End of Season Player Analysis

Now that the season has come to a disappointing finish, the Sounders’ entrance workplace will have to solution some critical questions on what can/must be completed with the roster going ahead.

Across the 43 video games in all competitions this 12 months, 26 other avid gamers began a minimum of one recreation for the Sounders. In an try to gauge how essential person avid gamers have been to the crew this 12 months, I appeared into how the crew did when person avid gamers have been within the beginning 11 vs once they weren’t. And I a minimum of discovered many of the effects moderately attention-grabbing.

A couple of MASSIVE disclaimers prior to sharing what I found out.

1. The pattern sizes are small. I restricted my research to avid gamers that began and no longer began in a minimum of 5 video games. This used to be an arbitrary quantity I picked based totally totally on in need of to incorporate one of the extra polarizing avid gamers in this 12 months’s roster.
2. There is ALWAYS extra context which may be added to statistics like those. Strengths of combatants, if video games have been house or away, and what different avid gamers did/didn’t get started are all contributing components. They are simply past my (very novice) talent to research.

The Results

Below is a desk appearing the variations in PER GAME stats the crew completed when the given participant used to be within the beginning 11 vs once they weren’t, taken care of via quantity of begins the analyzed avid gamers made throughout all competitions.

Name	Points	Goals Scored	Goals Allowed	Games Started	Games Not Started	Sample Size
Rusnak	-0.158	-0.047	0.263	38	5	5
A. Roldan	1.314	1.230	-0.117	37	6	6
Frei	0.771	0.839	-0.021	35	8	8
Morris	0.257	0.379	0.286	35	8	8
Arreaga	0.596	0.425	-0.408	34	9	9
Nouhou	-0.485	0.003	0.435	34	9	9
Lodeiro	0.600	0.750	0.068	32	11	11
Gomez	0.238	0.081	-0.140	31	12	12
C. Roldan	0.267	-0.082	-0.218	30	13	13
Ruidiaz	0.368	0.826	0.220	20	23	20
Rowe	-0.139	-0.387	-0.113	18	25	18
Ragen	-0.333	-0.100	0.269	18	25	18
Montero	-0.037	-0.243	-0.255	15	28	15
Vargas	0.374	0.192	-0.554	13	30	13
Leyva	-0.629	-0.249	0.328	13	30	13
Paulo	0.317	0.382	0.024	12	31	12
Medranda	-0.313	-0.144	0.127	9	34	9
Atencio	-0.455	-0.425	0.127	9	34	9
Chu	-0.172	-0.425	-0.294	9	34	9
Cleveland	-0.750	-0.839	0.021	8	35	8
Cissoko	-1.194	-1.230	0.117	6	37	6

I do know that could be a lot of numbers on a display screen so let me speak about each and every stat for my part.

Points Per Game

Rank	Name	Points	Sample Size
1	A. Roldan	1.314	6
2	Frei	0.771	8
3	Lodeiro	0.600	11
4	Arreaga	0.596	9
5	Vargas	0.374	13
6	Ruidiaz	0.368	20
7	Paulo	0.317	12
8	C. Roldan	0.267	13
9	Morris	0.257	8
10	Gomez	0.238	12
11	Montero	-0.037	15
12	Rowe	-0.139	18
13	Rusnak	-0.158	5
14	Chu	-0.172	9
15	Medranda	-0.313	9
16	Ragen	-0.333	18
17	Bruin	-0.361	11
18	Atencio	-0.455	9
19	Nouhou	-0.485	9
20	Leyva	-0.629	13
21	Cleveland	-0.750	8
22	Cissoko	-1.194	6

Two avid gamers in particular stand out for me right here: Alex Roldan in a good means, and Nouhou in a unfavourable.

First the certain. Alex Roldan used to be it seems that all however irreplaceable this 12 months. The crew averaged over 1.3 issues in step with recreation extra within the 37 video games he began than within the six video games the place he didn’t. While six video games is a small pattern he nonetheless had just about double the have an effect on of another participant at the roster. To me this implies one of two issues (or much more likely a mix of the 2). 1. Alex is an especially underrated participant 2. The crew has no different viable RB at the roster.

Now for the unfavourable… The crew averaged nearly 0.5 issues in step with recreation extra when Nouhou DIDN’T get started than when he did. I’ve been a Nouhou defender for some time, so this used to be tremendous disappointing to look. We all know his popularity via now, a lockdown 1v1 defender with critical barriers going ahead. But as you’ll see from the highest desk, and as I can additional provide an explanation for later, no longer even that used to be it seems that true this 12 months.

Goals Scored Per Game

Rank	Name	Goals Scored	Sample Size
1	A. Roldan	1.230	6
2	Frei	0.839	8
3	Ruidiaz	0.826	20
4	Lodeiro	0.750	11
5	Arreaga	0.425	9
6	Paulo	0.382	12
7	Morris	0.379	8
8	Vargas	0.192	13
9	Gomez	0.081	12
10	Nouhou	0.003	9
11	Rusnak	-0.047	5
12	C. Roldan	-0.082	13
13	Ragen	-0.100	18
14	Medranda	-0.144	9
15	Montero	-0.243	15
16	Leyva	-0.249	13
17	Rowe	-0.387	18
18	Atencio	-0.425	9
19	Chu	-0.425	9
20	Bruin	-0.506	11
21	Cleveland	-0.839	8
22	Cissoko	-1.230	6

Looking at those stats I’ve two major takeaways (past the in the past discussed irreplaceability of Alex Roldan). The first being that regardless of their advancing age, Ruidiaz and Loderio are nonetheless what make the assault paintings. Across a tight pattern measurement of video games, the inclusion of longer tenured DP’s had the third and 4th maximum have an effect on on targets scored this season.

The similar can’t be mentioned then again in regards to the crew’s latest DP, which is my 2nd takeaway. Rusnak began all however 5 video games this season however the crew scored nearly precisely the similar quantity of targets in step with recreation in video games he began as in recreation the place he didn’t. To re-iterate, that is an especially small pattern measurement, however this isn’t what you wish to have to look from a participant who’s intended number one position is to facilitate/begin the assault (although he used to be requested to take action from a deeper place for many of the 12 months).

I additionally in finding it attention-grabbing how top Stephan Frei used to be in this record. One wouldn’t be expecting a purpose keeper’s presence within the beginning 11 to have such an have an effect on on a crew’s offensive efficiency. Though I be expecting it used to be due much less to Frei himself and extra as a result of of the sport plans in video games the place Frei didn’t get started.

Goals Allowed Per Game

Rank	Name	Goals Allowed	Sample Size
1	Vargas	-0.554	13
2	Arreaga	-0.408	9
3	Chu	-0.294	9
4	Montero	-0.255	15
5	C. Roldan	-0.218	13
6	Gomez	-0.140	12
7	A. Roldan	-0.117	6
8	Rowe	-0.113	18
9	Frei	-0.021	8
10	Cleveland	0.021	8
11	Paulo	0.024	12
12	Bruin	0.054	11
13	Lodeiro	0.068	11
14	Cissoko	0.117	6
15	Medranda	0.127	9
16	Atencio	0.127	9
17	Ruidiaz	0.220	20
18	Rusnak	0.263	5
19	Ragen	0.269	18
20	Morris	0.286	8
21	Leyva	0.328	13
22	Nouhou	0.435	9

Two avid gamers leap out to me in this chart. The one on the most sensible and the only on the backside.

Obed Vargas having the most important certain have an effect on at the crew’s defensive efficiency is a large praise to the younger Alaskan. I used to be shocked how a lot Schemtzer relied on the 16-year-old this season however this information actually validates Schmetzer’s determination to take action.

Nouhou then again… yikes. The crew permitting nearly part a purpose in step with recreation extra when he used to be within the beginning 11 vs once we used to be no longer is lovely damning. Especially for a participant this is intended to be a defensive stalwart. I’m no longer going to put the entire Sounders’ defensive struggles this 12 months on Nouhou, however I don’t see how a crew can be successful when your protection first LB has the most important unfavourable impact on what number of targets in step with recreation you permit.

Conclusion

So what must we make of all this? The hell if I do know.

Like I mentioned prior to, those numbers are in response to small pattern sizes with out a lot deeper context. They must subsequently be serious about greater than a grain of salt; then again, I do assume they are able to be used as items in higher discussions. And that’s the place you, the remaining of the SAH neighborhood is available in. Armed with this data, the place do you assume the groups must pass from right here? Are there any avid gamers you presently assume are kind of essential than prior to? Do you’ve gotten any takeaways from the information that I didn’t point out? I’d in truth love to listen to your ideas.