This is the fifth article in a series of articles and videos in the Where Goals Come From project from Jamon Moore and Carl Carpenter.

By now, readers of the Where Goals Come From project will be very in tune with the benefits of progressive passing in soccer, both from a data and tactical perspective. Within these last few weeks you’ve probably noticed a trend about the scope of progressive passing and its effectiveness throughout all levels of men’s and women’s football, furthering its importance within the game as a means of scoring goals (you know...where goals come from).

However, as American Soccer Analysis, we would be remiss to not put one specific league under the microscope and take a deeper look: in this case, Major League Soccer. In doing so, I’m going to look at the various tactical schemes the “defining” teams of the past three seasons in MLS have used to find success. These teams are:

Atlanta United in 2018 (MLS Cup Champion)
Los Angeles FC in 2019 (Supporters Shield Champion)
Columbus Crew in 2020 (MLS Cup Champion)

Each of these three clubs are linked by their ability to use progressive passes to score goals, but have done some in various ways - be it through transitions (Atlanta), careful and controlled possession (LAFC), or a combination of both (Columbus). Regardless of your game model, progressive passing is vital.

This is even more important in MLS due to the manufactured parity that the league provides its cellar dwellers without the concern of relegation. If you sort out recruitment, coaching staff, etc. you can turn around your fortunes in a short time, similar to other American sports like football and baseball.

2018 Atlanta United: Transitions

Atlanta United in 2017 and 2018 were closely associated with the star power of the team. Players like Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron (now with Newcastle United) as well as head coach Tata Martino (now with El Tri) set new bars for MLS teams since then. While the Argentine manager was quite flexible with his shape in the early stages of the season, Atlanta generally settled into a 3-5-2 formation towards the business stages of the season. This shape got the best out of their best players, including Martinez and Almiron. These two players illustrated what they looked to do while attacking the opposition: destroy opponents quickly through vertical transitions/counter-attacks. Almiron operated behind the aforementioned Martinez as well as Hector Villaba.

While Atlanta were capable of putting together elongated chains of possession, Tata and Co. got the best out of the attacking trio by moving the ball as quickly into the final third as possible. This was not necessarily via counters, but by making the steps from build-up play to final third attacking in as few touches/passes as they could. This was done through movements that opened up progressive passes, which I described in an earlier article.

Once in the final third, Almiron was the catalyst for starting these moves through quick and direct dribbling before slipping in Martinez through on goal in central areas or Villaba who often pulled wide of play in the channels. As these balls immediately through the center are some of the toughest to execute, by looking at the graphic below, we can see the amount of diagonally slipped balls between lines or various types of cutbacks balls often created by Atlanta’s wing backs joining the attack.

Atlanta’s attacking style of play was congruent with their system of defensive organization: a high pressing/all action one which looked to win the ball quickly in the final third. This, naturally, allowed them to attack with as little distance to the goal as required and utilized the energetic system of play that Martinez, Almiron, and Villaba displayed.

While Miguel Almiron was the glue which linked Atlanta United’s attack together, the star of the show in 2018 was MVP Josef Martinez. His goals that campaign told quite the story. Compared to the rest of the league shots, Josef’s shots came from dramatically more progressive passes. As a result, he had a staggering 0.25 xG per shot, meaning his shots were coming in some of the most favorable positions and conditions for shooting.

If you play more progressive passes, you create better chances on goal. Sounds pretty good to me! We haven’t discussed yet the applicability of expected goals (xG) in the Where Goals Come From, but the connection between progressive passing and creating shots from favorable positions (within the width of the goal, inside the box, etc.) is not a coincidence.

2019 LAFC: Probing with Possession

Bob Bradley likes to model his teams off a prominent European side and use them as examples to his players in video sessions. His LAFC side in 2019 was built off the shoulders of Barcelona. While the current iteration of the Spanish giants is *scrambles for a way to say this lightly*... not great, the principles of positional play, building from the back, and heavy counterpressing were evident for all to see in 2019. While they did not ultimately win MLS Cup, many (myself included) saw this team as the gold standard for what well-built teams in Major League Soccer can look like.

Compared to Atlanta United, LAFC’s game focused on retaining possession when they got the ball back. They started attacks methodically rather than looking for the “kill shot” more often than not. LAFC looked to build play from goalkeeper Tyler Miller as much as possible: splitting the center backs wide and playing out of danger. They were elite at the progressive passing movements I mentioned previously: be it rotations to overcome a high press, or finding players between lines on the half turn to get past defensive blocks.

In the final third, LAFC played quite narrow - Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela tucking in within the width of the penalty area to join one of Christian Ramirez or Adama Diomande in the #9 position. The width in their play coming from the full back positions. It was in these central areas that LAFC were unlike any other team in MLS history.

Rather than starting attacks centrally and finishing them centrally, LAFC started in wider areas of the field which forced opponents to shift right or left. Then, they found these central positions by the space created, and slipped in their attacking players through on goal. These central positions Bob Bradley has often harped on were exemplified in “Zone 14” (the area right at the top of the 18 yard box) (the area right at the top of the 18 yard box) - the proverbial holy grail of attacking play. Their goal types from 2019 demonstrate that love affair with the central locations of play, both in terms of finishing attacking moves or where they originated (such as finding players to create cutbacks).

When we look at how individuals played progressive passes for the likes of 2019 MLS MVP (and golden boot winner) Carlos Vela, we see how many LAFC players feature across the board - and how many of their assists came from progressive passing. This is a great illustration of how velocity in attacking moves can vary for these types of passes and still be successful (more to come in a future article on the speed-of-play topic). Eduard Atuesta and Mark-Anthony Kaye also featured in the 2019 primary assist leaders along with Vela.

2020 Columbus Crew: Vertical attacking (blend of direct and possession-based play)

The Columbus Crew under Caleb Porter in 2020 were a great example of blending the quick, vertical play of Atlanta United in 2018 with the more purposeful possession style of LAFC in 2019. When Porter took over from Gregg Berhalter, he shifted Columbus’ horizontal possession (characterized by many passes between each center back to each other), to something much more vertical and incisive (center backs now looked to find progressive passes between defenders).

In 2019, which was Porter’s first season, this led to mixed results. However the longer term effects of this stylistic change helped the Crew win MLS Cup. Verticality and progressive passes leading to success? Say no more!

The thing that made Columbus’ 4-2-3-1 formation unique was the ability to adapt and change from possession-oriented play when they were able to dominate their opponents (whether that happened due to a low-block or just a talent deficit) to transition-oriented when they needed to be more pragmatic in their intent within the game state of a game, as their performances in the MLS Cup playoffs demonstrated.

Gyasi Zardes is the Crew’s number nine, and his individual performance when viewed through the lens of goal types is no accident. While positional changes should be not left out of the differences in goals (leading to less opportunities, etc.), the uptick in scoring double figures the past three seasons has coincided with an increase in progressive pass goals. The very essence of progressive passes are that they create opportunities which:

Move the ball closer to goal in fewer passes.
Are more efficient at creating dangerous balls in central zones
The beneficiaries of these passes are more likely to find themselves with more space (i.e., less pressure from defenders to create a shot)

While Zardes struggled to score from 2015 to 2017 with the LA Galaxy, Berhalter and now Porter have used his finishing strengths -- and occasional ability to create his own shot (see the Individual Play category) to make him into one of MLS’s more efficient attackers. By strengthening the central midfield with Lucas Zelarayán, despite some ill-timed injuries, the Crew’s attack in 2020 became more multi-faceted, and thereby more dangerous, in Caleb Porter’s second year. Combined with a stifling defense, they outscored opponents by 10 goals in the Progressive Pass category alone.

Conclusion

By looking at three of the best MLS teams in recent seasons, and taking a quick look at their tactical differences and variety displays one of the major key points to take away from the Where Goals Come From project: whatever your game model, progressive passing is a constant and a sustainable way of success.

Teams which create more types of these goals are usually towards the top of their respective leagues. Players who create more of these opportunities are more likely to be more effective and more highly valued. On top of it all, it makes for exciting soccer that produces memorable goals that fans enjoy.

This article, framed around specific teams in North America, could have been done on any professional league on the planet. We’ve already demonstrated the applicability of the concepts across European men’s leagues, women’s leagues, and lower division leagues of all types and levels. We also expect that most, if not all of this, would be demonstrable at college and 11v11 academy levels.

Quite simply put, progressive passing is one the common denominators between sustainable and devastating attacking play in soccer.

Key Points

Regardless of a team’s tactics, progressive passing is a consistent aspect of successful attacking.
In regards to individual player performance, creating progressive goals is a net positive on how they perform from season to season.
Odds are, the teams which are best at creating progressive pass types will be those which finish near the top of the league table.

About Carlon Carpenter

Carlon is the current Tactical & Video Analyst for StatsBomb, one of the largest soccer data companies in Europe. Carlon also works as a contract employee for the U.S. Soccer youth national teams, working as a performance analyst for the U-17 men’s national team. Carlon can be contacted through his LinkedIn account, or via Twitter.

About Jamon Moore

Jamon is a twenty-five-year professional in the high-technology industry who started as a software developer and is now in executive management overseeing business agility transformations with a specialization in high-technology. In addition to his analysis for American Soccer Analysis, he is a credentialed media member covering the San Jose Earthquakes. Jamon can be contacted via Twitter, and club analysts and executives can connect with Jamon on LinkedIn.