Wasatch Soccer SentinelThe short MLS week took it’s toll with only 11 sites published this week, and NBC Sports published their Wk 3 rankings late, so last week’s averages have been adjusted slightly. Also if you have literally one minute to spare I have a very brief survey asking opinions on how MLS compares to other leagues on a 1-10 scale (1 easy, 10 hard). Thank you if you can participate!
Now on to the rankings. As always, if you come across a site that I’ve not included please send me their link!
"If two teams played tomorrow, given their current injury concerns, form, and other considerations, who is likely to win on a neutral field? All things being equal, who is the best team going forward, based on what we know now?"
-Richard Farley, NBC Sports ProSoccerTalk. 3/11/14
Sites Used
- Who Scored (whoscored.com)
- Jeff Sagarin’s MLS Rankings (sagarin.com/sports/soccer)
- Sports Club Stats (sportsclubstats.com/USA/MLS) *No Rank wk 3-4
- Sports Illustrated (SI.com/planet-futbol) *No Rank wk 4
- ESPN (ESPNFC.com/major-league-soccer/19/index) *No Rank wk 4
- Soccer America (socceramerica.com)
- MLS Soccer (mlssoccer.com/series/power-rankings)
- MLS Multiplex (mlsmultiplex.com)
- Soccer By Ives (sbisoccer.com)
- Reddit Computer Rankings (from a Reddit user) *No Rank wk 3-4
- Reddit MLS (reddit/r/MLS)
- MLS Fantasy Boss (mlsfantasyboss.com)
- The Score (thescore.com/mls/news) *No Rank wk 4
- In On It (inonit.com/mls-playoffs-odds/power-rankings)
- Once A Metro (onceametro.com) *No Rank wk 3-4
- Five Thirty Eight (projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/mls)
- Goal (goal.com/en-us) *No Rank wk 4
- NBC Sports (soccer.nbcsports.com/tag/major-league-soccer) *No Rank wk 4
- MLS Aces (mlsaces.sportsblog.com)
You may notice the list includes several ‘analytic’ sites; the analytic sites function as a counterbalance to the rest which are based more on personal opinions. All the averages use the Olympic method of dropping the highest and lowest scores, and then averaging the rest to remove potential bias.
| Place | Team | Wk 33 | Wk 34 | Wk Best | Wk Worst | Std. Dev | 2022 Avg | 5-yr avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Atlanta United FC | 20.67 | 20.86 | 10 | 25 | 4.46 | 17.6 | 11.0832 |
| 5 | Austin FC | 5.22 | 6.14 | 5 | 17 | 4.02 | 7.2 | 12.992 |
| 23 | Charlotte FC | 20 | 21.71 | 16 | 27 | 3.61 | 22.8 | 14.784 |
| 24 | Chicago Fire | 23.56 | 22.71 | 17 | 24 | 2.17 | 20.7 | 19.678 |
| 10 | Cincinnati (FC) | 11.11 | 9.57 | 7 | 13 | 1.87 | 17.5 | 19.634 |
| 18 | Colorado Rapids | 20.44 | 18.71 | 14 | 22 | 2.65 | 16 | 15.666 |
| 12 | Columbus Crew SC | 8.89 | 12.71 | 4 | 16 | 3.76 | 11.3 | 10.859 |
| 28 | D.C. United | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 24.5 | 17.176 |
| 6 | Dallas (FC) | 5.89 | 6.29 | 4 | 16 | 3.82 | 8.5 | 11.1342 |
| 26 | Houston Dynamo | 24.56 | 25.43 | 24 | 27 | 0.88 | 22 | 17.22 |
| 15 | Inter Miami CF | 14 | 15.14 | 11 | 21 | 3.91 | 21.3 | 17.622 |
| 9 | L.A. Galaxy | 10.33 | 8.57 | 6 | 12 | 2.06 | 9.8 | 11.408 |
| 2 | Los Angeles FC | 1.56 | 1.71 | 1 | 3 | 0.67 | 2 | 5.5268 |
| 11 | Minnesota United FC | 15.22 | 12.14 | 7 | 17 | 2.93 | 11 | 12.076 |
| 3 | Montreal (CF) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 3.06 | 10.2 | 14.52 |
| 7 | Nashville SC | 8.11 | 6.86 | 4 | 10 | 1.96 | 8.7 | 11.874 |
| 17 | New England Revolution | 20 | 18.29 | 6 | 23 | 4.77 | 14.7 | 12.164 |
| 4 | New York City FC | 6.33 | 4.86 | 3 | 10 | 2.11 | 6.6 | 6.5156 |
| 8 | New York RB | 7.11 | 7.29 | 5 | 10 | 1.58 | 6.4 | 9.5228 |
| 16 | Orlando City SC | 14.11 | 15.86 | 13 | 23 | 3.87 | 13.5 | 13.312 |
| 1 | Philadelphia Union | 1.44 | 1.29 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 6.902 |
| 14 | Portland Timbers | 11.67 | 14 | 7 | 16 | 2.79 | 13.8 | 11.134 |
| 13 | Real Salt Lake | 14.44 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 1.79 | 10.8 | 13.31 |
| 25 | San Jose Earthquakes | 25 | 24.43 | 19 | 26 | 2.65 | 23.8 | 18.838 |
| 19 | Seattle Sounders FC | 19.44 | 19.43 | 12 | 23 | 3.91 | 13.9 | 7.384 |
| 22 | Sporting Kansas City | 20.22 | 21.14 | 16 | 26 | 3.14 | 23.5 | 10.9248 |
| 27 | Toronto FC | 25.67 | 26.43 | 20 | 27 | 2.54 | 21.7 | 14.724 |
| 20 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 18.56 | 20.14 | 16 | 25 | 3.49 | 22.6 | 19.364 |
You may look at the two new teams, plus Orlando and NYCFC and ask how they can have a 6 year average? Answer is that I gave them the benefit of being near the middle of the league, thus for Atlanta and Minnesota they start with a 10, Orlando and NYCFC started with a 9. Whether or not they go up or down depends on this year’s results.
| Team / Site | AVG | Jeff Sagarin | Five-Thirty-Eight | Massey | ESPN | Soc. Amer | MLS | MLS Fant. Boss | Reddit /r/mls | Mane Land | Philly Soc. Page | MLS Multiplex | Dallas News | Pro Soc. USA | Who Scored | Couch Metrics | AVG | Team / Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta United | 2.258 | -0.108 | -0.998 | -0.078 | -0.568 | 0.332 | -0.318 | -0.568 | -0.198 | 2.072 | -0.198 | 0.012 | -0.158 | -0.698 | 2.282 | -1.218 | 2.258 | Atlanta United |
| Chicago Fire | 17.654 | -1.864 | 0.696 | 0.166 | 0.846 | 0.406 | 1.026 | -0.484 | 0.586 | -0.414 | -0.074 | 0.176 | 0.046 | 1.586 | 0.556 | 0.606 | 17.654 | Chicago Fire |
| Colorado Rapids | 20.757 | -0.847 | 0.303 | -0.317 | 0.713 | -1.567 | 0.333 | 0.003 | 0.423 | 0.543 | -0.047 | -1.427 | -1.257 | -0.517 | 0.203 | 0.373 | 20.757 | Colorado Rapids |
| Columbus Crew | 7.794 | -0.294 | 0.206 | 0.676 | -1.294 | 0.116 | -0.504 | -0.314 | -1.234 | -0.584 | -0.184 | 0.006 | 1.936 | 0.166 | 5.456 | 1.466 | 7.794 | Columbus Crew |
| D.C. United | 17.043 | -2.663 | 0.667 | -2.303 | 0.957 | 0.617 | -0.193 | 1.547 | 0.247 | 0.317 | -0.883 | 0.957 | 1.857 | -0.643 | 0.497 | 1.437 | 17.043 | D.C. United |
| FC Dallas | 7.068 | 0.522 | -0.478 | -0.778 | 1.342 | -0.818 | -0.098 | -0.068 | 0.022 | 1.052 | 1.222 | -0.168 | 0.402 | -0.988 | -1.608 | -3.718 | 7.068 | FC Dallas |
| Houston Dynamo | 12.253 | -2.043 | 1.157 | 1.867 | -0.533 | -0.693 | 0.217 | 0.467 | -0.253 | -1.403 | 2.457 | 0.177 | 0.017 | 1.587 | -2.253 | 1.047 | 12.253 | Houston Dynamo |
| Los Angeles FC | 5.945 | 2.315 | -0.125 | -1.505 | 0.055 | -0.285 | 0.235 | -0.355 | -0.155 | 0.815 | -2.335 | 0.255 | 0.425 | 0.535 | -2.085 | -0.685 | 5.945 | Los Angeles FC |
| L.A. Galaxy | 12.029 | 1.321 | -0.819 | -0.649 | -0.029 | -1.059 | -0.789 | 4.381 | -0.819 | -0.849 | 4.551 | 0.471 | -1.129 | -0.269 | -0.779 | -1.419 | 12.029 | L.A. Galaxy |
| Minnesota United | 18.385 | 1.525 | 1.145 | 0.465 | -1.005 | -0.545 | 0.325 | 1.615 | -0.945 | 1.135 | 0.775 | -0.785 | -1.055 | -0.425 | 1.475 | -1.515 | 18.385 | Minnesota United |
| Montreal Impact | 16.1 | 0.25 | 0.75 | -0.45 | 0.18 | 0.06 | -1.04 | 1.45 | 0.05 | -1.58 | 0.51 | 0.93 | -0.8 | -1.78 | -0.67 | 0.38 | 16.1 | Montreal Impact |
| N.E. Revolution | 13.431 | -1.431 | 0.629 | -0.871 | 0.909 | -1.741 | 1.159 | -0.121 | 0.809 | 1.089 | -0.491 | -0.361 | -0.831 | 0.529 | -1.141 | -0.521 | 13.431 | N.E. Revolution |
| New York FC | 4.348 | -1.138 | -0.998 | -0.228 | 0.492 | 0.372 | 1.182 | -1.108 | 0.062 | 0.502 | 0.842 | 0.982 | -0.578 | 1.452 | 0.192 | 0.002 | 4.348 | New York FC |
| New York RB | 3.259 | -0.639 | -0.199 | 0.771 | -0.449 | 1.051 | -0.319 | -0.599 | -0.169 | -0.259 | -0.159 | -0.229 | -0.659 | -0.379 | -1.439 | -0.169 | 3.259 | New York RB |
| Orlando SC | 17.946 | 1.904 | 0.874 | 1.644 | -0.816 | -0.356 | -0.296 | 2.504 | -0.536 | -0.526 | 0.444 | -1.476 | 0.184 | -1.666 | 0.014 | -0.816 | 17.946 | Orlando SC |
| Philadelphia Union | 13.69 | 1.16 | -0.6 | 0.52 | 0.34 | -0.16 | -0.84 | 0.59 | -0.75 | 0.4 | -0.56 | 0.58 | 2.04 | -0.05 | 0.24 | 0.57 | 13.69 | Philadelphia Union |
| Portland Timbers | 9.195 | -0.875 | -1.845 | -0.635 | 0.555 | -0.505 | 0.065 | -0.785 | 1.715 | -0.135 | -1.805 | 0.435 | -1.865 | 0.925 | -0.055 | -2.715 | 9.195 | Portland Timbers |
| Real Salt Lake | 13.448 | 3.112 | -0.828 | -1.038 | 0.022 | -0.638 | 0.372 | -0.068 | 0.142 | 3.002 | -1.128 | -0.518 | 1.722 | 0.152 | -2.158 | -1.798 | 13.448 | Real Salt Lake |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 20.143 | -0.553 | 2.147 | 0.507 | -0.203 | 0.107 | 0.037 | 0.577 | -0.583 | -0.993 | 1.337 | -0.173 | 0.887 | 0.817 | -5.893 | 2.597 | 20.143 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Seattle Sounders | 12.061 | -0.181 | -1.971 | -0.771 | 0.069 | 2.319 | 0.259 | -4.371 | 1.349 | -1.761 | -2.771 | 2.139 | -0.891 | 0.539 | 2.689 | 1.419 | 12.061 | Seattle Sounders |
| Sporting Kansas City | 5.142 | -0.382 | -0.492 | 0.858 | 0.518 | 0.828 | -0.262 | 0.648 | -0.262 | -0.472 | 2.018 | -0.772 | -0.112 | -0.702 | -3.782 | 0.338 | 5.142 | Sporting Kansas City |
| Toronto FC | 12.716 | -0.926 | -0.536 | 2.524 | -0.156 | 3.784 | -1.566 | -4.236 | 1.464 | -1.836 | -3.776 | -0.286 | -0.446 | -0.356 | 3.494 | 4.984 | 12.716 | Toronto FC |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 13.016 | 2.134 | 1.924 | -0.016 | -1.546 | -1.296 | 1.334 | -0.426 | -1.106 | 0.194 | 0.594 | -0.816 | 0.584 | 0.464 | 4.914 | -0.316 | 13.016 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Most Bias VS | (+) | 3.112 | 2.147 | 2.524 | 1.342 | 3.784 | 1.334 | 4.381 | 1.715 | 3.002 | 4.551 | 2.139 | 2.04 | 1.587 | 5.456 | 4.984 | (+) | Most Bias VS |
| Most Bias FOR | (-) | -2.663 | -1.971 | -2.303 | -1.546 | -1.741 | -1.566 | -4.371 | -1.234 | -1.836 | -3.776 | -1.476 | -1.865 | -1.78 | -5.893 | -3.718 | (-) | Most Bias FOR |
- Site with highest bias For: Once A Metro with CHI ranked 8.55 better than avg.
- Site with highest bias Against: Sports Club Stats with SEA ranked 11.07 worse than avg - however SCS has not published in 2 weeks. The Active site with the most bias against is Who Scored with TOR 8.3 worse than average.
- Site with least bias For: NBC Sports with HOU 0.03 better than avg.
- Site with least bias Against: Soccer America and Soccer By Ives both with POR 0.01 worse than avg.
