Here is an update to my ongoing Net Promoter Scores (NPS) for Crew players. You can see previous entries HERE and HERE.
---------------
Good performances can be a little random and a little lucky so one thing I like to look at, particularly in MLS, is which players are having either really good outings or really bad ones while discounting the middle/average results. This is similar to the way a lot of survey companies look at data. It's also how some companies calculate customer satisfaction scores (or Net Promoter Scores).
The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of customers who are Detractors (or bad performances) from the percentage of customers who are Promoters (outstanding performances). For purposes of calculating a Net Promoter Score, Passives (average performances) count toward the total number of respondents, thus decreasing the percentage of detractors and promoters and pushing the net score toward 0.
What this math results in is a range from +100 to -100. Anything over +50 is great (+70 is outstanding, but no Crew players there). 0 to +50 is fine. Anything in the negative is bad.
Outstanding performances = 7.00 and up. Bad Performance is 6.00 and below.
NPS : Name : Games
50% : Pedro Santos : 26
32% : Gyasi Zardes : 22
29% : Federico Hi : 14
24% : Waylon Fran : 17
21% : Robinho : 19
20% : Romario Wil : 5
17% : Aboubacar K : 6
15% : Josh Willia : 13
14% : Ricardo Cla : 7
14% : Wil Trapp : 22
9% : Artur : 23
8% : David Accam : 12
7% : Gastón Saur : 15
7% : Harrison Af : 15
6% : Luis Argudo : 16
4% : Héctor Jimé : 23
0% : Zack Steffe : 13
0% : Luis Díaz : 6
0% : Connor Malo : 3
0% : Youness Mok : 2
0% : Lalas Abuba : 1
-6% : Jonathan Me : 18
-11% : Alex Crogna : 9
-11% : Justin Mera : 9
-27% : David Guzmá : 11
-29% : Eduardo Sos : 7
-29% : J.J. Willia : 7
-33% : Patrick Mul : 9
-40% : Eloy Room : 5
-44% : Niko Hansen : 9
-50% : Joe Bendik : 6
-67% : Jon Kempin : 3
It's an overall improvement from the last time I took a look at things as most of the regular starters are finally on the plus side of things.
Mensah continues to hang around in the negative, but when you pull out the last six games it looks better (Crew unbeaten run). A great callout here is Luis Argudo. He's been a major contributor to this latest run of mostly positive results.
100% : Ricardo Clark (1 app)
100% : Waylon Franis (1 app)
83% : Pedro Santos
50% : Josh Willia
50% : Luis Argudo
50% : Gyasi Zarde
33% : Jonathan Me
25% : Aboubacar K
20% : Romario Wil
17% : David Accam
17% : Harrison Af
17% : Wil Trapp
0% : Alex Crogna
0% : Artur
0% : Connor Malo
0% : David Guzmá
0% : Eduardo Sos
0% : Héctor Jimé
0% : Joe Bendik
0% : Youness Mok
0% : Luis Díaz
-40% : Eloy Room 3
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Crew Lows, Recovery Coming
While a recent unbeaten run has pulled the 2019 Crew off the mat to an average of one point per game, it came too late to hold off a record low for any 10 game run I have on record (going back to the 2009 season) of 0.20 points per game (PPG).
The rolling 20 game run is currently at an all-time low of 0.65 PPG, dropping below the previous low in 2016 of 0.85 PPG under Gregg Berhalter for the 3rd consecutive week.
What this means is that recovery is likely coming, based on what I've observed before. No team in MLS stays horrible for terribly long as the league is designed to prevent it. That appears to be so here in Columbus.
I don't think the manager on the sideline has a heck of a lot to do with that recovery, however! I do believe that if Caleb Porter can't get something going early next season, he will be replaced. I image the team really wants positive momentum going into the new stadium in 2021.
The chart below shows rolling results going back to 2009. On the vertical axis is PPG, horizontal is year.
You can see the clear up and down nature of results. It happens across the league. With more teams, we may see recoveries and falls happen a bit slower, but they will happen.
The rolling 20 game run is currently at an all-time low of 0.65 PPG, dropping below the previous low in 2016 of 0.85 PPG under Gregg Berhalter for the 3rd consecutive week.
What this means is that recovery is likely coming, based on what I've observed before. No team in MLS stays horrible for terribly long as the league is designed to prevent it. That appears to be so here in Columbus.
I don't think the manager on the sideline has a heck of a lot to do with that recovery, however! I do believe that if Caleb Porter can't get something going early next season, he will be replaced. I image the team really wants positive momentum going into the new stadium in 2021.
The chart below shows rolling results going back to 2009. On the vertical axis is PPG, horizontal is year.
You can see the clear up and down nature of results. It happens across the league. With more teams, we may see recoveries and falls happen a bit slower, but they will happen.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Trapp, Williams to Crew Fans: Cool It
"So apparently Wil Trapp and Josh Williams came over to the Nordecke to tell #Crew96 fans to stop yelling obscenities at Michael Bradley after the game tonight?" - Patrick Murphy
It takes a lot for players to go off-script. Pre and post-game interviews are inevitably canned comments that we've all heard a thousand times. Even when they are playing in a game they are following orders from one coach or another. Along with that, think about other times in their life where they have to hold their tongue, especially in the social media world.
So when Wil Trapp and Josh Williams - a combined 329 games over 15 years with Columbus as well as sticking with and by the team through the potential move - come over to tell a certain section of the fans to effectively "cool it," you should listen.
NO BRADLEY FANS
My criticisms of Bradley go back almost as long as this site. His play, which can drift from good game to he's not trying today, has brought up my blood pressure many times over the years. It also pokes at my soul that he has more opportunity and safety net because of who his father is. Have you ever thought about how many players in his position have been left off rosters because he is always there regardless of form or overall ability? It bugs me to no end.
Columbus Crew fans dislike of Bradley goes back to when he started with Toronto. Sometime during that season, he made a few passing comments about Columbus that weren't flattering. Last year, as you can see in the video embedded (that, notably, hasn't reached 2k viewers), he took those feelings even further.
Bradley likes to hit a nerve with Crew fans and the fans respond, to a sadly predictable fault.
CREW FAN ODDITIES
This dark feud with Bradley is just one thing you can add to the bizarre list of Crew fan touchstones in recent years that miss the mark entirely and manifested itself in that oddly negative Pulisic USMNT tifo a few years ago (which isn't a comment on the artwork or effort, just the theme) that was in such stark contrast to the much more representative "home" that came before.
All the way from when West Ham visited to McBride going to Chicago to Mendoza to Pedro Santos and everything in between. It's not fun, nor memorable for the right reasons, and often it makes zero sense.
I am a harsh critic of MLS, so it's easy to take this as just another reason to bang on the league - but I do see things creatively going on in place like Portland, Seattle, sometimes KC and even down in Atlanta that hit the mark.
There is an awesome group of fans that regularly attend games and enjoy them. At one point, in the not so distant past, they shared a strong relationship to the Nordecke. As a matter of fact, the early connected earthy feel of the supporters' section was born from the long-time families and friends that attended games around 2008.
The long-time families and friends are still going to games and having a great time. What's changed is the northeast corner. It didn't happen all the sudden, or quickly, but here we are.
When I was a kid there was a mean-spirited saying that went; "You want to be in Ohio when the world ends because it'll take 10 years to get there," which, at the time, referred to trends. Now that I'm living here (and older), I don't hear it. Which is good, because it isn't true for a lot of the state. But I do think about it every once in a while when things like this arise, but I know it's just a handful of voices ruining it for many others.
In a couple years, the new stadium will be built and the nordecke-type experience will be a selling point, but that's about it. The move takes the stadium away from a few areas that fuel that corner of the stadium. It will be more controlled, more corporate, more expensive, more blah - but if it rids the general dark viciousness of a few fans?
Well, I'm sure that more than a few will be okay with that.
It takes a lot for players to go off-script. Pre and post-game interviews are inevitably canned comments that we've all heard a thousand times. Even when they are playing in a game they are following orders from one coach or another. Along with that, think about other times in their life where they have to hold their tongue, especially in the social media world.
So when Wil Trapp and Josh Williams - a combined 329 games over 15 years with Columbus as well as sticking with and by the team through the potential move - come over to tell a certain section of the fans to effectively "cool it," you should listen.
NO BRADLEY FANS
My criticisms of Bradley go back almost as long as this site. His play, which can drift from good game to he's not trying today, has brought up my blood pressure many times over the years. It also pokes at my soul that he has more opportunity and safety net because of who his father is. Have you ever thought about how many players in his position have been left off rosters because he is always there regardless of form or overall ability? It bugs me to no end.
Columbus Crew fans dislike of Bradley goes back to when he started with Toronto. Sometime during that season, he made a few passing comments about Columbus that weren't flattering. Last year, as you can see in the video embedded (that, notably, hasn't reached 2k viewers), he took those feelings even further.
Bradley likes to hit a nerve with Crew fans and the fans respond, to a sadly predictable fault.
CREW FAN ODDITIES
This dark feud with Bradley is just one thing you can add to the bizarre list of Crew fan touchstones in recent years that miss the mark entirely and manifested itself in that oddly negative Pulisic USMNT tifo a few years ago (which isn't a comment on the artwork or effort, just the theme) that was in such stark contrast to the much more representative "home" that came before.All the way from when West Ham visited to McBride going to Chicago to Mendoza to Pedro Santos and everything in between. It's not fun, nor memorable for the right reasons, and often it makes zero sense.
I am a harsh critic of MLS, so it's easy to take this as just another reason to bang on the league - but I do see things creatively going on in place like Portland, Seattle, sometimes KC and even down in Atlanta that hit the mark.
There is an awesome group of fans that regularly attend games and enjoy them. At one point, in the not so distant past, they shared a strong relationship to the Nordecke. As a matter of fact, the early connected earthy feel of the supporters' section was born from the long-time families and friends that attended games around 2008.
The long-time families and friends are still going to games and having a great time. What's changed is the northeast corner. It didn't happen all the sudden, or quickly, but here we are.
When I was a kid there was a mean-spirited saying that went; "You want to be in Ohio when the world ends because it'll take 10 years to get there," which, at the time, referred to trends. Now that I'm living here (and older), I don't hear it. Which is good, because it isn't true for a lot of the state. But I do think about it every once in a while when things like this arise, but I know it's just a handful of voices ruining it for many others.
In a couple years, the new stadium will be built and the nordecke-type experience will be a selling point, but that's about it. The move takes the stadium away from a few areas that fuel that corner of the stadium. It will be more controlled, more corporate, more expensive, more blah - but if it rids the general dark viciousness of a few fans?
Well, I'm sure that more than a few will be okay with that.
Monday, August 12, 2019
MLS Table, Crew
Columbus is on their best run since the first few weeks of the season after a draw with Cincinnati last weekend. In their last six games, they have managed 9 points. 11 other teams are on a better run. While that still isn't great, it does put them back in "hey we are average" range, verses "we are hot garbage."
Obviously, with just 8 games remaining, the playoffs are out of reach. I expect the rest of the season will be pushing for a positive "the team is improving" narrative that helps grease the rails for season tickets next year.
It's going to be a hard sell, in my opinion. Wherever I work, I tend to be the "soccer guy." My latest job (well, most of my jobs) has me working with a very large group (think 100s). There are casual sports fans that might go to a game or two as well as "Ohio sports guy" that is curious.
They are not enthusiastic about buying a ticket.
Something that popped up in a conversation recently that happens quite a bit is the "quality" aspect of the game. Anyone that has a passing interest in the sport mentions how it looks like high school (or rec league).
Last weekend's game was a terrible advertisement for MLS/Columbus Crew. The game was not good! It's funny and perhaps ironic that the biggest criticism I hear about going to Crew games is the level of play and not the stadium experience. In my decade of writing about this team and being the token "soccer guy" at work, nobody with passing interest in the Crew has ever been critical of the stadium or experience.
Obviously, with just 8 games remaining, the playoffs are out of reach. I expect the rest of the season will be pushing for a positive "the team is improving" narrative that helps grease the rails for season tickets next year.
It's going to be a hard sell, in my opinion. Wherever I work, I tend to be the "soccer guy." My latest job (well, most of my jobs) has me working with a very large group (think 100s). There are casual sports fans that might go to a game or two as well as "Ohio sports guy" that is curious.
They are not enthusiastic about buying a ticket.
Something that popped up in a conversation recently that happens quite a bit is the "quality" aspect of the game. Anyone that has a passing interest in the sport mentions how it looks like high school (or rec league).
Last weekend's game was a terrible advertisement for MLS/Columbus Crew. The game was not good! It's funny and perhaps ironic that the biggest criticism I hear about going to Crew games is the level of play and not the stadium experience. In my decade of writing about this team and being the token "soccer guy" at work, nobody with passing interest in the Crew has ever been critical of the stadium or experience.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Top Left Mids in MLS
[Season start - July 26, 2019 - I round ages]
Somewhat bizarrely, Left mids in MLS are a hot commodity. Their average salary is second only to Forwards and tops even those of top cental mids. The reason is likely simple. Left footed mids can whip the ball into right foot dominate forwards. I wish there were more to it than that, but there likely isn't. Anyhow:
29: Median Age of top LM's in MLS
$1.2m: Median salary
There seems to be a wide range of ages and nationalities and wages on this list (outside of Argentina's top 3), which kinda confirms the ends that teams go to find a good crosser of the ball.
The disparity in salary tells us that this position needs a lot of work in MLS. In this top 10 you can go from a player making $83k to over $2 million.
Here's how WhoScored has the ratings:
Not that both Accam and Meram make an appearance on this list. Columbus had both at one point, but somehow saw that as a position that needed an upgrade. In fact, they still do because they are shipping Accam away after the season.
Here are my other TOP IN MLS lists, so far:
FORWARDs
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
RIGHT MIDFIELD
LEFT BACKS
CENTER BACKS
RIGHT BACKS
Somewhat bizarrely, Left mids in MLS are a hot commodity. Their average salary is second only to Forwards and tops even those of top cental mids. The reason is likely simple. Left footed mids can whip the ball into right foot dominate forwards. I wish there were more to it than that, but there likely isn't. Anyhow:
29: Median Age of top LM's in MLS
$1.2m: Median salary
There seems to be a wide range of ages and nationalities and wages on this list (outside of Argentina's top 3), which kinda confirms the ends that teams go to find a good crosser of the ball.
The disparity in salary tells us that this position needs a lot of work in MLS. In this top 10 you can go from a player making $83k to over $2 million.
Here's how WhoScored has the ratings:
Not that both Accam and Meram make an appearance on this list. Columbus had both at one point, but somehow saw that as a position that needed an upgrade. In fact, they still do because they are shipping Accam away after the season.
Here are my other TOP IN MLS lists, so far:
FORWARDs
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
RIGHT MIDFIELD
LEFT BACKS
CENTER BACKS
RIGHT BACKS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)