• INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven edged the visiting Swope Park Rangers 2-1 on Wednesday night at Lucas Oil Stadium to secure at least one home match in the USL Championship playoffs. A second goal from Dane Kelly un-leveled matters late and the hosts held on to lock up —…
• We’ve had a few weeks of USL Championship action, and while I was going to wait a bit longer before going all number nerdy, things have been far too chaotic to ignore. Upsets galore, some expansion teams doing unexpectedly well, some doing far worse than I predicted, and generally…
• Welcome back to the finale of our four-part 2019 USL Championship mega preview! It’s been a long, long journey and we appreciate you sticking around for the ride. This time, we’ll be wrapping things up with the last nine teams to cover in the Eastern Conference. If you haven’t…
• Eight teams remain, four in each conference, with the second round of the USL playoffs set to kick off this weekend. Which four sides do you think will advance to the conference finals? Drop a comment below with your predictions. Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMLTX. Support Soc Takes on Patreon…
• With Louisville City FC and the Swope Park Rangers squaring off for the USL Cup tonight, it’s time to unveil the USL Cup radial bracket: Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMLTX. Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to…
• United Soccer League club Swope Park will not return to Swope Soccer Village and is exploring stadium options for the 2018 season. The club, which MLS club Sporting Kansas City owns and operates, is working with the league to meet the United States Soccer Federation’s Division II requirements. Swope…
• LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville City FC outlasted New York Red Bulls II by a final score of 1-1 (4-3) to win the USL Eastern Conference title Saturday in an edge-of-your-seat penalty shootout at Louisville Slugger Field. LouCity will now host the Swope Park Rangers in the USL championship game…

Welcome to our SG Effigy series, which highlights supporters’ groups (SGs) around the U.S. that our staff photojournalists have covered.

FENTON, Mo. — Voracious supporters of Saint Louis FC and soccer throughout the area, the St. Louligans can be found any given matchday tailgating and chanting at West Community Stadium, just southwest of downtown St. Louis.

“The St. Louligans started in 2010 as an umbrella group for smaller SGs that supported AC STL of NASL,” explained SiLLy Hats vice president and This is SiLLy! Podcast host Brad DeMunbrun. “That team folded after one season. Some of us weren’t ready to quit so we stuck together supporting various STL soccer teams at lower levels. In 2015, with the beginning of STLFC in USL, our numbers started to increase dramatically. We’ve always existed to support our local teams and to provide a home for passionate soccer fans in St. Louis.”

St. Louis is a city dripping with soccer tradition. Several regulars on mid-20th-century U.S. national teams had ties to the area, including the 1950 roster that upset England 1-0 in the group stage. Earlier this year, the city was awarded an MLS expansion team that will commence league play in 2022.

St. Louis has the supporters’ group it deserves in the St. Louligans.

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Follow Robbie on Twitter: @SoCalledRobbie.

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Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

We recently fired off another round of #MerchDay with some help from our friends over at Urban Pitch.

#MerchDay is an opportunity for organizations to tweet out links to their online stores so fans can purchase merchandise to support their favorite club, supporters’ group or soccer-related charity.

Below are the recommendations this time around. Click the name of the organization to be directed to its store.

IndyUnitedFront

https://t.co/wlqqgx5nw2

Half of profits go to Planned Parenthood of IN/KY.

— Andrew Frye (@ajfrye44) September 12, 2019

Forward Madison FC

alright, my #merchday purchase has been made! @ForwardMSNFC was the winner (no pink goalkeeper jersey😭) #2020westcostroadtrip pic.twitter.com/BjIrIxHhNu

— Kyle Scoble (@scoblevision) September 13, 2019

Urban Pitch’s #MerchDay guide

#MerchDay is back! Are you ready?

Check out some of the best kits and apparel from both pro and amateur clubs in our comprehensive Merch Day guide! 🔥@SocTakes

📝: @scoblevision https://t.co/FQe2GdmcWL pic.twitter.com/Dgkr4s53Wm

— Urban Pitch (@Urban_Pitch) September 13, 2019

If we missed your #MerchDay recommendation, let us know at [email protected].

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INDIANAPOLIS — An Ayoze brace via a left-footed strike on each side of the intermission carried the Indy Eleven to a 2-nil win versus Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium. The result pushed Indy’s home unbeaten streak to 22 games.

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Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbieMeh.

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With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.).

Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League, the below table and charts are an examination of the attacking, defensive and overall quality of MLS clubs, regularly updated throughout the 2019 season.

All clubs have played about 30 matches so far in 2019 through Week 27, entering the final stretch prior to the playoffs. Teams are largely who they are, though it isn’t too late for some late-season surges and struggles (LAFC the past few games, anyone?)

Some items of note:

• FC Cincinnati knew they were likely in for a rough time in their first season. Aside from Atlanta United FC and LAFC, most expansion teams struggle in year one, and Cincinnati finds itself firmly in that camp as among one of the worst sides ever fielded in MLS. Ranking as the worst or near worst on all four charts, Cincinnati give up goals at an astounding clip — one every six shots faced — and give up an astounding number of shots at nearly 14.5 per game. You can see how that’s an ill-advised combination. The offense has been no better, shooting rarely and scoring even more so. Maybe 2020 will bring better things to the Stabby Lions — at least Cincinnati sports fans are used to the disappointment by now.
• The New York Red Bulls have been far from their usually dominant selves. In fact, they’ve been arguably the most average team in the league based on our charts at this point. The club find themselves near the crosshairs of league-average by nearly every metric, except maybe slightly less than average defensively. The result? A very rare struggle to stay above the playoff line and a 12-12-5 record – the definition of .500 ball. Still, the Red Bulls sit four points clear of the Montreal Impact with a game in hand and will likely qualify, leaving the cries of “Armas Out” left wanting. With their track record of regular season success followed by postseason failure, maybe a middling regular season will portend better things come playoff time.
• The top of the Eastern Conference is a fascinating race between NYCFC, the Philadelphia Union and Atlanta United FC. While Philadelphia is slightly worse on defense than the other two, Atlanta is slightly less efficient on offense, and NYCFC isn’t really clearly the best in any category, these three teams are seemingly very evenly matched on paper. NYCFC holds a slight advantage – two points clear of the Union with a game in hand and five points clear of Atlanta – there’s enough games left to be played that any of these three could end up atop the Eastern Conference. With Atlanta already in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League via the U.S. Open Cup, the better finisher between NYCFC and the Union will earn the Eastern Conference berth, giving each team additional motivation. NYCFC play both clubs in the final few weeks, and they and the Union have more difficult schedules than Atlanta, making this a very interesting final few weeks.
• Three luckiest clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much better their GD is vs. their xGD)
• Three unluckiest clubs (based on GD-xGD, i.e. how much worse their GD is vs. their xGD)

All xG totals are sourced from American Soccer Analysis’ xG Interactive Tables.

Here is a small glossary of the terms for clarity:

GP – Games Played
ShtF – Shots For
ShtA – Shots Against
GF – Goals For
GA – Goals Against
GD – Goal Differential
xGF – Expected Goals For
xGA – Expected Goals Against
xGD – Expected Goal Differential
GD-xGD – Goal Differential minus Expected Goal Differential
ShtF/g – Shots For per Game
ShtA/g – Shots Against per Game
GF/g – Goals For per Game
GA/g – Goals Against per Game
GD/g – Goal Differential per Game
xGF/g – Expected Goals For per Game
xGA/g – Expected Goals Against per Game
xGD/g – Expected Goal Differential per Game
ShtF/GF – Shots For per Goal For
ShtA/GA – Shots Against per Goal Against

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

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Photo credit: Brent Smith/Butler Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS — A Thursday evening doubleheader saw a pair of Big Ten foes visit the Sellick Bowl to face the Butler men’s and women’s squads. The Bulldogs traded victories, with the women falling 2-1 to Illinois in the first match and the men wrapping up the night with a 1-0 win over Wisconsin.

Early on in the women’s game, it was all Bulldogs. Celia Gaynor, Aliya Diagne and Payton Black worked well together in the midfield linking play from defense to offense, but the final product often lacked in the final third.

Illinois took advantage of one of its few opportunities in the first half and punished the Bulldogs for not capitalizing on theirs. Though it came against the run of play, the Illini opened the scoring through Kelly Maday about 18 minutes in.

The Butler women continued pushing the envelope despite being down, but soon found their deficit doubled. A foul by Annika Schmidt in the box led to a spot conversion by Illinois’ Eileen Murphy.

Butler pulled one back with about 20 minutes left. Katie Soderstrom skinned her defender and ripped a shot that forced a diving save by Illinois goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham, and Anja Savich tapped in the rebound.

Illinois hung on for the 2-1 win to improve to 5-1 on the year, while Butler fell to 4-3. The Bulldogs had to have felt like they dropped points in this one after out-shooting Illinois 20-8 total and 8-3 on target while bossing the majority of the possession.

Photo credit: Brent Smith/Butler Athletics

In the men’s game, Butler asserted itself early on but had nothing to show for it, similar to the Butler women’s start. A physical first half ended with 12 fouls committed and zero goals.

Wilmer Cabrera Jr. — yes, the son of the Montreal Impact head coach — eventually produced the first Bulldogs goal of the night. The 5-8 freshman attacker, who has USL experience and comes from the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., curled in a left-footed shot from inside the box. Alex Lehtinen and Logan Lee were credited with the assist.

It stood as the lone tally of the match, becoming Cabrera Jr.’s second game-winning goal of the season. Bulldogs goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji, a sophomore from Italy, turned in a solid shift in net with two saves to preserve the clean sheet, but wasn’t forced to stand on his hand thanks to the solid team defending in front of him.

With the win, Butler improved to 3-1 as the Big East season approaches; the Badgers dropped to 2-3.

Up next for the Butler men is a Tuesday trip to SIU Edwardsville, while the women will host Kent State on Sunday.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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• INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday was the first home game of the season for the Indy Eleven, playing against the Hartford Athletic. Although a rainy day, it wasn’t enough to deter the record-breaking crowd that attended the match. A total of 20,251 tickets were sold for the game, the most in…
• INDIANAPOLIS — On a night the Indy Eleven upped their franchise attendance record to 20,215 at Lucas Oil Stadium, they also took out the Hartford Athletic 1-0 to grab three points in their home opener. Indy struck the woodwork numerous times in the match, but an own goal by…
• INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven and Richmond Kickers battled to a 1-1 draw Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. The result pushed Indy’s unbeaten streak to eight. Raul Gonzalez opened the scoring for the visitors in just the fifth minute, slotting home a low cross from Austin Yearwood. Dylan…
• INDIANAPOLIS — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC center back Hugh Roberts shares his thoughts on his side’s 2-2 draw with the Indy Eleven on Aug. 29, 2018. Both clubs are currently in the playoff picture sitting among the top eight in the USL Eastern Conference. Support Soc Takes on Patreon for…
• INDIANAPOLIS — Penn FC‘s Marco Franco and Paulo Jr. returned to the Circle City on Saturday night to take on their former club, Indy Eleven, at Lucas Oil Stadium on Pride Night. Both familiar faces were with Indy in 2017. The end result, a 1-1 draw, meant a sharing…
• INDIANAPOLIS — A brace from Ayoze and a Soony Saad rocket from distance weren’t enough for the Indy Eleven on Wednesday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, as goals by the Charleston Battery’s O’Brian Woodbine, Ataulla Guerra and Tah Anunga saw the teams share points. Indy took a 3-2 lead…
• INDIANAPOLIS — It’s happening. Indy Eleven is about to play its first home game. A story first reported by Soc Takes revealed what we know today – Indy XI will play in the USL, and will play its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium. But it almost didn’t happen….
• INDIANAPOLIS — After weeks of negotiating a deal to bring the Indy Eleven to Lucas Oil Stadium, the club and the city’s Capital Improvement Board (CIB) have finally come to terms for use of the venue, per a report from WISH-TV on Monday morning citing “a source with knowledge…
• INDIANAPOLIS — The antiquated confines of IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium have served as the home of the Indy Eleven since their inaugural 2014 campaign. For all the charm “The Mike” possesses, the beyond-dated venue has some significant drawbacks. A lack of proper locker room facilities and sufficient plumbing…
• INDIANAPOLIS — Multiple sources inform Soc Takes that Indy Eleven will play in the United Soccer League (USL) during the 2018 season. The decision was finalized this morning (Jan. 5) and is expected to be announced late next week by USL, along with the USL schedule for the 2018…

Photo credit: Sam Jones/Soc Takes

Football fans should be happy that the UEFA Champions League is back on track. European football brightness is always great to watch, and even more so during Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although the Champions League is an excellent option for sports gamblers, keep your money out of the group stage.

Online gambling offers specific options with soccer matches: handicaps, future scorers, double opportunities, number of corner kicks, exact results, goal lines, and more. However, the first phase of the UCL is not as reliable as you might think. Diverse factors illustrate that the “mighty” clubs understand that going through the group stages is just a formality. Winning six-straight matches is not fundamental anymore; the real level of the tournament begins in the second or even third round of the tournament, where the parity of the matches increases.

So, why is it important to keep your money out of the UCL group stage?

1. The greatest teams will not perform at their highest level.

Tottenham dropping points in Greece. Chelsea losing at home against a broken Valencia. Inter incapable of beating Slavia Prague at home. Liverpool not scoring at Napoli. Lyon and Leverkusen suffering against Russian clubs at home. It was an unpredictable beginning for the solid clubs, and mostly because it doesn’t matter who qualifies first or second.

A poor performance in away matches won’t matter if the squad rescues a point. Points dropped won’t keep the super clubs away from the second round. Tottenham reached the final after finishing second in Group B, and Liverpool achieved the championship while advancing with nine points to the next round behind PSG. In the previous edition, Real Madrid conquered the tournament after advancing in second place. In fact, the team that got the most points in the last UCL edition was Porto with 16.

2. The money line is expensive.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, Tottenham and Napoli will have a high moneyline at home. For $100 on a straight bet, there might be a $30 earning. And the possibility of winning a three- or four-selection parlay is low. The odds of winning a parlay of four favorites is around 8 or 9%, mathematician Luis Felipe Jacobo told Soc Takes.

3. Goal difference

This might be the best choice that you’ll have, accepting a handicap that lays one or two goals on the favorite. The risk is worth it and the line won’t be as expensive as just putting money on Manchester City. Although, we need to understand that not every team will fulfill the goal spread. Inter didn’t win by two goals against a lower-level rival. Just Bayern, Ajax, PSG and Manchester City did it, and I’m not counting on FC Salzburg because it might not advance to the second round of the competition. Betting the goal spread still poses a great risk in the UCL group stage

4. Qualified teams will leave points.

There might not be many — or any — surprises. PSG, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Bayern, Manchester City, Juventus, Atletico, Napoli and Liverpool will qualify for the next round without a problem. This means that they’ll play their last matches with a team full of substitutes, and that could impact the results.

Let’s be honest, the magic of the Champions League begins in the second round — so should the flow of money.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

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Image credit: MLS Communications

Los Angeles FC is in dangerous territory. October will define if it’s remembered as the most ambitious project in the history of MLS or as another good team with an impeccable campaign. If LAFC doesn’t culminate 2019 with the MLS Cup, it’s going to be a statistic, a precedent, nothing more.

Los Angeles FC turned the city that hosted David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Landon Donovan into madness by adding the most talented Mexican player ever. LAFC created a strong bond with the Latino community, connecting the team more to the city and MLS. Nevertheless, the anecdote of a revolution in Los Angeles will be just a tale if LAFC is eliminated from the playoffs.

Two seasons were enough for LAFC to be the best team in the history of the MLS regular season. Twenty-one victories, nine draws, and four games lost left the leaders of the Western Conference with 72 points. Head coach Bob Bradley’s squad surpassed the 71 points record that NY Red Bulls achieved last season, a team that was cursed by not lifting the MLS Cup.

Los Angeles FC also equaled a record mark as a team, the most amount of goals scored in MLS. LAFC saw the back of the net 85 times during the regular season. No other team except for the 1998 LA Galaxy reached 85 goals — especially since 2011, which was the first MLS season with 34 total games.

From those 85 goals, Carlos Vela scored 34, breaking the 31-goal record that Josef Martinez implemented in the 2018 regular season. Los Angeles took 621 shots, of which 234 were on goal, way more than any other team.

There was no real competitor for the 2019 Supporters’ Shield. The difference between LAFC, leader of the West, and New York City FC, leader of the East, was eight points, enough to assure the trophy for at least two or three weeks before the regular season ended.

However, the playoffs are a different scenario for LAFC. The new format puts Los Angeles straight in the conference semifinal, which means a showdown with Minnesota United FC or the LA Galaxy next. Los Angeles lost one game and tied one against both, stealing eight points from LAFC. And in case LAFC advances through the next two rounds, Bradley’s team could face Atlanta United for the championship.

The playoffs are an opportunity for Los Angeles FC to culminate the best MLS season of all time. Most goals, most points, top scorer, MVP — now the team only needs the MLS Cup to validate everything or be remembered as just another squad that had a good season.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven extended their home unbeaten streak to a club-record 23 games with a narrow 2-1 victory over Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday. A late Dane Kelly dagger, assisted by the head of Tyler Pasher, broke a tie after second-half goals by Indy’s Ilija Ilic and Bethlehem’s Benjamin Ofeimu.

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Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbieMeh.

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