Fury, Heinemann Among NASL Leaders

Ottawa Fury FC are unbeaten this Fall NASL season. With an astonishing 19 points from 7 games (2.71 PPG!), they also top the the combined table for the year. The team to beat.

One of the players leading the way for them is a familiar face to Helltown in Tom Heinemann. After working through some injuries the last year he has helped take Ottawa to their remarkable record this Fall with 4 goals and 2 assists in 819 minutes.

Top 15 NASL Goal + Assist p90 leaders with at least 450 minutes (5 games) played.

G+Ap90 : Name - Club
1.37 : Pedro Ferreira Mendes - ATL
1.35 : Tomi Ameobi - FCE
1.00 : Lance Laing - FCE
0.93 : Jaime Chávez - ATL
0.92 : Omar Cummings - SAS
0.92 : Christian Ramirez - MNU
0.92 : Nacho Novo - CAR
0.86 : Maicon Santos - TBR
0.73 : Georgi Hristov - TBR
0.66 : Tom Heinemann - OTT
0.63 : Tiyi Shipalane - CAR
0.60 : Kalif Alhassan - MNU
0.58 : Billy Forbes - SAS
0.57 : Leonardo Fernandes - NYC
0.55 : Alhassane Keita - JAX

Still a bit to go in the Fall Season for the NASL but that list provides the league leaders as things stand. Over the years I've noted that any player jumping up over 0.60 goals + assists is ready for the next level. We'll see if these guys can keep it going the remainder of the year.

Heinemann is one we'll keep an eye on here. His story so far is a good one and wherever he goes he seems to bring a infectious amount of positivity, excitement and winning. Not surprising to me that he's on the best NASL club right now.

Heinemann was great fun to follow here in Columbus. Not sure where this site would be without him or Eddie Gaven back in 2011.

Ottawa is one of the most exciting teams in North America right now. You can find their matches on ESPN3 / Watch ESPN.

Lenhart and Heinemann, Aug 2013

Aug 10, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps forward Tom Heinemann (29) and San Jose Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart (16) during the second half at BC Place Stadium. The Vancouver Whitecaps won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports. Edited by me using Google+ and Gimp

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Steven Lenhart played for the Crew between the 2008 and 2010 seasons. Tommy Heinemann wore the black and gold in 2011 season and was injured for all of the 2012. Lenhart now plays for San Jose, Heinemann for Vancouver.

I ran across this picture while researching player performance data. For anyone that has followed this team over the past five years or so... what a random/great find. Wonder what they are talking about.

Both could, and should, still be here in Columbus. Man, I love this picture.

Sparkling Form

All quiet on the Crew front... No news on Emilio Renteria yet. Time is running out (his contract is up on Dec. 30). I have to believe he plays very largely in the goal scoring make up of the ver.2012 Crew. I really, really hope that Columbus is all over this. They have to be right? See, this is what bothers me about Major League Soccer. All this time off. The intensity level is zero while the rest of the world is operating at the highest levels. Arg. Frustrating. Anyhow... Outside of Renteria the Crew don't have a whole lot of goal scorers. Well... proven scorers, anyway. Heinemann is ripping it up playing for fake Northampton in FIFA 12. Ladies like him too (tea ladies that is).

Real Northampton is in sorts after today's Boxing Day game. Not looking good. Mess of a game, again. The Cobblers went down to 10 men and blew 2 leads. Not good. Dangerously close to non-league now.

Stoke pulled out the draw, though. For folks that get paid to follow the BPL, I realize that it wasn't pretty, but to me? I've worked everyday since the end of October. I got off a little early and got to catch the final 35 minutes of the game in HD. To me... I got to see a couple long Delap throws. A couple tackles. A couple chances. A side financially solid and full of heart and pride. It was a beautiful in a way that most don't get.

I'll take the point and proudly say that I'm happy they play how they want.

What a great 1st half of the season for the Potters.

Fanfare from Crew v. Galaxian

Andres Mendoza has 6 goals from the run of play. Eddie Gaven and Emilio Renteria have 4 and Tommy Heinemann has 3. The Columbus Crew are dead last at procuring goals outside of PKs. They have been last all year.

13 MLS teams have a scorer with 6 goals or more. On those 13 teams, 28 players have at least 6 goals or more. There are 24 MLS players with 6 or more goals that make less money then the Crew's create-a-player (on FIFA 12) lefty only goal scorer.

Bleeno and Smitty (and Geoff(and Crack and Stevens)) will get that reference, but to others reading... I meticulously create players on sports video games. Usually each player has at least one weakness (save for the Woods, Crack and Smitty; Trequartistas those guys). Comic books from the 80s are probably to blame.

Mendoza is like one of those created players. He has a top 50 in the world "100" left foot but little* else. When I watch him I feel like I have a controller in my hand and am trying desperately to get the ball on his left side. And when less then 30 yds out? Punch it.

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This weekends Crew game is sold out. A feeling I haven't felt since...

Beckham flew back to Cali today. So none of that guy at the game. Yeah, there is Donovan and that Irish fellow (Keane, sorry Nana) but it's Beckham that sold out the stadium (for the first time since...). But leave that behind. If fans knew there stuff they would know that Todd Dunivant is the real reason to go to the game. He has a stranglehold on the MVP race right now. Well... here at Helltown he does.

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The Crew have a real chance of dropping out of first this weekend. A loss here and a KC win puts the Crew in a tight spot in 2nd with Philly. If DC and Houston also win then we have a 5 alarm fire going on here in Columbus.

What's that then?

Looking forward. Columbus has KC Wed. of next week then DC next Saturday. Danger, Danger. 1st in the East to the last wild card spot will bring out the nearly dead and depressed Buckeyes.

And it will be the thing of nightmares.

*Mendoza showed recently he can play the mid-field well. The Houston game. Check the tape. Unfortunate we can't see the 33 yr old there more during his stay in Crewtown.

Your Ctrl+(right)click for reading this post (for my brother. Amazing how it means so much to so many. Not only in the US, but across the world. And amazing how quickly we forget what it's like not to be the clear number one).

Having Video Fun

The images were originally inspired, shot and edited with different music. The longer Modest Mouse version exists but it only works if it is fed after midnight (I guess both are long, but I liked the images and music).

Always stayed away from these bands when messing around with video because I like them and thought I'd screw it up. Figured it was as good a time as any. Had lots of fun.

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I've been recording just about every Crew game in expectation of creating something exciting at the end of the year. I've got lots of plans for the footage actually. We'll see what happens. With this one I set up the old sony handycam, Early 70s Sears BW TV, my monitor and my cell phone (to capture the digital). Shooting the Oasis video through the handycam, run through a VCR to the old TV actually looked really good. Might put the whole thing up at some point.

A FK Goal in Seattle

I was checking up on Josh Gardner's excellent free kick goal tonight and something struck me. And it wasn't the extraordinary, world class, kick. It was how the whole Columbus Crew team reacted to that kick. Check out the goal again. Maybe again after that one time.

Now again.

What I noticed was the post goal reaction. Not just that of Josh Gardner. But of the whole team. I can't tell you how many sports games I've watched where the team getting destroyed gets a goal/point/touchdown and then proceed to celebrate like they just won the Champions League. Sadly, it happens often.

But curiously. Not after Josh Gardner's particularly fantastic goal last weekend. Not the Crew. Not this team.Gardner. The strike taker. Goal Scorer of something worthy of "top 10". Simply turns around. Head down. And slaps hands with a couple other players and lines back up.

Burns. Burns enters the picture after the goal goes in. He simply trots back to mid-field to restart the game.

Renteria. He reached out to Josh after the amazing kick only to retract after he realizes Josh wants nothing of it. Emilio understands and resumes spartan stance.

Tommy. Oh Tommy. After the strike he sprints into the goal mouth like a bat out of hell to retrieve the ball for restart. For a brief second you can see his arm and fist pump in celebration but it happens as he is running full tilt to grab the ball even though the team is still down by three goals. Amazing heart. Amazing belief. Retain this kid.

Finally. Our Captain. Mr. Marshall. Hands firmly on hips through out the whole event. No sliding on the turf. No giant bear hug. Just a simple "we have been beat. i know you have this in you already. seen it in practice. we are better then this. let's get this over with."Maybe I'm digging into a short moment a little too much. Perhaps Crew players would tell me that Gardner's goal is something to be expected. I like to think that. Ultimately. All I know is that I've watched many a blow out game where my favorite team shows their ass celebrating a meaningless moment late in the game.

Refreshingly, the Crew players didn't here. The game was lost. It was a magnificent worthless moment not to be celebrated.

It's a rare event, this.

Stumbled Upon: MLS Danger men

Digging into chances can be murky waters but something was uncovered today. Who is creating the most real chances for their team. Chances as in Shots on Goal. It's a tricky stat in that; what is really a shot on goal. Does it have to be within the goal mouth? One that the opposing goal keeper has to get a paw on?

For soccer across the land shots on goal are a stat forged out of 100+ years of following the game. Major League Soccer tried and failed at creating their own rules in the past, but in recent years has gotten better. This year, for example, they have taken large strides in making shots on goal (and all other stats) fall more in line with what the rest of the world is doing.

Good.

MLS welcomed in Opta Stats this year and it's paying off. Data can now be measured equally and fairly with other major news and athletic outlets.

Where am I going with this? Oh, Dangermen. Who prey tell, in the mighty MLS, is creating real chances on goal, as in, Shots on Goal?

First thing to do is eliminate outlying data. As in; Guys that have 2 shots in 4 minutes. In doing so I choose to go with players that have more then 10 shots on goal this season. I thought it seemed reasonable considering the MLS season is now almost half way done.

Wow, that really trims it down. Only 38 (out of 419 that have seen time) players in the league have 10 accurate shots? Ummm, Okay.

Next up; who has the most in the shortest amount of time. No problem. Let's dig in. Deep Dive.

Wait... The MLS leader in chance creation is Tom Heinemann for the Crew? Yep. 1.8 shots on goal per 90 minutes. Best in the league. Yes. Heinemann. It could be argued but he is the most dangerous striker in the league when looking at it in this simple way.

Who are the rest? Well, you are about to become in the know. Shots on Goal per 90 on the left.

1.8 : Tom Heinemann
1.6 : Charlie Davies
1.6 : Marco Pappa
1.6 : Chris Wondolowski
1.4 : Fredy Montero
1.3 : Andres Mendoza
1.3 : Will Bruin
1.3 : Justin Braun
1.2 : Teal Bunbury
1.2 : Luke Rodgers

The Crew have 2 players on the list. That plays out in terms of the increase in goals over the past month. What about players converting Shots on Goal in to actual goals? NO GOALS OFF PENALTY KICKS INCLUDED. Here are those converting SOG at a rate over 50%. AKA, guys that are not only hitting the target, but putting it in the net. These are the guys to bottle up.

62.2% Thierry Henry
56.9% Danny Mwanga
55.6% Andres Mendoza
55.4% Landon Donovan
55.0% Chris Wondolowski
50.4% Luke Rodgers

31% is the average conversion out of the 38 players with over 10 SOG this year. Chance Creation. It takes 11 to do it, but these are the guys making it happen and finishing the job.

Submitted for Review

Ali said once: "Will outweighs skill" - but maybe we got both here. Something about him playing for the Carolina Railhawks (via Charleston Battery) and now the Crew.

"beta" Tag Gone From MLSsoccer... wait. who. what the cuss

Tootled on over to the MLS website today and noticed the very exciting news today that the beta tag was removed from the logo. Very exciting, I know.

Wait a second... Enhance 224 to 176. Enhance, stop. Move in, stop. Pull out, track right, stop. Center in, pull back. Stop. Track 45 right. Stop. Center and stop. Enhance 34 to 36. Pan right and pull back. Stop. Enhance 34 to 46. Pull back. Wait a minute, go right, stop. Enhance 57 to 19. Track 45 left. Stop. Enhance 15 to 23.
Give me a hard copy right there.

Well. I'll be darned. Mr. Heinemann made the team of the week.

"FW: Tom Heinemann (Columbus Crew) – The new Steven Lenhart in Columbus, Heinemann showed a great deal of promise in his first start. Active, tireless and solid in the air, he will feel like he should have come away with at least a goal in Portland. He earned himself an encore."

Special thanks to the Esper machine.

Maybe it was just me. It's just me.

Tom Heinemann, Crew

Lookin' the Part, but can he play? We'll find out. FIFA 11 says he can. Paid his dues at Charleston Battery (and Carolina RailHawks... WakeMed!).

Anybody who did their time with The Battery is good enough for me. I noticed him on a created team a few months ago and now he is with the Crew. Sho'nuff, he was part of the roster update.

Am I really getting pumped for the MLS season?? What have I gotten myself into?!