

Posted by

Sam Gregory ,

February 16, 2014 Email

Sam Gregory

Twitter

@GregorydSam Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device





With MLS First Kick fast-approaching I've taken a closer look at the performances of five of the top Canadians in the league from last season with the idea of keeping track of these numbers throughout the upcoming season. Four of the five players will be playing in Canada this season (Dwayne DeRosario, Patrice Bernier, Jonathan Osorio and Russell Teibert), while Will Johnson is the lone American based player.



As with previous posts all of the statistics used are normalized to per 90 minutes in order to remove any biases from players who play more or less minutes. The metrics I've used are outlined below. Only two of them really need further explanation. I've used non-penalty goals per 90 to account for the different nature of penalty goals and because of the almost universal 76% completion rate for penalty shots. Secondly, key passes per 90 are included alongside assists. Key passes are passes that directly result in a shot. They tend to be much more indicative of a player's chance creation ability than assists since they take the shooter out of the equation. This means that a player setting up lots of chances for forwards who are bad finishers are not penalized.



One important note is that these numbers include both regular season and post season games.



Key:

90min = total minutes played/90

g90 = goals per 90

npg90 = non-penalty goals per 90

shot90 = shots per 90

kp90 = key passes per 90

a90 = assists per 90

inter90 = interceptions per 90

clear90 = clearances per 90



Will Johnson – Portland Timbers



90min g90 npg90 shot90 kp90 a90 inter90 clear90 32 0.34 0.25 1.66 1.13 0.09 1.41 2.19

If it wasn't already clear Will Johnson is about as well-rounded a player as there is in MLS. His 0.25 non-penalty goals per 90 is very good for a midfielder as is his chance creation with 1.13 key passes per 90. On the other side of the ball his defensive contributions are as good as anyone else on here. He averaged over two clearances per match and almost one and a half interceptions. Another telling number that jumps out is the even 32 completed 90 minutes, this is because Will Johnson started every game he played and was not subbed out once. The Portland Timbers' captain would do quite well just to replicate these numbers in 2014.



Dwayne DeRosario – DC United



90min g90 npg90 shot90 kp90 a90 inter90 clear90 17.81 0.17 0.11 2.36 1.68 0.11 0.62 0.28

Dwayne DeRosario's goal scoring troubles were well-documented in 2013, but taking a closer look at his numbers reveals that his chance creation numbers were some of the best in MLS. Adding his 2.36 shots per 90 and 1.68 key passes per 90 shows that De Rosario played a role in creating more than four shots a game in 2013. Many pundits have suggested that the dynamic Dwayne DeRosario that left Toronto in 2011 is not the same one returning this season, but any player that creates as many chances as DeRosario did should be considered a serious threat.



Patrice Bernier – Montreal Impact



90min g90 npg90 shot90 kp90 a90 inter90 clear90 27.49 0.15 0 0.58 0.91 0.18 2.51 1.42

Patrice Bernier's 2013 was not nearly as good as his first season with the Montreal Impact in MLS and the numbers reflect that. Despite not being as much of an attacking player as the others his 0.91 key passes per 90 is disappointing for Bernier given his reputation as someone who can create chances. His 2.51 interceptions per 90 still top the list as it should for the only deeper-lying midfielder.



Jonathan Osorio – Toronto FC



90min g90 npg90 shot90 kp90 a90 inter90 clear90 18.86 0.27 0.27 0.95 1.22 0.05 1.06 1.54

Osorio's numbers are pretty solid across the board considering how much of a break-out year he had making his debut for both the Canadian senior team and Toronto FC. His non-penalty goals per 90 were the highest of any Canadian in MLS last season. The one number which he may target for improvement this season is the 0.95 shots per 90, which is pretty low for an attacking-minded player. It will be interesting to see how Osorio grows in his second full season with Toronto FC.



Russell Teibert – Vancouver Whitecaps



90min g90 npg90 shot90 kp90 a90 inter90 clear90 19.74 0.1 0.1 1.01 1.77 0.35 1.47 066

Russell Teibert was another player who had a breakout 2013. Although he himself was not very lethal in front of goal his chance creation numbers were impressive with 1.77 key passes per 90 and 0.35 assists per 90 (both the highest totals here). Looking towards 2014 Teibert will want to improve his goalscoring and shot numbers, and hope that someone will be there to finish off the chances he creates in the absence of 2013 MLS leading scorer Camilo.



Looking at the performances of these Canadians in 2013 the two things that immediately stand out are: how complete a player Will Johnson is and how many chances De Rosario created despite not being able to score. These are two trends that will certainly be worth watching as the 2014 season unfolds.



I will check in on these numbers about once every six weeks or so during the MLS season to see how these players are doing. If any other Canadians start to perform at the same level I will certainly start to follow their numbers as well, especially if Rob Friend starts scoring!