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PowerStats Foresees FIFA Player of the Year
The What, Why, Who, and How of PowerStats
Talk the Talk - A Glossary
The Evolution of PowerStats
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Welcome to a New Era of Soccer Stats!!!!
2006 World Cup Final.
Italy 1 - 1 France.
Italy wins in penalties 5-3 and raises the World Cup.
But what happened? A 1-1 score line doesn’t say much about the match.
Want to know more? Check out PowerStats.
PowerStats tells the story in one simple, engaging, easy to read graph, called a Power Chart.
The Power Chart shows you each team's momentum during the match.
And each player’s participation is identified by a Power Rating, adding up the things they did right minus the things they did wrong.
PowerStats are simple and easy to understand.
Quick. Name the best football player in the world in 2006.
Cristiano Ronaldo? Nope. His glory came a year later in 2007.
Ronaldinho? Heck No! You're one year early. He won the honor in 2005.
It must have been Zidane, what with his majestic pre-head butt heroics for in the 2006 World Cup, right? Though Zizou won the Golden Boot, that's still wrong.
If you're mind automatically defaults to the best playmakers and goal scorers around the globe, I don't blame you. The real answer is Italian center back Fabio Cannavaro, who after leading The Azzurri to their fourth World Cup, was the first ever defender to win FIFA World Player of the Year, and the first defender since Franz Beckenbauer in 1972 to win the European Footballer of the Year award.
If a player isn't putting balls in nets, points on scoreboards and supporters in seats, it's often hard to measure his value to a team. But as Cannavaro raised the World Cup high above his head, it was clear as crystal what the Italy skipper meant to his side. Despite scoring zero goals, having zero assists, and only attempting four shots on goal for the entire tournament, he was hands down the best player on the pitch.
And the stats bear it out. The PowerStats, that is.
PowerStats is the simple compilation of 20 different statistical categories (or actions) that have a plus or minus rating of 1, depending on whether the action has a positive or negative impact on the game. The 20 statistics are combined in several ways to calculate at Attacking, Defending, Striker, Playmaker, Defender, and Mistakes rating.
For the World Cup Final, thanks to his resolute, heroic defending, Cannavaro stopped the French from entering the penalty box eight times, took the ball away five times, cleared the ball from the area five times, blocked the ball in the box three times, and won the ball three times.
Basically, the scrappy defender made life miserable for Henry, Malouda, Zidane and the rest of Les Bleus. Cannavaro rated out as the match's best player, and not surprisingly, the tournament's top player.
The PowerStats Crew works diligently to provide football aficionados with fan-friendly, vital statistics that enhance the match-day experience. They are compelling and meaningful.
After all, PowerStats had Cannavaro as the world's best player six months before FIFA.
A new way to experience "the beautiful game" is here, and it's called PowerStats.
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The What, Why, Who and How of PowerStats
What is the Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system?
The Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system (PowerStats) tracks the on-field participation for both teams and their individual players by identifying 20 different statistical categories (or actions).
PowerStats concentrates on those statistics (or actions) involved with (1) scoring goals and (2) change of possession.
How does PowerStats work?
The 20 statistics are combined in several ways to calculate Power Ratings and produce a Power Chart.
Each statistic (or action) has a plus or minus rating of 1, depending on whether the action has a positive or negative impact on the game. The only variation is Goals (+3), Assistis (+2), Saves (+2), and Red Cards (-3).
A Power Rating is the sum of all the statistical categories. PowerStats also calculates ratings for Attacking, Defending, Striker, Playmaker, Defender, and Mistakes.
The Power Chart is a graph which shows the sum of all statistics for each team at time intervals throughout the match. The result is a graph of each team’s momentum and paints a clearer picture of what actually happened on the pitch, beyond what you see in a box score or match report.
Why is PowerStats so effective?
The Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system is effective because it only keeps track of what matters.
First, the system does not catalog every touch of the ball.
For example, the ping-pong actions where the ball ricochets from one player to another are ignored and PowerStats records a statistic when a player finally gains possession.
Second, the system does not discriminate based on the player’s position on the pitch. Every player has the opportunity to generate Power Points. That is why PowerStats was able to identify the Italian defender Cannavaro as the Best Player in the 2006 World Cup.
Lastly, the integrity of the statistics taken by the PowerStats Crew is supported by a comprehensive training program validated by a certification process. This results in consistent reporting from match-to-match and is the cornerstone for the ability to compare performances over time.
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Why PowerStats?
PowerStats was created as a means to provide a solution to the frustration of a lack of information about the match, the teams, and the individual players. It provides more detailed, vital statistics about a match than just the box score.
Who Are We?
The PowerStats Crew (Crew) is currently comprised of college students, and friends, at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. All are soccer aficionados. They have transformed a residence hall recreation room into an online soccer studio.
The Crew works hard to provide interesting and meaningful new ways to experience “the beautiful game’.
Do PowerStats agree with the official match statistics?
The objective of PowerStats is to provide meaningful statistics for the fans so the answer is yes and no.
“Goals” are always recorded the same even if the replay shows something different.
Additionally, many statistics such as “fouls” and “fouls suffered” (which we call Hacks) are very similar. The Crew has the benefit of replaying the action multiple times to ensure accurate reporting when the match is scored in the studi
On the other hand, PowerStats compiles seven different statistics that are not widely reported by anyone else so there is no comparison for those statistics.
Lastly, some PowerStats definitions do not conform to the official statistics. For example, a defender that clears a shot off the line is credited with a “save” whereas the defender that commits a foul that results in a successful penalty goal is charged with a “goal given” rather than the goalkeeper.
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Talk the Talk – A Glossary
PowerStat Definitions
PowerStat Ratings
Numerous individuals have advised us not to expose our methodology. We believe this notion defeats the primary purpose of providing more information for the fan. In the spirit of transparency, we have listed the short definitions of all our statistics. The more detailed definitions are currently being compiled into a training DVD to be available at a later date.
PowerStat Definitions
Group I – Actions leading toward an attempt to score and prevent goals
v GOAL: Putting the ball into the opponents net as awarded by the referee.
v SHOT ON GOAL: A Shot that resulted in a GOAL or would have resulted in a GOAL had the Shot not been Saved.
v SHOT: An intentional attempt to score a GOAL initiated by the offensive team, and where the ball comes relatively close to the goal.
v CHANCE: Any time a player has chance to shoot.
v REACH: Physically directing the ball into the penalty area where there is a scoring opportunity.
v SAVE: A defensive player preventing the ball from entering the net.
v CLEAR: Physically directing the ball from inside the penalty area to outside the penalty area without a restart.
v CORNER: As awarded by the referee. The player that wins the Corner receives credit for the corner.
v STOP: When a defensive player prevents a Reach.
v BLOCK: When the ball is played into a defensive player in the penalty area
v GOAL GIVEN: Goalkeepers inability to prevent a GOAL scored.
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Group II – Actions relating to change of possession
v TAKEAWAY: When a player gains Control of the ball from the opposing team who had Control of the ball.
v GIVEAWAY: When a player with Control of the ball initiates an action, such as a pass, that results in the other team gaining Control of the ball.
v WIN: The first player to touch a ball when two or more players challenge for a free ball and the resulting possession falls to the team of the player that first touched the ball.
v OFFSIDE: Unlawful attempt to gain advantage as called by the referee.
v FOUL: Committing an unlawful action as called by the referee.
v HACK: Receiving or suffering a foul.
v PENALTY: Committing a foul in the penalty area.
v YELLOW CARD: Punishment as called by the referee.
v RED CARD: Punishment as called by the referee.
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PowerStat Ratings
v POWER RATING: The sum of all statistics.
v ATTACKING RATING: The sum of positive points for Goals, Assists, Shots on Goal, Shots, Chances, Reaches, Corners, Wins, Hacks; minus negative points for Giveaways, and Offsides.
v DEFENDING RATING: The sum of positive points for Takeaways, Stops, Blocks, Clears, Saves: minus negative points for Fouls, Goals Given, Yellow and Red cards.
v STRIKER RATING: The sum of positive points for Goals, Shots on Goal, Shots, Chances, and Corners.
v PLAYMAKER RATING: The sum of positive points for Assists, Reaches, Wins, and Hacks;
v DEFENDER RATING: The sum of positive points for Takeaways, Stops, Blocks, Clears, and Saves.
v MISTAKES RATING: The sum of negative points for Giveaways, Offsides, Fouls, Goals Given, Yellow and Red cards
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The Evolution of PowerStats
Where we are today is not where we will be tomorrow, or a year from now, or ten years from now.
The identification and application of statistics to the “Beautiful Game” is an evolutionary process. And the role of statistics takes different forms to accommodate coaches, media, rules committees, and fans.
The Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system concentrates on the needs of the fans. The system began with a fan, is being perpetuated by fans, and fans will shaped these statistics in the future.
We hope you will join us in this endeavor.
The seeds of the Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system were planted in Carl Hammond in the early 1970s while watching two soccer television programs: Star Soccer (English First Division) and Soccer Made in Germany. These programs fed an inherent interest Carl has for international affairs.
Carl, a self-proclaimed sports addict, grew up on a steady diet of media-driven statistics that enriched his enjoyment of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. The absence of statistics in soccer went unnoticed by Carl because he was enchanted by the uninterrupted flow of soccer that pulled and pushed his emotions throughout the match.
The spell of soccer on Carl was cast during the 1986 World Cup and he developed a strong interest in certain teams and players. But underlying problem surfaced. There was no way to actively follow international teams and players in those pre-internet times due to a lack of statistics and traditional American “box scores”.
The 1994 World Cup spawned Major League Soccer (MLS). One cornerstone in the success of MLS looked to be effective media coverage and thereby capture the millions of new 1994 World Cup fans. MLS needed fan-friendly statistics.
This need led Carl to codify a soccer statistical system that he had been formulating. It was presented to MLS, who adopted two of these statistics not previously reported in soccer-- shots on goal and fouls suffered. Even today, PowerStats includes seven statistics not widely reported anywhere: chances to shoot, reaching the penalty area, giving the ball away, taking the ball away, blocking a shot, clearing the penalty area, and stopping the opposing team from reaching the penalty area.
Over the ensuing 15 years, the Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system was applied to more than 1,000 matches, both youth and professional. The system has been poked, prodded, and refined, always with the goal of providing the soccer fan with meaningful and engaging information.
Carl’s 30-year career as a professional accountant eventually led to teaching at Point Loma Nazarene University where he found a new generation of soccer aficionados who grew up playing soccer. Together they created powerstatsonline.com.
The results of the Soccer PowerStats™ statistical system have been published in newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet. The powerstatsonline.com “starter” web site of the 2006 World Cup generated over one million hits.
The PowerStats Crew is always looking for others who share the joy of "The Beautiful Game".
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Want More?
Please let us know if you would like to be active in this evolving process of shaping the fan-friendly soccer statistics of the future. Please e-mail your questions and comments to info@powerstatsonline.com.
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