MLS Next: when quality of play becomes a ranking criterion

After years of observing what's being done across the Atlantic to improve its soccer, the United States is now giving Europeans a reason to do the opposite. Under the leadership of Frédéric Lipka, the MLS's Director of Youth Development since 2015, the league has launched a new ranking: the "Quality of Play Ranking". This ranking, introduced as a pilot project, evaluates the quality of play produced by U13 and U14 teams in the MLS Next Championship. It is the result of a partnership with the Northern Ireland based sports analytics company Taka, which specializes in video analysis and performance modeling.

"What role should competition play in the development of young players, especially with the effect of relative age?"

“Historically, there haven’t been rankings for U13 or U14 players in the United States because there has always been a debate about the role competition should play in young players’ development, especially given the effect of relative age,” explains the Frenchman. “Sometimes there are two years between two children in the same age group, and that makes a big physical difference.” Lipka, former technical director of Racing Club de Paris (2000-2008), remembers those local Parisian leagues where some coaches focused their entire game plan on physicality and long balls, to the detriment of technical skill. “Even young talents identified by academies like Clairefontaine weren’t starters at their clubs, simply because they were too small.” This observation, which attests to the conflict of interest between immediate results and sustainable development, cuts across all football cultures and the MLS has decided to take a stand: "From now on, in youth football, the quality of play will count more than the final score and we hope to change the way we evaluate and recognize our coaches."

To bring this vision to life, the MLS launched a call for tenders to around twenty technology providers. "When I saw Taka's demonstration video, I thought: this is exactly what we need." Originating from the world of performance modeling applied to sports betting, the Northern Irish company has transposed its expertise to football, following the example of the owners of clubs Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford FC in the English Premier League. "We spent hours with scouts listening to their commentary during matches. And we noticed that each time, they did three things: they identified the player, assessed the quality of their action, and named the relevant skill," explains Taka CEO Mark Shields. "From this came a simple idea: how do we measure and model what good scouts observe?"

15,000 matches evaluated by video analysts based in Eastern Europe

Specifically, Taka analyzed over 15,000 MLS Next matches, and every action - pass, dribble, interception, transition, press - is evaluated by a team of video analysts based in Eastern Europe. Each match is reviewed twice, once for each team, totaling approximately 4.5 hours of analysis per game. The collected data is then linked to the video, allowing each player to access their individual profile: strengths, areas for improvement, and relevant video clips. 

Fred Lipka summarizes: "A magnificent pass that doesn't result in a goal remains a high-quality action, and tactical intent and reading the game in formation have significant value. In traditional statistics, it's considered a failure, whereas in our system, it's taken into account as a technical and cognitive success because our aim is to give coaches and players the means to improve the quality of their actions, their understanding of the game, their synchronization... and to reward those who progress well, even if they don't win! Many coaches get their teams playing well but don't have the striker or goalkeeper who makes the difference."

For now, the “Quality of Play Ranking” only applies to the U13 and U14 categories. But the MLS is already considering expanding it given the initial encouraging feedback. “At first, it’s true that some coaches were a little surprised by their ranking, but they quickly understood, because the data and videos speak for themselves,” explains the National Technical Director. “The only way to rank highly is to play well, whether it’s in possession, defending well, or in transitions… you can’t cheat,” adds Mark Shields, who specifies that this project also allows for the creation of an unprecedented national video database.

"Never ask your coaches about the weekend's results on Mondays"

For Frédéric Lipka, this new way of evaluating competitions is a true cultural revolution: "I'll always remember the invaluable advice Jean-Marie Lawniczak gave me when I started at Racing: 'On Mondays, never ask your coaches about the weekend's results.' Today, within the MLS Next program, coaches are asked if they played well, and that's the real question." 

Could such a system be exported to France or other legacy football countries? "Technically, it's feasible. However in France, as an example, competitions are managed federally, with many more stakeholders. It would be more complicated. The MLS is a private league, so it's free to innovate, and the United States won't ever catch up with Brazil or France or England by doing the same things they do. You have to be smarter, more creative, and use technology to progress in a country where the distances involved in playing or scouting are a real challenge. Otherwise, we'll never bridge the gap". This is an issue that goes far beyond the MLS Next program and could provoke a revolution to permanently transform youth football culture.