Comments and analysis about the world of American soccer.
| This week's column: Climbing the Ladder: Winning PK shootouts If the CCL final goes to one, everything is pointing to RSL having a great chance (knock on wood). Previous Columns
Labels: MLSsoccer.com, penalty kicks |
posted by scaryice at 7:25 AM
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| A list of all the penalties can be found here, on the MLS web site. There were 56 total, of which 48 were scored (85.7%). The big story this season was Dallas' David Ferreira earning 4 penalties to lead the league. That's the most since Mamadou Diallo & Igor Simutenkov did the same in 2002. My data is incomplete for the first few years, but I don't have anyone ever getting more than 4 in a season. Diallo also accomplished the feat in 2001, and Diego Serna did it as well in 2000. Interesting also to note fellow MVP candidate Chris Wondolowski drawing 2, with Edson Buddle nowhere to be found. I actually don't think Buddle has ever drawn a penalty in his MLS career. Most of the sources for this info were from match reports and matchtrackers (from 1999-2002, it was actually listed on MLSnet) , so please let me know if I'm wrong and you remember an instance where he has. Chad Marshall also drew 2, both I believe from corners, while Seattle's Jeff Parke led the league in penalties conceded with 3. The last player to concede more than 2 was Danny O'Rourke (4) in 2008, who added another 2 to his career total this year. Penalties Earned
Penalties Conceded
Team Breakdown
Further Reading Labels: Chad Marshall, chris wondolowski, Danny O'Rourke, David Ferreira, Diego Serna, edson buddle, Igor Simutenkov, Jeff Parke, Mamadou Diallo, penalties earned and conceded, penalty kicks |
posted by scaryice at 4:04 AM
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| The round of 16 in the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is over, and it was a good couple of nights for MLS. Six out of eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals, the most since the current format has been in place (2007-10). 2007 - 3 teams 2008 - 5 teams 2009 - 4 teams 2010 - 6 teams Actually, the overall record for MLS teams in this round was 5-1-2, with two games ending in a shootout. I've updated the all time list of MLS teams & players in penalty shootouts, click here. And the one MLS team to lose outright (NY) did so in extra time, so no MLS team lost in 90 minutes. Why the improved record? First and foremost is the amount of home games. MLS teams hosted 6/8 games, compared to 2-4-2 in the previous three years. Second, the World Cup break couldn't have hurt, even though most teams still played plenty of reserves. More notes on the shootouts: 1) Chicago lost 0-3 in the shootout to Charleston, failing to convert on all three of their penalties. It's the first time an MLS team has been shutout in a shootout. The Fire have now lost three shootouts in the last 12 months: the MLS Eastern conference championship, the Superliga final, and now this. 2) The Charleston Battery are now 2-1 against MLS teams in shootouts. The other non-MLS teams to have multiple shootouts against an MLS team are Minnesota Thunder (0-2), Pachuca (2-0), and Rochester Rhinos (2-2). 3) Kasey Keller saved two penalties for Seattle against the Portland Timbers. That's only the 13th time (out of 60 possible) an MLS keeper saved two or more penalties in shootout. Matt Reis and Nick Rimando have done it three times each. The most penalties saved in a single shootout? That would be 3, by Rimando in last year's above-mentioned CHI vs RSL game, and also by Tom Presthus for DC vs Hershey in the 1997 Open Cup (also the first ever MLS penalty shootout). I'll have to add goalkeeper save percentages to my penalty shootouts page (EDIT: done!). As always, thecup.us is the number one site for coverage of the tournament. Labels: open cup, penalty kicks |
posted by scaryice at 10:54 AM
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| Updated through the 2010 Superliga semifinals. Which MLS teams have had the most success in penalty shootouts? Which players would you most want to take a shot under pressure, and who do you want to stay far away from those situations? I've got the answers in this post. For the long time MLS fans: This post doesn't include the hated MLS shootouts used from 1996-99 to decide tied regular season and playoff games. Just the regular ones used around the world. A game with an MLS team has gone to a shootout (official competitions only) a total of 44 times. 17 of those games pitted two MLS sides against one another, so in total there have been 61 instances of a team having their players involved in one. List of Penalty Shootouts Involving MLS Teams
The numbers on the right are the final score of the shootout. An "N" means that the game was played on neutral ground. OC = Open Cup, CC = Champions Cup, CL = Champions League, P = MLS playoffs, and SL = Superliga. The most famous shootouts would have to be the ones that concluded the 2006 and 2009 MLS Cups. There's also four more finals that have been decided by pks, as well as the great DC-NE semifinal in 2004. Team Records
MLS teams are 15-12 in shootouts against non-MLS competition. Shooter Stats Overall, 216 MLS players have taken 335 shootout penalties, and have made 256 (76.42%). A special mention needs to be made regarding Brian Grazier of the Rapids. He only played in one game, (a 2008 Open Cup qualifier in KC) but still took part in a shootout (and made his shot). The field player who's played the most games without taking part in one is Nick Garcia (it was previously C.J. Brown until last year's playoffs). If you exclude defenders, it's Dema Kovalenko. The players you would most want to take a shot? Twelve players have taken at least 3 with a 100% scoring rate. Taylor Twellman is at the top of the list, going a perfect 5-for-5. The other current players you would want in your lineup are Chris Tierney, Chris Wondolowski, Pablo Mastroeni, Richard Mulrooney, and Robbie Findley (all 3-for-3). The guys you would least want in there? Jay Heaps has the most overall misses with three (1-for-4, including the miss in the MLS Cup). His only successful shot was way back with the Miami Fusion. Only one player has taken more than one without scoring, Clint Dempsey (0-for-2). Ben Olsen was in this category, but he made his latest penalty in El Salvador last year (I was cringing watching him prepare for that shot). Among active players, you wouldn't want Jaime Moreno or Pat Noonan (both 1-for-3 along with Olsen). Here's the full list: (includes only data with MLS teams) 100% (5-for-5) Taylor Twellman 100% (4-for-4) Mauricio Cienfuegos, Carlos Ruiz 100% (3-for-3) Abe Thompson, Chris Tierney, Chris Wondolowski, Clint Mathis, Diego Gutierrez, Pablo Mastroeni, Richard Mulrooney, Robbie Findley, Simon Elliot 100% (2-for-2) Ante Razov, Chris Gbandi, Claudio Lopez, Craig Waibel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Freddy Adu, Jeff Larentowicz, Jose Cancela, Junior Agogo, Kerry Zavagnin, Manny Lagos, Mehdi Ballouchy, Ned Grabavoy, Ramon Nunez, Robbie Russell, Ronald Cerritos, Ronnie O'Brien, Simo Valakari, Stuart Holden, Will Johnson, Zak Ibsen 100% (1-for-1) Adolfo Valencia, Alain Sutter, Alan Gordon, Alecko Eskandarian, Alejandro Moreno, Amaechi Igwe, Andy Herron, Ben Iroha, Billy Walsh, Bobby Rhine, Brandon McDonald, Brian Carroll, Brian Grazier, Brian Kamler, Brian Loftin, Bryan Jordan, C.J. Brown, Carey Talley, Carlos Hermosillo, Chad Barrett, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Chris Albright, Chris Armas, Chris Henderson, Chris Pontius, Chris Rolfe, Chris Wingert, Christian Gomez, Claudio Suarez, Colin Clark, Damian, Daniel Peinado, Daniel Woolard, Danny Califf, Danny Szetela, David Beckham, Dominic Kinnear, Emmanuel Ekpo, Ezra Hendrickson, Frank Yallop, Fredy Montero, Gary Glasgow, Gregg Berhalter, Guillermo Jara, Henry Gutierrez, Herculez Gomez, Ian Russell, Isaias Bardales, Ivan Trujillo, Jack Jewsbury, James Riley, Jan Eriksson, Jason Garey, Jason Kreis, Jeff Cunningham, Jerzy Podbrozny, Jim Rooney, Joey Gjertsen, John Michael Hayden, John Wilmar Perez, Jorge Rodriguez, Kei Kamara, Kelly Gray, Kenny Cooper, Kenny Mansally, Kheli Dube, Kurt Morsink, Marc Burch, Mark Chung, Martin Machon, Mauricio Castro, Michael Harrington, Mike Petke, Miles Joseph, Nathan Sturgis, Nicolas Hernandez, Omar Cummings, Oscar Pareja, Pat Phelan, Paul Dougherty, Peguero Jean Philippe, Peter Vermes, Preki, Rafael Gomes, Ramon Sanchez, Ricardo Clark, Robert Warzycha, Roger Espinoza, Roland Aguilera, Ronnie Ekelund, Roy Wegerle, Ryan McMahen, Ryan Pore, Sacha Kijestan, Santino Quaranta, Sasha Victorine, Scott Bower, Shawn Medved, Steve Jolley, Steve Shak, Steve Zakuani, Terry Cooke, Todd Dunivant, Todd Yeagley, Tony Kuhn, Tony Sanneh, Troy Dayak, Tyrone Marshall, Ugo Ihemelu, Victor Mella, Zach Scott, Zach Thornton 86% (6-for-7) Greg Vanney 83% (5-for-6) Matt Reis 80% (4-for-5) Shalrie Joseph 75% (3-for-4) Dwayne De Rosario, Kyle Beckerman, Peter Vagenas 67% (2-for-3) Brian McBride, Cobi Jones, Jeff Agoos, Jimmy Conrad, Jovan Kirovski, Ramiro Corrales, Steve Ralston, Wade Barrett 50% (2-for-4) Brian Ching, Landon Donovan 50% (1-for-2) Andy Williams, Arturo Alvarez, Edson Buddle, Ivan Guerrero, Josh Wolff, Lubos Kubik, Marco Etcheverry, Mike Magee, Paul Caligiuri, Thiago, Wilman Conde 33% (1-for-3) Ben Olsen, Jaime Moreno, Pat Noonan 25% (1-for-4) Jay Heaps 0% (0-for-1) Abel Xavier, Aitor Karanka, Andy Dorman, Brad Davis, Brandon Prideaux, Chris Brown, Corey Ashe, Dario Sala, Duncan Oughton, Eric Wynalda, Fabian Espindola, Facundo Erpen, Francisco Palencia, Franco Caraccio, Geoff Cameron, Jason Farrell, Javier Morales, Jesse Marsch, John Thorrington, John Wilson, Joseph Ngwenya, Josh Gros, Juan Toja, Justin Mapp, Khano Smith, Krzysztof Krol, Logan Pause, Mauricio Ramos, Mike Banner, Mike Lapper, Pablo Ricchetti, Patrick Ianni, Raul Diaz Arce, Richard Gough, Roberto Mina, Tab Ramos, Tyson Wahl, Uche Okafor 0% (0-for-2) Clint Dempsey Goalkeeper Stats Missed = those penalties hit high, wide, or off the crossbar or post. The percentage of penalties saved only includes those that were hit on target.
Labels: clint dempsey, penalty kicks, shootouts, taylor twellman |
posted by scaryice at 1:04 AM
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| A list of all penalties can be found on the league stats page (scroll to the bottom). However, on that page they don't list who earned and conceded the penalties like they used to a few years back. I've always missed that, so I keep track of it myself by looking through match reports. This seems to be the year of the handball. The past four years have seen 10, 10, 6, and 6 handballs result in penalties. We still have a third of the 2009 season to go, and already there's been 14. All four players with two penalties conceded have been called twice for handballs in the box (Omar Gonzalez twice in the same game). The Columbus Crew's Danny O'Rourke is nowhere to be found on the conceded list after giving up a remarkable and possibly record breaking four penalties last year (several of which may have been dubious, but oh well). However, one man is making waves for earning penalties: DC United's Christian Gomez. He's already earned three penalties this year. The last player to earn three in a single season was Carlos Ruiz in 2005. Penalties Earned
Penalties Conceded
Further Reading Labels: christian gomez, handballs, penalties earned and conceded, penalty kicks |
posted by scaryice at 5:17 AM
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