Soccer, Stats, and Sorare: The 2024 Ultimate Guide to MLS
MLS IS BACK IN ONE WEEK, AND I CANNOT FREAKIN' WAIT
New Season, New Format
This year, I'm unveiling my preseason outlook for all clubs simultaneously and ahead of the season kickoff. Huzzah!
Before delving into the articles, a couple of notes:
The data is sourced from the Sorare API and FBRef. I created the data visuals featured in each write-up, which include summary-level statistics along with a few advanced metrics.
This is a combination of my analysis and my opinion. I’m not claiming to be an expert in soccer tactics, and there will be gaps in my knowledge regarding certain clubs. Nonetheless, I pull together research and leverage the data to draw conclusions. If you think I missed something, feel free to highlight it in the comments! Feedback is appreciated.
My opinion of a club’s outlook can change between now and the start of the season. For example, I originally ripped Chicago a new one — may have been drinking a nice glass of bourbon while typing it up —and then they announced Cuypers and that changed things.
I’ll continue updating these until the last weekend of February when most MLS clubs kick-off. It’ll be on a bi-weekly basis going forward.
Enjoying the Content?
I had a blast writing it all and hope you enjoy it as well. It took a decent chunk of time and effort on my part to put it all together, and what’s best is it’s free for you!
However, if you do feel inclined, Buy me a Coffee with the link provided.
I drink a lot of coffee, but also have aspirations to include geospatial and event level data into my analyses next year. Unfortunately, that requires a decent amount of investment on my part, but maybe I can take some hopeful Sorare earnings and put it towards it!
What’s Next for the Newsletter
I’ll continue updating the club pieces and polishing them. I’m a coder more than a writer and the two skillsets have a bit of an inverse relationship. Once the season starts, I’ll be posting on Twitter lots and I’ll be at the Atlanta United matches, of course.
After the small break, I’m going to try to figure out how best to get event data at a not so expensive level. If I make any breakthroughs I’ll let ya know ;)
Club Profiles
Below are links to each MLS club’s profile for 2024. In them I provide my overview of the club’s performance in 2023, and what to pay attention going into the new season.
East
West
MLS Club Competition Schedule 2024
Sorare Matchup Calendar
You can find these visuals in my Tableau Public gallery as well. Below are average SO5 performance versus opponents for the first 15 game weeks of the season. A lot has changed for some clubs over the summer, but I find this data super helpful for my Sorare gallery and SO5 lineup building strategy.
