Since he was hired last November, New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps has not been shy about his ambition to craft a team that plays possession-oriented soccer. There are good reasons for why the Revs have lost the battle for possession in each of its three games, but Heaps's vision of a ball-possessing side is nonetheless far from being realized.
There is one sign of encouragement in that department, though: Goalkeeper Matt Reis is among the league-leading goalkeepers when it comes to retaining possession when they distribute the ball. This is noteworthy, because a goalkeeper who's able to efficiently distribute the ball has been a trademark of teams that stress possession, whether it was Holland's Jan Jongbloed in the 1974 World Cup or FC Barcelona's Victor Valdes today.
Below are the distribution efficiency rankings of the twelve goalkeepers who've played all 270 minutes so far, according to Opta statistics. The number of passes completed and total passes over the three games are in parentheses:
1.) Jimmy Nielson, SKC- 75% (58/77)
1.) Nick Rimando, RSL- 75% (68/91)
3.) Ryan Meara, NYRB- 69% (49/71)
4.) Matt Reis, NER- 68% (69/101)
5.) Dan Kennedy, CHV- 67% (67/100)
6.) Donovan Rickets, MTL- 61% (60/98)
7.) Kevin Hartman, FCD- 60% (48/80)
8.) Tally Hall, HOU- 59% (51/87)
9.) Troy Perkins, POR- 56% (49/87)
10.) Matt Pickens, COL- 55% (47/85)
11.) Zac MacMath, PHI- 52% (44/85)
12.) Jon Busch, SJ- 46% (49/107)
- John C.L. Morgan
There is one sign of encouragement in that department, though: Goalkeeper Matt Reis is among the league-leading goalkeepers when it comes to retaining possession when they distribute the ball. This is noteworthy, because a goalkeeper who's able to efficiently distribute the ball has been a trademark of teams that stress possession, whether it was Holland's Jan Jongbloed in the 1974 World Cup or FC Barcelona's Victor Valdes today.
Below are the distribution efficiency rankings of the twelve goalkeepers who've played all 270 minutes so far, according to Opta statistics. The number of passes completed and total passes over the three games are in parentheses:
1.) Jimmy Nielson, SKC- 75% (58/77)
1.) Nick Rimando, RSL- 75% (68/91)
3.) Ryan Meara, NYRB- 69% (49/71)
4.) Matt Reis, NER- 68% (69/101)
5.) Dan Kennedy, CHV- 67% (67/100)
6.) Donovan Rickets, MTL- 61% (60/98)
7.) Kevin Hartman, FCD- 60% (48/80)
8.) Tally Hall, HOU- 59% (51/87)
9.) Troy Perkins, POR- 56% (49/87)
10.) Matt Pickens, COL- 55% (47/85)
11.) Zac MacMath, PHI- 52% (44/85)
12.) Jon Busch, SJ- 46% (49/107)
- John C.L. Morgan
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