If you were going to eliminate one column from the MLS stats list, it would probably be blocks. Sure, they're sometimes memorable plays, but most often, the guy who gets the block is simply the player who was stationed on the goal line ... not too interesting.

Nonetheless, it always seems possible to go a little deeper ... for instance, MLS 2004 has shown a sharp division between teams that draw fouls and teams that don't ...
-- 5 teams have drawn between 342 and 359 fouls. On average, they've had 6.2 shots blocked.
-- 5 teams have drawn between 258 and 289 fouls. On average, they've had only 2.6 shots blocked.

It seems like the ability to draw free kicks goes hand-in-hand with the ability to force blocks ... presumably, a lot of these blocks are happening from the kicks themselves.

(I'll try to add a bit more on this later ... must run.)


Walking/Running Puppy - Advise needed
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