xG race charts
As with any stat anywhere, context is key. But I like expected goals (xG) because it’s a fairly reliable measurement of chance creation, which is useful in a fluid sport with minimal stoppages. If you’re new to xG, it’s a tool that’s fed tons of historical information about shots (location, body part used, goalkeeper positioning, etc.) to come up with a unit of measurement to quickly assess a shot against the millions in its database.
xG race charts plot the shots that register on the scale and keeps a running tally that’s updated with each shot. Goals are spotlighted with a square box marker that details the score, scorer, and xG per shot (which we’ll get to below). At the end of a match xG shot totals are added up and displayed as that team’s total expected goals (xG) for the match .
If you’re new here, welcome. You’ll quickly discover that I’m always going on about shot quality and expected goals (xG) per shot, so I figured why not add a list of good-to-great shots in the btvc race charts? So we did!
This handy sidebar shows a list of good-to-great shooting opportunities from both teams, sorted by highest value. Since average xG per shot can fluctuate in the league (usually hovering between .10 & .11 per shot), the limit is set to feature shots of .15 xG and above. You can think of these per shot measurements in terms of percentages. A .03 xG shot means that in the xG model only 3% of similar shots became goals.
Happy shot quality scrutinization to all who celebrate!
g+ passing networks
The pass networks include custom data from American Soccer Analysis in order to spotlight passing and receiving impact. These are measured using ASA’s goals added (g+) metric, which calculates how much each touch—in this case passing & receiving—changes their team’s chances of scoring and conceding across two possessions.
(If you want to fully nerd out, here’s a deep dive into the methodology of g+.)
Player bubble position: Average passing position
Player bubble size: Passes attempted
Player bubble color: Passing g+ rating
Passing g+: Pass value added (according to xPass)
Ring color: Receiving g+ rating
Receiving g+: Pass value added through reception
Lines: Pass volume between players
When assessing these charts I look for the average passing position of each player, and the average positioning of the team. Are players high up the pitch or closer to their own goal? This can reveal either a tactical choice, or impact of pressure from the opponent. You can also get a sense of a team’s width. This can also suggest tactical decisions or impact of pressure (player bubble colors and passing volume between players can usually provide further hints as to whether a team is finding success, or struggling against a team’s pressure and/or out of possession shape).
These are fun data visualizations that help in understanding a match just a little bit more deeply. I drop these in every subscriber’s inbox 24-48 hours after the final match of the weekend. They’ll also come with blurbs from me about each graphic. It’s a good time, hope to see you there.
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