Crunching the Numbers- Mid-Season Review

RSL has now played 16 of their 34 matches for the season. Although the team is just shy of the half way mark in the season, I thought with the off week it would be the perfect time to do a mid-season review. Here are some of the interesting stats that I found this week.

• RSL has scored a goal every 60 minutes of play and has given up a goal every 90 minutes so far this year. Last season RSL scored every 66.52 minutes and gave up a goal every 87.43 minutes.
• This season, RSL has had 10 different players score a goal. This ties the amount of goal scorers from the 2012 season. The team record is 14 different goal scorers in 2007.
• For the 2012 regular season, Alvaro Saborio played 2390 minutes or 78% of the total minutes he could have played. 84% of all RSL goals last season were scored with Saborio on the field. So far this year he has only played in 39% of the minutes he could have played with RSL scoring 25% of their goals with him on the field.
• In the 2012 season RSL midfielders scored 13 total goals. So far this season, they have already scored 10 goals.
• In 2012 the RSL defenders scored 2 goals which was the lowest in team history. In 2010 and 2011, the defenders scored 7 goals which was the highest in team history. So far in 2013, no RSL defender has scored a goal.
• Ned Grabavoy is having a career year. He has already tied his career high with 3 goals. He has already taken more shots than he did in the 2012 season. Having 5 shots on goal is the second most that he has ever had with RSL. 

What can we take away from these numbers? I think the biggest thing is how the team as a whole has stepped up to help on the offensive side of the ball. Saborio was a huge part of the RSL offense last season. We knew that he would be gone for a portion of the season due to his international commitment; no one could have guessed that he was going to miss so many games due to injury as well. The team as a whole had to step up to fill the loss of Saborio and they have done so.

It is good to see the increased production from the RSL midfield. Grabavoy has been much more aggressive this season. If he continues at the pace that he is at, he will set high marks for goals, assists, shots and shots on goal since he joined the team in 2009. He also has a completed passing percentage of 83.36% which is one of the highest on the team.

One thing that would be nice to see is for our defenders to get back on the scoring sheet. The downward trend since the 2010/2011 seasons is a little concerning. But with more goals coming from both the midfield and the forwards, perhaps it is not as important as in the past.