They say there are three kinds of ways to deceive somebody: lies, damn lies, and statistics. Sometimes you have to look beyond the numbers to find the true value of an individual. In virtually no sport is this truer than soccer.

MICHAEL BELMONT
Gargoyle sports editor
Posted Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006
Sports & Opinions

WHAT MAKES a soccer player “good”? True, different people will have nuanced perspectives. But if you've been around the game long enough, you'll have noticed that there's more to it than just finishing.

I'll be frank: It's not necessarily true that the more goals a player has, the better he (or she) is. In a sport where entire teams of 11 players typically have less than 10 shots on target per game, matches are usually won or lost in the middle of the field because the team that's better able to obtain, possess, and distribute the ball from the middle of the park often creates more and better scoring opportunities than its opponents.

Oftentimes, especially at higher levels of play, scoring is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. It's the quick precision passing of multiple players that created the goal, but only two of them get any mention in box scores. The fact is that all forwards, even the best in the world, rely heavily on their teammates to set them up.

Furthermore, the distribution of scoring opportunities is not nearly as even as in other sports. Forwards are in much better position to assist or score than anybody else. They simply get more good chances on a consistent basis.

To compare goals and assists between midfielders and forwards as a direct measure of their value to the team is ridiculous. Midfielders almost never have more goals than forwards in the long run, and in the rare cases that they do, it's usually because they occupy a special attacking role that limits their defensive responsibilities.

Many high school soccer fans, including a sizable contingent at Uni, seem to interpret soccer games the same way they would basketball games. They equate the phrases “leading scorer” and “best player.” The reality is that it's possible to absolutely dominate a game and orchestrate an offense without recording a stat. It's also possible to be relatively uninvolved in your team's buildup and attack but come away with three goals to your credit.

Soccer, unlike basketball, volleyball, or even baseball, has very few statistical categories. Nobody keeps track of pass completion percentages, successful tackles (steals), number of quality crosses (passes from the flank into the other team's goal area), yards gained, or anything of the nature. Meanwhile, goals and assists occur seldom and often by chance, and many great plays are forgotten.

At the highest levels of the sport, forwards still tend to get more than their share of attention, but talent in other positions is respected as well despite more modest stat-lines. In fact, many of the world's most revered players are not statistical giants.

The young Portugal and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the leading scorer on either of his teams, but his amazing speed and skill on the flank is so valuable in sparking both offenses that he is considered by many European commentators to be just a year or two away from becoming the most valuable player in the world.

French midfield legend Zinedine Zidane came away with the award for best player at this summer's World Cup — even though two of his three goals were penalty kicks — more because of his fine precision passing, great vision, and superb ball control than his stats.

The misconception, which though understandable is also correctable, is shared by much of the media: News-Gazette sportswriters who didn't grow up playing soccer consistently overrepresent forwards on their all-area teams because they amass the biggest numbers.

On this year's first team, there were a total of one goalie, six forwards (two of the players listed as midfielders, including myself, played essentially as forwards), three defenders, and only two true midfielders. Meanwhile, some kids whose play this season earned enormous respect from local coaches and other players were relegated to the second team or honorable mention because as midfielders playing their position correctly they were unable to accumulate overwhelming stats.

I'm not trying to say that stats are worthless indicators or that all strikers suck: Good teams must have deadly finishers as well as great buildup, and forwards can be the most creative and talented players on their squads. Overpossession and inefficiency in front of the goal are serious problems for many teams at all levels. And while midfielders who try to shirk their defensive duties to boost their stats can be a major liability, good midfield players who push forward and attack at the right times will usually have respectable numbers.

What I'm saying is that finishing is just one of many components that make a good team, and that midfielders shouldn't be held to the same statistical standards as forwards.

At the end of each World Cup, two individual honors are awarded that stand above the rest. The Golden Boot goes to the top goal scorer, while the Golden Ball, the award that Zidane most recently won, goes to the best overall player. Maybe if soccer box scores in the newspaper listed not only who scored and assisted, but also named one or two “Men of the Match” from each team, picked by their coaches as the overall most valuable players of the game, more credit could diffuse to where it was due.

These players could be the forward duo who combined for four goals, the defenders who covered opposing stars and held them scoreless, the midfielders who slashed the opposing defense apart with incisive passes, the goalkeeper who made 20 saves, or any combination of the above. It's time for the right players to get the recognition they deserve.