Soccer metrics to evaluate players

Maybe the Ultras could come up with a song for him.

"He only runs when he needs to,
he only run when he needs to....."

 

One good half? Umm he has 4g, 2a in 600 min, which would put him like 5th in the league in terms of productivity. I don't think he scored 4g and 2a in "one good half".

 

Skeptical that Vako is Asian?

 

Yes, very.

 

That would be "Vako-san" to you.

 

To my eyes he's done well in every game, progressively getting better. Way he plays is typical for Georgian attackers. Every kid growing up in the 90s wanted to be this guy


so that's who they take after. If you pay attention to the style you'll recognize the similarities although Vako doesn't have nearly enough skill to compare.

They don't help defense because they want to save energy for the attacks. That's they way they've been taught.

Also pretty sure he'll be called for the internationals soon. All other players on his position are injured.

 

LOL.

 

When a guy is one of the say 5 most productive players in the league, you should take note of the stats. That is a difference maker who helps your team win. As I said after seeing him play once or twice, he was going to be productive in MLS, and his work rate will frustrate at times.

And yet he is a little deceptive or economical with his work rate. I thought he wasn't bothering to play much defense against Portland and I looked and saw that he had 15 recoveries, and a couple of tackles and interceptions. 15 recoveries in particular is a lot. You don't see numbers that high very often. He is just not a guy who's going to run around like a chicken with his head cut off - the anti-Salinas if you will.

As for the "lone wolf" thing, I'd be willing to bet that the coaching staff is asking him to take people on because he is good at it - crafty dribbler and difficult to knock off the ball. It is the same role that Dawkins played in 2012. People freak out when he loses the ball but the thing is, those are somewhat high risk high reward plays. If he gets by a couple of guys around the goal and unleashes that shot of his it's a great chance. That is high risk high reward. He makes the Quakes a better team by doing that. I'd rather see him do that than to see Wondo, Urena and Hoesen with their clever little flicks and dummies in a crowded box that never work.

Guys like Hyka and Salinas are going to be crowd favorites because they run around a lot but Vako will be a crowd favorite also because scores a lot.

 

mlssoccer has a page with "top statistical performers" from around the league. FWIW, Vako had the most "successful dribbles", by a pretty wide margin. "A successful dribble means the player beats the defender while retaining possession." So, as I said, he's good at it, we should be wanting him to try it, and live with the fact that it's not going to work every time.

Dribbles completed
This is an attempt by a player to beat an opponent in possession of the ball. A successful dribble means the player beats the defender while retaining possession.

Week 30 Ranking Player (Club) Dribbles completed
1 Vako (SJ) 9
2 Yangel Herrera (NYC) 6
T-3 7 players tied 5

 

Maybe because he has been with the team longer?

 

Impressive. "Kinky" actually reminds me of George Best. I would say that Vako's footwork is not as clever as Kinky's was, but he (Vako) is stronger and tries to bull his way thru a little more rather than juke a guys out of his shoes. Vako is very direct and his moves are more subtle. He is not as quick so he leverages his strength and low center of gravity more.

 

American Soccer Analysis: xG Interactive Tables

http://www.americansocceranalysis.com/asa-xgoals/

 

I think another factor besides the lack of "manic running" is that Vako is a bit subdued with his emotions. His goal celebrations consist of a little smile, a slow jog, and some pointing at his name on the back of his jersey with his thumbs. That's it. Back to work...

 

He is saving his energy for when he really needs to run.

 

Exactly, you run when someone is chasing you. Otherwise why bother?

 

I noticed during the Quakes' Axis video from the Portland game featuring the cute-kid-honorary-captain that virtually every Quakes player seen in the video warmly dotes on the kid. For instance, you see a pretty soft side of Muma you don't see on the pitch. But Vako maintained his same sphinx-like demeanor. I think what you see is what you get.

 

"Soft side? What soft side?!" - Vako probably. He's a stoic character, no surprise there.

oh yea, but I wasn't comparing their dribbling abilities per se instead the mentality of being 100% attack oriented. Relentlessly pushing forward even when the odds look impossible. Most people today just seem to pass it to the side endlessly until an opportunity falls from the sky. Players such as these like to force and create things. Similar to the fantasistas of old. Also there are couple of tricks that Vako uses which are directly from Kinky's repertoire even if he executes it a bit differently.

 

That sort of attack mentality is really really needed on the Quakes. We do a lot of "endless passes to the side" and then eventually a clever flick or dummy in traffic that never works. Thing is, when you've the ball in a crowded box you have to have some idea how to score. The Quakes don't have the personnel to go airborne with it and they don't have the precision skill and movement to generate a chance with a great little move and pass. The direct 1v1 / 1v2 attack on the ground is one solution, and it's working pretty well with Vako so far. There's the work rate question, and OK he's not going to be kissing babies, but in general I think Jesse got this one right.

 

Back in the day it was called, "putting your game face on".

 

Pretty good analysis of the MLS draft over the last several years: https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/mls-draft-history-examining-the-value-of-a-pick/