Browsing articles from "March, 2011"

The Mendoza Line

Mar 24, 2011   //   by mlsstt   //   Blog, Statistics  //  8 Comments

Note:  This post has nothing to do with Columbus’ Andres Mendoza.

Wikipedia defines baseball’s Mendoza Line as:

…an informal term used in baseball for the threshold of incompetent hitting. The Mendoza Line is said to occur at .200, and when a position player’s batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be ‘below the Mendoza Line.’ It is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player’s presence in Major League Baseball cannot be justified despite his defensive abilities.

If you’ve followed this site over the years, MLS: Setting the Table has its own version of The Mendoza Line.  It is the points per game average that gets you into the playoffs.  Since the 2008 season, here are the teams that just barely squeaked into the MLS Cup playoffs and their points per game average :

  • 2008:  1.30 PPG (New York) – 39 points in 30 games; MLS Cup finalist
  • 2009:  1.33 PPG (Real Salt Lake) – 40 points in 30 games; MLS Cup Champion
  • 2010:  1.53 PPG (San Jose) – 46 points in 30 games; MLS Cup semifinalist

If ten teams had been allowed in the playoffs last season as they are this season, then Kansas City would have been in with a PPG of 1.20.  With 34 games on the schedule this season, a team would have to earn at least 41 points to average the 1.20 that KC did in 2010.

During the season, keep an eye on that column in the table.  With games in hand you can’t just go by the point total.  If your club is above 1.20, you’re on pace to make the playoffs.  If not, it could be a depressing November.

Did you notice that the example clubs above made it to at least the semifinal?

Why RSL can’t breathe easy just yet

Mar 16, 2011   //   by mlsstt   //   Blog, CONCACAF  //  No Comments

August 25, 2010. Real Salt Lake are up 3-0 in the 60th minute against Cruz Azul in an absolute monsoon. A seemingly insurmountable lead for RSL turns into a fight for the win, as Cruz Azul score three goals in fourteen minutes, and the Salt Lakers end up losing 5-4 with a goal in the dying moments of stoppage time from Christian Giménez.

A 2-0 advantage on aggregate going to the Monster’s Cave at Saprissa is a great situation for Real Salt Lake, but they need to keep that Cruz Azul game in their memory banks so they don’t fall to another collapse and get through to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, and a shot at a FIFA Club World Cup.

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