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NWSL- 2016 Portland Thorns FC – Player Statistical Review

By Steve Fowler

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NWSL- 2016 Portland Thorns FC – Statistical Review. This is a look to see how each player statistically performed during the entire 2016 season.

Soccer: International Friendly Women
Soccer: International Friendly Women /

We finally have the entire 2016 NWSL regular season data for the Portland Thorns! This means that we can at least compare the Portland Thorns players to each other and determine which players were statistically the best for their team. Who are the Thorns Most Valuable Players (MVP’s)?

I will be using my “SNAFU” method as described in the “Appendix” below. The data is taken from WoSo Stats  and NWSL as always, I want to thank them for making these analyses possible. Here are the data:

 Table 1. 2016 NWSL Portland Thorns FC “SNAFU” Data.

Player Team App Goal scoring Attack Pass Set Piece Pass comp Possess Defend Goalie Punishm’t Bonus Grand Total Team rank
factor 0 4.5 4.5 4.5 3.75 4.5 4.5 0 5 9 40.25 0
Berryhill PTFC 1.01 4.50 4.76 4.77 4.11 4.90 4.79 0.00 5.00 9 42.85 22
Betos PTFC 7.00 4.50 5.35 5.03 4.64 4.76 4.51 7.61 5.11 1 49.52 10
Boureille PTFC 2.59 4.43 4.70 4.50 4.41 5.15 5.32 0.00 5.00 9 45.09 17
Brynjarsdottir PTFC 5.93 5.53 5.35 4.51 4.12 4.77 5.08 0.00 5.07 9 49.36 11
Fitzgerald PTFC 0.74 4.50 4.55 4.50 4.02 4.68 4.75 0.00 4.96 9 41.69 23
Franch PTFC 3.00 4.50 5.68 4.95 4.16 4.66 4.52 8.50 4.98 1 45.95 16
Heath PTFC 6.43 6.35 6.90 7.15 4.97 4.85 4.95 0.00 4.33 9 54.94 2
Henry PTFC 3.54 4.60 5.73 4.63 5.68 5.24 5.23 0.00 5.07 9 48.73 12
Horan PTFC 7.24 6.20 6.09 4.67 5.58 5.49 5.11 0.00 4.79 9 54.17 4
Klingenberg PTFC 6.99 4.70 6.12 5.87 5.76 5.24 5.25 0.00 4.89 9 53.82 6
Lofton PTFC 0.31 4.83 5.41 4.95 4.20 4.86 4.75 0.00 5.00 9 43.30 21
Long PTFC 7.50 6.02 5.71 5.16 6.44 5.79 5.29 0.00 4.89 9 55.80 1
Menges PTFC 10.00 4.50 4.68 4.59 5.80 5.55 5.60 0.00 5.01 9 54.71 3
Morris PTFC 1.52 5.07 5.59 4.61 4.03 4.65 4.80 0.00 4.67 9 43.95 19
Nadim PTFC 9.16 6.23 5.93 4.97 4.47 4.63 4.71 0.00 4.63 9 53.74 7
Pratt PTFC 0.78 4.50 4.96 4.53 3.95 4.26 4.67 0.00 5.00 9 41.65 24
Raso PTFC 4.21 4.76 5.58 4.52 3.96 4.53 4.72 0.00 4.70 9 45.98 15
Reynolds PTFC 9.29 4.54 5.61 5.35 4.77 5.15 5.28 0.00 4.96 9 53.95 5
Shim PTFC 4.52 4.73 5.33 4.76 4.59 5.10 4.79 0.00 4.99 9 47.81 13
Sinclair PTFC 4.59 6.85 6.28 4.51 4.64 4.67 4.71 0.00 4.95 9 50.20 9
Skogerboe PTFC 1.17 4.50 4.70 4.90 4.76 4.90 4.79 0.00 5.04 9 43.76 20
Sonnett PTFC 7.50 4.62 4.83 5.18 5.62 5.42 5.30 0.00 4.83 9 52.30 8
Weber PTFC 3.87 4.71 4.87 4.89 4.12 4.73 5.01 0.00 4.95 9 46.14 14
Williamson PTFC 1.09 5.10 5.20 5.12 4.33 4.79 4.77 0.00 5.43 9 44.82 18
AVERAGE PTFC 4.58 5.03 5.41 4.94 4.71 4.95 4.95 0.67 4.93 8.33 48.51 12.5

For all intents and purposes, the “Grand Total” and the “Team Rank” column are the only ones that matter here. The rest are for discussion purposes only.

So, let’s jump right into the discussion.

THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS FOR THE PORTLAND THORNS FC ARE…

The Rose City Riveters!!!!

Of Course! Where would the NWSL be without its fans?

However, according to “SNAFU”, the Team MVP is …..

ALLIE LONG!!!

Wait, what about Tobin Heath?

Isn’t she the team’s best player? Almost, but back on May 7 against the Washington Spirit, Ms. Heath had earned 2 yellow cards and therefore a 1 game suspension for her actions that day. Had she not been suspended, then her “Appearance Points” would have been enough to get her closer to number 1. But even still, her yellow cards and possession skills still place her slightly below Long.

Back to Allie Long, so what makes her “team MVP”?

Let us count the ways:

  1. 6 Goals and 2 Assists! Not too shabby.
  2. Team’s second highest passing completion percentage at about 88%.
  3. Her possession skills are the best on the team, she can dribble around opponents quite well, and is “dispossessed” by opponents almost 3 times per game. Compare that to Heath who loses possession over 8 times per game to her opponents.
  4. Other than “crosses”, she does well in the “attacking pass” category.

First Runner Up! Tobin Heath!

  1. Using a farm analogy, she “makes hay” with set pieces. She leads the team in this category, and I would be shocked if she was not top 5 in this category when all the NWSL data is completed.
  2. Heath is better than Long at the “attacking pass” category, where she has about 50% cross completion percentage. So, she is dangerous anytime she is near the penalty box.
  3. Heath has 10 assists, which was the league best in that category. (Further proof that she is good around the penalty area.)

Second Runner Up! Emily Menges !

November 9, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Team USA defender Emily Menges (22, top) and forward Lynn Williams (16, bottom) participate in a game during training before a friendly match against Romania at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 9, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Team USA defender Emily Menges (22, top) and forward Lynn Williams (16, bottom) participate in a game during training before a friendly match against Romania at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
  1. Menges was the only player on this team to play all the game minutes this season. So, it is fitting that she should be rewarded for all of her hard work.
  2. She is the team’s defensive leader, as she does well in all defensive categories. She should be visiting a U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team site regularly.
  3. She is also the team’s most efficient passer at 89% passing completion percentage.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Lindsey Horan– is ranked 4th overall on this team, thanks to 5 goals this year. She was also decent in the attacking pass category, especially with launched balls and through balls.
  2. Katherine Reynolds makes the list as she is second in team minutes, but also was 52% in cross completion percentage.
  3. Megan Klingenberg also makes the list. She is known for her crosses, but had a tepid 36% crossing completion rate. But, she  was more efficient at launched balls, where she was about 46%.
  4. Nadia Nadim is ranked 7th on the team, but first on the team with 9 goals.
  5. And finally, there is  Christine Sinclair. Had she played the entire season, she could have been been ranked no worse than 5th on this team. Always the goal scoring threat, she managed 6 goals and 2 assists, despite playing in only 11 games this past season. She also has a ridiculous 71% shot accuracy. This is the percentage of shots that are “shots on goal”. A good typical player is about 50%, meaning that half of the shots might hurt the fans a few rows back.
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