This column has quickly become one of my favorites on MLSNET.com. I always learn a new thing or two from reading this column every week. http://www.mlsnet.com/content/03/analyze0516.html Pepsi Pop Quiz: Players born in the United States have scored a total of 1838 MLS goals. Which country’s native-born players have scored the second most? Tune in to ESPN2’s coverage of MetroStars vs. Rapids at 4:00 P.M. EDT on Saturday afternoon for the answer. My guess is El Salvador, with Diaz Arce, Cerritos and Cien contributing many goals.
Once again, great stuff. Only a stat geek like this guy could come up with all the Denver phenomena, and even compare it across sports. The home field advantage in Denver even makes the Rapids look worse given their advantage at home and slapstick performances on the road. At least the Rapids fans will be happy that one of the weekly columnists paid so much attention to them!!!
As for his question about why the Avalanche are immune to this effect, I think it's basically because the team has been so good since they've been in Colorado that they've never had much room to move up. Their road record is so stellar that they can't be much better at home.
Hah. Gotta be El Salvador. Yugoslavia has only Preki. El Sal has at least 4 guys with 20 goals or more. Course 5 years from now when Preki may have caught them by then.
the nature of the game, and the rolling substitutions might change the dynamic. What would be interesting to know is whether or not the average shift length is shorter in Colorado than elsewhere.
El Salvador has at least 203 from Cienfuegos, Cerritos, Diaz Arce, Rodriguez, and Quintanilla. I don't know if I'm missing any other Salvadorans. For Yugoslavia, Preki has 67 and Sasa Curcic 2, and I can't think of any others. Two other countries with more than 100 goals would be Bolivia and Colombia Bolivia has at least 102 from Etcheverry, Moreno, and Vaca. Colombia has at least 109 from Serna, Valencia, Valderrama, Comas, and Llamosa. Switzerland has 10 from Agoos and Sutter.
Colombia also has 8 more from Johnny Torres, and 15 from Anthony De Avila. Maybe more, but those are two that occurred to me right away.
It certainly isn't Mexico It's ELS...RDA by himself has more than all Yugoslavian players. This article is packed with numbers and that's about it. "The air's thin in Denver and it's harder to process O2 at high altitudes if you are a flatlander." Great. What a revelation. Thanks for blowing the lid off of that one. What's next, a statistical account of the dramatic increase of shot velocity when high-tech form-fitting cleats and dimpled balls are used? Or, how about that a ball rolls faster and straighter on uncrowned turf? I appreciate the level of work that went into the article, but tell us something that shouldn't already be known by anyone who has ever seen a game from Denver much less actually played one there. Seriously, it's only 7 weeks into the season and the bottom of the barrel ideas are creeping in now...not a good sign.