All this suggests is that we might not have replaced DJ Countess on our 2000 Olympic Team. In Sydney, the majority of our U-23's were back-ups and rookies for their club teams. If we make it to Athens in 2004, most of our U-23's will be established starters. This gives us more freedom to replace an unproven keeper. And as the numbers demonstrate, Countess is -- at best -- unproven.
I've really liked the debate on this thread and as usual beineke has tried to support his argument with an applaudable amount of homework, but I had to call this one out. It's the biggest myth in soccer.
If you think it's a topic worth discussing you should start a thread on the Stats and Analysis section, Nutmeg. It could really use some activity.
We've discussed it before, and I tend to agree with him in general. In this case, what I meant was: Lack of Attacking Options => Fewer Quality Chances I'm not criticizing the Metros' style of attack, so much as the fact that their midfield has retreated too far to be much of an offensive factor. That said, they were very productive last night, against Doug Warren, no less.
Thanks to lurking for contributing the 2000 data. Here's what happens when I use it to update the model: ---------------------------------------------------- SavePct = 82.7% - 2.14% * OffPerGame ---------------------------------------------------- I'd still like to tweak things a bit, but the effect of the offsides trap is now statistically significant. FOUR-YEAR STANDINGS 1. NY + 4.72 % 2. SJ + 2.95 % 3. Mia + 1.67 % 4. Clb + 1.28 % 5. KC + 0.71 % 6. LA + 0.20 % 7. Chi - 0.31 % 8. TB - 0.48 % 9. NE - 1.23 % 10. Col - 1.36 % 11. DC - 2.12 % 12. Dal - 6.04 % It's tough to overstate the difference between New York and Dallas. Over a 30-game season, that could mean as many 20 goals. Clearly, a top-notch keeper is worth having around. Myernick ought to bear this in mind when he selects his over-age players.