However, starting in 2017 a few MLS teams began to deviate from this paradigm. Atlanta and Columbus suddenly shifted to taking a majority of goal kicks near the center of the 6-yard box. Many others also appeared to move in the same direction, but to a smaller extent. This shift continued across most of the league over the next couple years, and in 2019 only a handful of teams predominantly take goal kicks from the corners of the 6-yard box.

Obviously there was a reason for this. After tweeting the initial league-wide finding I heard back that it was at least partially due to goalkeeper coaching changes, and contemporary articles agree. Additionally, this change is probably also driven by increased build-up play. Some of the early adopters, such as Gregg Berhalter’s Columbus Crew, were teams known for playing out of the back. Setting up in the middle makes the entire field available, rather than pre-conceding one half of the field by setting up on one side of the 6-yard box. With increased pressing in recent years, these options can be important for the kicker once they see how a defense sets up. This theory perhaps holds water, as the MLS teams that continue to take goal kicks from the edges of the 6, Colorado, Houston, Montreal, and New York Red Bulls, are not known for their buildup. But even they are utilizing the center more often.

Moving to the center obviously has its theoretical advantages over the edges of the 6-yard box on goal kicks. It is likely that The Great Goal Kick Shift will mutate a bit in MLS once the new rule where players can receive the ball within the 18. It is already observed in Europe where the rule is already in effect. While this shift is minor in the grand scheme of soccer, small things matter. Like throw-ins, this is something that probably requires data to observe (kudos if you noticed this watching games, you have better eye than me). Now that we know The Great Corner Kick Shift exists, we can look for any effects it is having on the game.