By Tony Edwards – San Jose, CA (Mar 13, 2012) US Soccer Players — In Tuesday's edition, Tony puts on his sponsor unaffiliated warm clothes to watch Major League Soccer's first weekend of play, asking about shirt sponsors, Chivas USA's struggles, and statistical validity.
How many teams do not have shirt sponsors?
With the Earthquakes and Amway having quietly gone in their different ways this offseason, there are four (Colorado, Dallas, Kansas City, and San Jose). Interestingly, they are all 'legacy' teams and three of them have won MLS Cup.
What was the average temperature at kickoff for MLS games this weekend?
MLS got off lightly this past weekend, as (not including Monday's games) temperatures averaged a balmy 55 degrees. It was a wonderful 44 and windy at kickoff in DC on Saturday night, which made for some quality soccer. I didn't include the Vancouver game for obvious reasons.
If MLS is insisting on a season that starts in Winter and ends in December, did anyone ask the fans in Colorado or Dallas if they were willing to sit outside in early March? At least the League was smart enough not to schedule home games for Toronto and Montreal this weekend (it was 28 degrees in both cities on Saturday afternoon). All temperatures were taken from http://www.intellicast.com
How many shots on goal did the Dynamo have on Sunday against Chivas?
Eighteen and six corner kicks. Chivas goalie Dan Kennedy had eight saves. Kansas City had 17 shots against DC United, forcing Bill Hamid into seven saves.
How many times were Chivas USA shut out last season?
Twelve. And they are off to the same start this season, being shut out by Houston this past weekend. Chivas had few chances during the game, and for all of Robin Fraser's positive words afterwards, and players missing due to injury, Chivas has problems on both sides of the ball.
What statistics jumped out over the weekend?
The Impact committed 26 fouls against the Whitecaps. Salt Lake had a 鈥減assing accuracy鈥?of 82%, while DC's was 67%. Incredibly, the Red Bulls 'out passed' Dallas by more than 200 passes, according to the MLSsoccer.com statistics (536 to 314).
The additional level of statistical information is welcome, but does anyone who watched the Dallas-Red Bulls game think the Red Bulls were Barcelona-like? Passing statistics need to be weighed, as passes between defenders under no pressure aren't the same as pass that leads to an attempt on goal.
More Questions:
Garber, DC, Bradley, Originals, TV Preseason, Attendance, FIFA, Dallas, Calendar Stats, Forest, Sounders, Toronto, ECA India, San Diego, Houston, Liverpool Fairness
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