Fresno is on a second bye week, and after last weeks win against the Tulsa Roughnecks, we are one of only two unbeaten sides in the USL. That is monumental. Last season the Foxes started with a loss at home against Las Vegas. To be unbeaten in five games, with two wins, is showing how we are an entirely new team this year.

The Talk of the Town

Recently, Fresno has been the talk of the USL world. We got a mention on the USL show podcast, the USL pony talked about our unbeaten run, and we got a write up on the official USL blog. It’s pretty exciting for a new kid on the block – but expectations for Fresno seem to be high.

The notoriety that comes with being undefeated isn’t something we should take lightly. All press is good press, and that includes the short article on our unbeaten run in the Fresno Bee. The attention that comes with having a good record is something that Fresno sorely missed last season. We were new and unknown, even in our own city. A few more wins, and a stretch of this unbeaten run, and we just might see more people coming out to check out what all the fuss is about.

The New Look

Just how good are we looking this year compared to last? There aren’t many stats that USL aggregates on a team level for the season, but two that might help us piece together why we are doing so well are shot conversion rate and goals conceded.

Last season the foxes converted just 11% of the shots they took. For every ten shots, only one would make it into the goal. Not a high rate, it put us in a tie for 29th place – among the bottom five teams in the entire USL. This season the rate has increased to 15%. While that may not seem like much, that four percent puts us in the top half of all teams, and that is an arguably harder league than last year (top conversion is up 6% from 20-26). The ability to put the ball in the net every eight shots is providing the foxes a clinical edge that we lacked last year. It means that we are making better shots, and we are less likely to let a game go to a needless draw. If we can get that rate up just a few more percentage points, it might mean we mount a decent challenge in the playoffs.

Goals conceded is another stat that I think can help us see the change this year has wrought. Last year the Foxes conceded just 38 goals in 34 games – about 1.11 goals per game. It was a strong showing from a new side, and it should have been enough to propel us into the playoffs, except we lacked that clinical finishing in front of goal needed to make the defensive stability pay off. This year, somehow, we have actually improved our goals conceded stat – so far 3 goals in 5 games – .6 goals per game. That is a fantastic rate, better than the best rate from last year 28 in 34 – .82 per game (Riverhounds). I don’t think well be able to hold on to the .6 rate, its too good, but I do think that if we can keep our goals conceded below the 1 goal per game mark, it will mean a serious challenge in the West. That .11 is the difference between a win and a last-minute draw, something that happened to us a handful of times last year.

Set the Record Straight

Fresno has something to prove. We are a soccer city, and we love the beautiful game. We need to continue our good form, not just for the playoffs, but to write our name into the national conversation about what constitutes good soccer. We may never see the MLS in Fresno, we don’t have the numbers to support it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make waves or win the USL. Something we should be committed to as a team and a city is making our mark in the USL – proving that we are a place where a team can thrive.

This is our second season, but that shouldn’t stop us from making history. Fresno only has one way to go from last year, and that’s up.

#FresnoFC #DaleFresno #SomosZorros