool that it gives teams who have spent over a billion dollars on transfer fees over the past three years a chance to win a trophy.

Still 15 minutes left, but I'm really starting to wonder if Antony actually is the GOAT.

I wrote about the defining story of the Premier League season. How Liverpool lost one of the best coaches in the history of the sport -- and immediately got better: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Asking for a friend: where in Lisbon would be a good spot to watch the Benfica and Sporting games today?

Newcastle and Villa peaked just in time, City never really did, Forest couldn’t outrun xG forever, and everyone in the middle has been great and terrible at some point. @rwohan.bsky.social and I ranked Premier League teams one last time for 24-25: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

I wrote about the defining story of the Premier League season. How Liverpool lost one of the best coaches in the history of the sport -- and immediately got better: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Don't worry about pre-ordering JUST yet, but ... my book has an official cover and release date. (And the final draft is due Monday, which means no finalized House or CFP expansion info in there, which I'm TOTALLY not stressed about. Ha ha, not at all.) www.amazon.com/Forward-Prog...

Of all the Trent Alexander-Arnold stats out there, this one sticks out the most, for a variety of reasons. Marcelo -- maybe the greatest attacking left back of all time, played 16 seasons with Real Madrid -- created 57 assists in La Liga. TAA already has 64 assists in the Premier League. He's 26.

I wrote about the soccer team owned by the guy who plays a superhero with no skin: www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Raphinha has a legit case for the Ballon d’Or, and I’m pretty sure he’s not even the best winger on his own team.

To my fellow nerds: Don’t use the xG totals from the Arsenal-PSG game to form any kind of argument. Half of Arsenal’s total value came from a shot that would’ve been ruled offside if it went in. Don’t let them know that we don’t watch the games!

Truly world-class xG harvesting by Martinelli. If he scores, this gets VAR’d and removed from the statistical record.

Not the same finish, but that late ball from Mendes to a dropping-deep Dembele was the same ball that led to PSG’s goal at Anfield.