Chip Cohlmia

This is Chip, the keeper of Stats, coming to you live from Providence Park!

a cartoon of a chicken nugget and a cup with a straw in it ALT: a cartoon of a chicken nugget and a cup with a straw in it

Me, at the @sportingkc.com game: Man, this music is so good. Every one is a hit.

The announcer: Sporting fans, welcome to Retro Night!

Next up, we have away at Cincy, who currently holds 2nd in the East and the highest points per game in their last 5 matches in all MLS (2.6). They've won their last 4 and haven't lost since 3/15. They also haven't lost at home this year with 3 wins and one draw.

@nootherpod.bsky.social

This felt like we capitalized on every opportunity and made the hits count, especially with Ndenbe netting his 1st goal since the round 1 match against St. Louis in 2023. That goal, by the way, 0.04 xG. On the stats sheet, it rounds down. So Ndenbe got a goal off 0.0 xG for the game. What a legend.

It was a massive amount of team play and seeing how things can develop, then executing. They genuinely look like they're having fun. They're opening the game up and stretching the defense, rather than keeping it congested and passing among the back 4.

I'm not sure who originally placed that long cross to Shapi who got the assist to Garcia for the third goal, but Shapi is running out to the corners to get into open space and people are seeing that. Salloi making his run for his 2nd goal before the defender has even gotten out of bed that morning.

But focusing on each goal, Sporting showed vision. They had off-the-ball movement. Ndenbe being WIDE open on the wing and hammering in a goal. Pulskamp seeing the San Jose back line sleeping and launching an extremely well-placed ball to Salloi and Salloi controlling it with an amazing touch.

But let's come back to that. Only 7 shots. 7 total shots in 90 minutes. 5 on target and all five goals. Getting 5 goals on only 1.6 xg is nothing short of remarkable for a team that has struggled to put together an attack for a few years.

We only had 7 total shots in the game, 5 on target, compared to San Jose's 22 shots with 6 on target. This match felt like a flipped script from Sporting games of old (read: last year) when we would pepper the goal with shots, but not have anything to show for it.

For all the games where SKC has been on the right side of the game stats and still lost, this game feels flipped. Sporting had only 33% possession, the lowest since the June 22, 2024 game against Columbus. Passing accuracy was only 62%, the lowest since a 0-0 draw against NYCFC in 2022.

Last time SKC won away in league play? 7/13/24, 281 days ago.
Last time SKC won away by more than one goal in league play? 3/30/24, 386 days ago.
Last time SKC put up at least 5 in league play? 3/30/19, 2,213 days ago.
Last time SKC put up 5 away in league play? 9/15/18 against SJ, 2,409 days ago.

The best part about that first half was the appearance of the orange ball.

Now that my MLS Statbook is up and running. I'm now putting some adjustment touches on it to create one for NWSL too!

My MLS Statbook is up and running. Games are entered and I am ready for the action to start.

What kind of stats do we wanna see in 2025?

@nootherpod.bsky.social