Western Conference: One stat defining every team & what it means | OneFootball

By Matthew Doyle

The 2025 season is nearly a quarter done, which means underlying numbers really are starting to tell us some stuff.

With that in mind, here’s one telling stat (from Opta unless otherwise noted) for each Western Conference team, in order of points per game:

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Stat: Over 9,000

Look, I’m too old to have watched that show, but I understand the point of the meme. And here it is in soccer form, courtesy of John Muller:

There is simply no one stat to capture the breadth and depth of Vancouver’s year-over-year improvement. They are better in literally every way you’d want a team to be better, have become sustainable in ways you’d want them to be sustainable, and oh yeah, are playing a brand of soccer that makes them one of the three S-Tier teams in the league when it comes to aesthetics.

In John’s words on BlueSky, “Is it time to do it anyway just to laugh incredulously at what the Whitecaps are doing? Hell yes.”

Sometimes when I’m watching a great TV show, there are scenes so perfectly written, acted, and directed that I get goosebumps and just sort of start giggling maniacally at how beautiful it is.

That’s what it’s like watching the Vancouver Whitecaps play soccer this year. Jesper Sørensen for king IMO.

Minnesota United FC

Stat: 36.3%

I can’t get over how little of the ball the Loons are getting. For as far back as we have possession data, the previous lowest percent I can find is 41.2%, by the 2017 ‘Caps. Usually, the lowest possession mark in the league is around 43 or 44 percent.

Eric Ramsay’s very obviously got himself a different sort of game model, one that 1) is very effective – they’re second in the West on PPG, after all, and 2) generates a ton of high-quality looks. Which is to say they lead the league in big chances (tied with the ‘Caps and, surprisingly, Orlando), are third in xG per shot and are fifth in the percentage of their shots they take from inside the box.

I love that we have such variation among the top two teams in the conference. Vancouver and Minnesota could not be more different in how they approach the game. The fact that it’s working so well for both is one of the things I love most about this league.

Colorado Rapids

Stat: 0.71

That’s Zack Steffen’s goals saved over expected per 90 so far this season. It’s the highest number in the American Soccer Analysis database for any ‘keeper who’s played 500+ minutes in a season, going back to 2013, and to put into context how good he’s been: Steffen’s number is 42% better than Djordje Petrović’s 2022 masterclass that got him a $20 million move to Chelsea (the single best shot-stopping season I’ve ever seen in MLS), and about 70% better than Matt Turner’s best MLS year.

I’m doing quarter-season awards next week, and somebody’s going to need to talk me out of putting Steffen as the MVP thus far this year.

This guy’s on an all-time heater. And Colorado, who haven’t played great, have needed all of it.

Portland Timbers

Stat: 8.3

I’m still skeptical of Portland’s relatively hot start here – they’ve played a pretty easy schedule, looked overwhelmed against the two quality teams they’ve faced so far, and are basically limited to transition moments for consistent attacking effectiveness (something head coach Phil Neville referenced in his postgame presser last week).

However, they're maybe not quite as bad defensively as the underlying numbers say? Their total xG allowed through eight games is 11.5, good for just the 10th-best defense in the West and in the bottom third of the league overall. However, their non-penalty xG faced is 8.3, which bumps them towards the top of West standings (it’s worth noting James Pantemis has saved three of the four penalties he’s faced – he’s been awesome).

So are the penalties they’re conceding a feature or a bug? I don’t know yet. What I do know is if they can cut it out, they’ve got a good chance of finishing top four and getting home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs come autumn.

San Diego Football Club

Stat: 25

Los Niños are among that trio of teams playing that S-Tier, beautiful, effective soccer. At the start of the season, I thought it was all going to come from pure possession, which leads to pitch control, which leads to the types of positional play (sorry for all the alliteration) goals we’ve seen in years past from the likes of the Dynamo or the best versions of NYCFC.

There is still an element of that, but it’s not who San Diego are. What they are is a possession-dominant team that tends to hold possession deeper to draw the opponents upfield, allowing one DP winger to pinch inside while the other runs in behind. Or sometimes it’s the center forward (Onni Valakari, a midfielder by trade, has been a revelation as a false 9) dropping in to release both wingers.

Or sometimes it’s d-mid Jeppe Tverskov. Hell, even right back Jasper Löffelsend gets in on the act:

And so they’ve hit 25 through-balls this year. Nobody else has hit more than 16. The Whitecaps and Crew combined have hit 20.

It’s like they’ve fused the principles of the ‘Caps and the Loons into one gorgeous game model.

Austin FC

Stat: 0.161

The idea for La Verde, at least to start the year, seems to be something Minnesota-ish in terms of where they draw their line of confrontation (really deep), how much of the ball they get (not much!), and how they create their chances (on the break).

The issue is the Loons have Robin Lod and Joaquín Pereyra in central midfield, diming up runners and exploiting space created by that low block.

Austin’s midfielders haven’t been able to do that, and so record signing Myrto Uzuni – an open-field terror in Spain, both in LaLiga and the Segunda Liga – is suffering. He’s managed just 0.161 xG in transition this year, which is 71st in the league. Not good enough.

They need to start getting him looks, and while they’re at it, they need to figure out how to get Uzuni and Brandon Vazquez on the same page.

Los Angeles Football Club

Stat: 30.75

That’s the number of possessions LAFC are generating per game that end in the attacking third, which is just 20th in the league. Last year, they were ninth with 36.26. In 2023, they were second with 40.79. In 2022, they were first with 42.08.

So forget, for a moment, Denis Bouanga’s slow start to the season, or Olivier Giroud’s struggles, or the fact that the electric David Martínez has seen his role reduced over the past month. And think, instead, about the types of classy, ball-playing midfielders who’ve been shown the door over the past few years – including Eduard Atuesta and Ilie Sánchez after last season.

Then think about this meme (I can’t remember who created it; apologies!) for a second:

LAFC are squarely in the “ball magically moves to other side of the pitch, dw” phase. They have, I think, prioritized grit and field coverage over progressive passing ability, and they’ve become a less dynamic, more predictable attacking team because of it.

I joked at the start of the year that “it’s rare to see a team’s philosophy and personnel aligned so perfectly, but LAFC have done it. They’ve spent the past three years slowly getting rid of all their creative midfielders, and now they play like a team that doesn’t have any creative midfielders.”

I really wasn’t joking, though.

FC Dallas

Stat: 23.7%

Lucho Acosta is getting nearly 25% of Dallas’s total touches in the attacking third, which is not a bad thing. The whole point of having a No. 10 is for that guy to get on the ball in good spots and either solve problems for your team or cause problems for the opposing team, and Acosta’s doing some of both. He’s still doing it at a high level, too – he’s completing 4.2 passes over his expected (per 100 passes), which tells you there’s still precision to go with the raw creativity he brings to the table.

The problem is that these numbers are all down from 2024:

I don’t think this is a Lucho thing. I think this is a chemistry thing, and a “the run makes the pass” kind of thing. As in, the other Dallas attackers haven’t figured out how to be dynamic off the ball, which has made Lucho less dynamic on the ball.

They’ve got to figure out how to get this man some options.

San Jose Earthquakes

Stat: 33.0

The Quakes have generated the most expected goals in the league, with 16.7. The Quakes have conceded the most expected goals in the league, with 16.3. Add ‘em up.

The next closest teams, in terms of total xG generated across all their games, are San Diego and Orlando with just over 26. Quakes games are wild, man. Just pure chaosball.

I can assure you, however, that Bruce Arena and staff are working on how to tighten things up as the season trucks along, as this is no way to actually go out and win a trophy (which is where Bruce’s sights have always been set). They need to figure out how to get more pressure on the ball through their first two lines so that the defense isn’t constantly scrambling and so Daniel, their outstanding goalkeeper, is not always having to be Superman.

Can they do it without throttling back on what's been a pretty outrageous attack so far?

Seattle Sounders FC

Stat: 0.070

The Jesús Ferreira false 9 thing has not worked for the Sounders. Ferreira’s a good player, and I still think it was the right decision to acquire him, and I expect it to work out long-term (though probably as a second forward rather than a false 9).

But you can see the difference between his effectiveness in the attacking third in xG per shot compared to the two true No. 9s on the Sounders:

With Morris back soon, I’d expect Ferreira to get most of the rest of his minutes this year either as a second forward or as a playmaker. And I’d expect CSO Craig Waibel to look for a third No. 9 to add to the depth chart behind Morris (and maybe ahead of Musovski, whose finishing struggles – last weekend excepted – have driven more than a few Sounders fans over the edge).

Real Salt Lake

Stat: 7.25

RSL have spent a lot more time chasing the game this season, and as a result, have spent a lot more time playing emergency defense. As a result, they’re making 7.25 tackles per 90 in the defensive third, which is 16th in the league. Sounds not bad, right?

Well, last year they made 5.82 tackles in the defensive third, which was dead last. Big change.

At the same time, their tackles in the middle third have dropped from 7.00 per 90, which was third in the league, to 5.63, which is 19th.

They pretty clearly haven’t quite figured out their structure yet and are spending a lot of time behind the play. Literally. And that’s forced the backline into a lot of desperate moments, which feels like a significant regression from last year’s club-record 59-point season.

St. Louis CITY SC

Stat: 12.88

That’s the number of take-ons – 1v1s – St. Louis are generating per game, which is tied for 28th in the league. And is a really, really low number for a team that plays a 3-4-2-1 (or a 3-4-1-2), which ostensibly means they’re supposed to have two wide attackers in those wingback spots. A huge point of the 3-4-2-1 is to get the ball to those guys in stride against a rotating, back-pedaling defense, because it’s easier to beat a rotating, back-pedaling defender in order to create chances.

Most other 3-4-2-1 teams are at or near the top of the league in take-ons per game, and are successful over 40% of the time in those 1v1s.

CITY are not only near 28th in total number of 1v1s generated; they’re 27th in success rate at just 36.9%.

I am simply begging Olof Mellberg to stop playing center backs out there.

Houston Dynamo FC

Stat: +0.02

I put a lot of stock into ASA’s “receiving – goals added” metric, which is just a measure of “are you getting into good spots to receive dangerous passes?” And here’s a little light of hope for Dynamo fans, who have mostly been disappointed by DP No. 9 Ezequiel Ponce so far this year: that +0.02 receiving g+ per 90 is actually ok.

It’s not great, mind you. Brian White’s at +0.24, as is Christian Benteke.

But Ponce’s not alone on +0.02. Guys like Christian Ramírez, Alonso Martínez, Luis Muriel and Petar Musa – professional goal-scorers, all – are in the same neighborhood.

Everything else about Ponce’s game (shooting, dribbling, fouling, etc.) is under water as per ASA, which isn’t great. But as long as he keeps getting on the ball in good spots, he should eventually figure out how to be a pretty decent MLS No. 9, all of which should get easier as attacking reinforcements arrive in the coming weeks.

Sporting Kansas City

Stat: 97th percentile

It hasn’t been an easy transition to MLS for Manu García, Sporting’s big offseason acquisition. The Spanish No. 10 struggled to get on the ball in good spots and to, for lack of a better term, just make stuff happen (for the most part, anyway), despite his obvious skill on the ball.

Things started to shift in the final game of the Peter Vermes era, and over the subsequent two outings under interim manager Kerry Zavagnin, García’s been getting on the ball in better spots and doing more with it for a KC attack that suddenly looks dangerous (the defense has looked dangerous in a different way).

García’s now in the 97th percentile of shot-creating actions, as per FBRef. That’s involvement in “the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, take-ons, and drawing fouls.”

Garcia’s not really a through-ball artist – at least, he hasn’t shown to be yet – but he’s very comfortable receiving the ball in tight quarters, and then clever once he does so. That’s led to better passing sequences in the attacking third over the past few weeks, and more drawn fouls.

This stat’s kind of a blunt instrument, but I like it a lot as a measure of “are you out there making good things happen for your team in tough spots?” I think we’re really starting to see that from Garcia, and Sporting’s a much more fun team to watch because of it.

LA Galaxy

Stat: 48.1%

Last year’s Galaxy were a not-very-good 18th in the league in aerial duels in their own defensive third, winning just 53%. This year, they’ve dropped to a near-catastrophic 26th at that 48.1 winning percentage above. And it gets worse in the box itself, as they’re winning just 46.7% of their aerial duels in their own 18.

This is all downstream of the Riqui Puig injury. Last year’s attack was championship-caliber, but the defense wasn't until Emiro Garcés got into the XI. That changed everything because it allowed the Galaxy to play higher and take more risks with the ball – playing directly into Riqui’s strengths – since Garcés is a one-man transition eraser.

That's a less valuable defensive skillset this year with the Galaxy playing deeper and allowing more box entries, and it’s compounded by the fact that Garcés has struggled mightily at recognizing incipient aerial duels. He contests just 1.52 per 90, which is basically a fullback’s number (he’s just behind Julián Aude’s 1.68 per 90 and just ahead of John Nelson’s 1.38).

Remember, this passivity almost cost the Galaxy the lead in last year’s MLS Cup:

Sadly, Zanka’s been even worse than Garcés at aerial duel frequency or winning percentage in the box.

There is no clear personnel answer in the middle of the Galaxy's backline right now if they’re going to pull themselves out of this winless nosedive to start the season.