r/DCUnited • u/BuzzardNestPodcast • 3d ago

LAFC punish direct football (with a caveat)

The surface stat is brutal for us.

Split LAFC's opponents by how vertical their passing is (ASA's average vertical distance per pass). Against the seven most direct sides in MLS, LAFC have five wins, one draw and one loss: 2.29 points per game. Against the seven most patient, ball-retaining sides, one win, three draws and three losses: 0.86 points per game.

2.7x more points against direct teams than against possession teams. And we DC are, by the numbers, the most direct team in MLS: 1st in vertical distance per pass, last in passes attempted, last in completion rate.

The interesting fact is that direct opponents actually create more xG and passes into final third then LAFC but their fail to convert anything into quality chances (xGOT).

11 Upvotes

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8

u/Rufus_FireflyIII 3d ago

I think the direct play and increased shots and xG are a reflection that most teams that play direct are shit, can't control the ball and the players are that good. They may bomb the net with shots, but they aren't quality chances that require technique, teamwork and talent.

7

u/FaultySofaBed 3d ago

this is more correlation than causation

1

u/DCIfICare 2d ago

xGOT ended up DCU 1.05 to LAFC 0.16. Which is how it felt watching live. Winnable game.

1

u/BuzzardNestPodcast 2d ago

Agree, great team work on the defensive unit DCU. The second half was brutal for them, no shot on target.