Call it "free advice," or call it "bulletin board material," or call it ... well, something I cannot put in print in this space. In a nutshell, what we've got here in this week's First XI is 11 numbers (or statistical categories) that certain teams need to improve in 2009. I know, I know, there are lies, damned lies and statistics, but it seems to me, these numbers tell the truth. And the truth can hurt. Have a look:
11. The number is 8. The category is Wins.
Doesn't get any more basic than this. Winning eight out of 30 games won't get it done. Job 1 for FC Dallas, San Jose and Los Angeles is, by hook or by crook, figure out a way to get to (at the very least) double-digit wins. Just ask the Red Bulls, who snuck into the playoffs with but a 10-spot of wins at the end of the regular season, and managed to find themselves in the MLS Cup Final a few short weeks later.
10. The number is 32. The category is Goals Scored.
It was a pretty good debut season for the San Jose Earthquakes. If Year Two is going to be better, the Quakes are going to have to open up a bit. Thirty-two goals was the worst number in the league and the worst number in the Western Conference by some eight goals. Figure Frank Yallop was trying to make sure his team could defend before it could attack in their first season together. Look for a jump to the 40s this season, especially if Darren Huckerby can play something close to a full slate of games.
9. The number is 62. The category is Goals Allowed.
It might not be the Showtime Soccer some in LA have clamored for, but if Bruce Arena is going to turn things around in Los Angeles, Step One is to get the Galaxy to stop leaking goals at a rate that blows away the rest of the league. The Galaxy allowed 11 more goals than D.C. United, their nearest competitor for that dubious distinction ... and 17 more goals than the Colorado Rapids, their closest competition in the Western Conference. It all starts with organization, and Arena and assistant Dave Sarachan are up to that task.
8. The number is 1. The category is Road Wins.
We all know by now, the Red Bulls saved their road success for when they needed it most -- in the playoffs, where they won at Houston and Salt Lake, doubling their regular season road win total, on their way to the final. Still, let's not get giddy. A couple more road wins a year ago and the Red Bulls wouldn't have been sweating it out on the final day of the season, watching D.C. hit post after post against Columbus, just to get to the playoffs. If anything, Juan Carlos Osorio has to hope that his club's late success a year ago will feed his team's confidence when it travels away from the Meadowlands in 2009.
7. The number is 5. The category is Home Wins.
Note to FCD and coach Schellas Hyndman: You've got to make the home fans happy. Winning five of 15 home games in that nice new stadium in Frisco is no way to treat the good folks in the MetroPlex. Take a lesson from the note above regarding RBNY. Home success in MLS can carry you a long, long way. Pizza Hut Park, with that wide open field and the scorching heat needs to turn into a place visiting teams hate to visit. Somehow, this place needs to become a little bit more like the Cotton Bowl back in the old days.
6. The number is 0. The category is multi-goal games.
Let me be the first to admit, this is an odd statistic, because none other than the Los Angeles Galaxy were the kings of multi-goal games (Landon Donovan had six and Edson Buddle had two), but it seems pretty obvious to me that Chivas USA took a big step backward a year ago when they lost so many man-games between Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo -- two players who were always a threat to put up a two-goal game, or even a hat trick. Kansas City, New England and San Jose also fall into this category (and Taylor Twellman never goes a year without a multi-goal game) A game, or even a stretch of games where you get multi-goals from one guy is normally big.
5. The number is 293. The category is Shots Taken.
It's the oldest saying in the book. You can't score if you don't shoot. And Toronto, for a team that likes to get out on the attack, simply needs to take more shots. Dwayne De Rosario alone will add to this measly number, for sure.
4. The numbers are 429 and 178. The categories are Shots and Shots on Goal.
Of course, it helps if you can also shoot the ball with some accuracy. This stat is pretty astounding from RSL. Real took 136 more shots than Toronto but put only 41 more on target. Much as I've touted Yura Movsysian in this space, Yura is the main culprit here. I'm guessing Jason Kreis, one of the best shooters this league has ever seen, has spent some post-practice hours working with Yura on his accuracy.
3. The number is 24. The category is Goals Allowed in the last 15 minutes of the first half and first 15 minutes of the second half.
Well, they only call them clichйs when they're true. How many times have you heard coaches, announcers, fans saying how important it is to play well just before and after the team heads to the lockerroom for the break? Among the Galaxy's many woes, this team got into the deadly habit of letting up just before and after the interval. The Rapids (21 goals allowed) and Red Bulls (20) are two other teams that need to do a better job of locking things up during these critical moments in the game.
2. The number is 17. The category is Goals Scored at Home.
C'mon TFC! You've got amazing fans. Time you scored 'em more than a goal a game. It's Year Three for The Reds, and it's high time they turn that energy at BMO Field into more attacking play and goals for the home fans.
1.The number is 0. The category is Wins When Allowing the First Goal.
A team cannot have a truly successful season if it NEVER overcomes giving up the first goal to win a game. Toronto, Kansas City, San Jose and Colorado all failed to win a single game last year when they surrendered Goal One. Coaches call it "responding." These four teams all need to respond a little better to adversity in the coming year.
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