Thank you. Another way to look at it is comparing the top scoring player to the top scoring club. In 2013-2014, the mean goals per game of the top scoring clubs in the EPL, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue Un (five clubs, one from each league) was 2.50. The mean goals per game of the top scoring clubs in the last five MLS seasons (one per season) was 1.80. The UEFA value is 38.9% higher, and if you multiply the MLS record of 27 by 1.39 you get 37.5 which is more than the EPL record.
I'm sorry--mathematically challenged here. I was following you up until you multiplied by 1.39--why did you do that and what is the significance of the 37.5 result? Once again i apologize for being math ignorant....
I realize I'm more likely to confuse you here than anything, but I'll give it a go. If you want to increase a number by any percent, 38.5% in this example, you just multiply it by 1.(whatever percent), which is 1.39 when rounded. So if you want to increase a number by 50% you multiply it by 1.50, 1.75 for 75%, etc... The argument is that because there is so much disparity between teams in European leagues, the top scorers are in a better position to score more goals against weaker teams, hence why they score 38.5% more than the top MLS players per season. So if you increase the goalscoring record in MLS (27 goals) by 38.5% to even the playing field so to speak, the adjusted total is 37.5 goals, which is in line with the totals from Euro leagues. Its not necessarily arguing that MLS strikers are actually on par with their Euro counterparts, it just tries to explain why the MLS scoring record is so much lower than the scoring records in Europe.
Thank you so much--that was actually very helpful and I understood your explanation. Statistical analysis is a wonderful thing, when you know how to use it and apply it.
http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/features/news/newsid=2462790/index.html says: "27 goals in 32 appearances have seen Bradley Wright-Phillips equal the Major League Soccer single-season scoring record. The former Manchester City and Plymouth Argyle player also became the first Englishman and the first New York Red Bulls (formerly MetroStars) player to top the US top flight's scoring chart. The 29-year-old claimed both goals in the Red Bulls' 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, taking him level with record-holders Chris Wondolowski and Roy Lassiter in his club's final match of the regular season. Wright-Phillips finished seven clear of his nearest challenger, Sporting KC's Dom Dwyer, and his average of 0.94 goals per game kept him well clear of the likes of Robbie Keane, Clint Dempsey, Jermain Defoe and Landon Donovan. There was also cause for celebration for MLS as a whole, with the league-wide average attendance of 19,149 setting a new regular-season record."
http://m.mlssoccer.com/news/article...tch-roy-lassiter-season-total-mls-goal-record Focus now turns to 33 goals (27 RS + 6 PO) by Roy in 1996...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/sports/soccer/bradley-wright-phillips-red-bulls-mls-playoffs.html Wright-Phillips’s perfect world will have to wait. His team’s fortunes are closely linked to his form, and scrutiny comes with the territory. And another tribute is surely coming: Wright-Phillips has 99 goals across all competitions since joining the Red Bulls in 2013, meaning his next milestone could come as soon as Monday night, when he will lead the Red Bulls against Toronto F.C. in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. Whether he likes it or not, Wright-Phillips continues to ensure he will be seen and talked about.