Crunching the Numbers- Seattle Edition

After completing it's 17th match against Seattle, RSL has reached the halfway point of their season. I don't think anyone would have guessed they would be at the top of the table at this point. The team is playing great and you can really see this by looking at the stats.

• With two goals against Seattle, RSL is now scoring a goal every 58.85 minutes. This is the best scoring rate in team history.
• With the shutout, RSL is now giving up a goal every 95.63 minutes. This is the second best defensive rate in team history.
• The team is on fire with Robbie Findley in the match. In the first 328 minutes that Findley played this season, RSL scored one goal. In the past 292 minutes that he has played, the team has scored 8 goals or a goal every 36.5 minutes.
• This match marked the first time RSL has scored a goal with Findley and Alvaro Saborio playing forward together. Prior to the first goal in the game, RSL had played 264 minutes without scoring a goal when those two players were on the field together.
• The center back pairing of Nat Borchers and Carlos Salcedo has given up two goals in 270 minutes of play or a goal every 135 minutes of play. That is the best defensive rating of all the RSL center back combinations.
• While Salcedo is on the field, RSL is only giving up a goal every 120.33 minutes. That is second best on the team next to Tony Beltran at a goal every 122.73 minutes.
• The RSL midfield has scored 11 goals so far this season. They only scored 13 goals all of last season.

Robbie Findley vs. Seattle
photo by Charles Barnard

So what do these numbers tell us. First, for what some people are calling a rebuilding team, RSL is in a very good place right now; being very strong on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The team has scored 17 goals in the past seven MLS matches. And with all five forwards playing great, plus the midfield continuing to score goals, there is no reason to expect the offense to slow down.

Although their depth is being tested, the RSL back line continues to play great. Salcedo has done a tremendous job in the time that he has been on the field. And with Chris Schuler still out for another few weeks and Kwame Watson-Siriboe out for the year it is a great thing that Salcedo has stepped up.

One other thing of note with the defense: Beltran has quietly had a very good year. Like I mentioned above, he has the best defensive scoring rate on the team with giving up a goal every 122.73 minutes. When he has not played, RSL has given up a goal every 36.00 minutes. It is a good thing that Beltran is leading all field players in minutes played with 1350.