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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Lo’eau LaBonta might have the highest value ball wins in NWSL Very solid 8.4 per 90, but by far the best at starting possessions that end up breaking the opposition back line Her possession launches also create some of the highest xG too, & 3 goals have come from her launches

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Norwegian playstyle DNA 🇳🇴🧬

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Impect data is rich enough to make passmaps a lot more pointed Can see data only from the most-used formation (if there was a formation change), by positions which accounts for subs, & see which positions were the most important to progressing the ball (color)

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Hearts win 2-1, lined up in a 4-4-2 🫡 First win in over 2 months (Westchester in a 4-3-3 which is very similar on-pitch to their 4-2-3-1)

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Portland Hearts of Pine host Westchester SC today and are looking for their first win since July 3 Westchester have typically put out a 4-2-3-1 recently while Hearts have rotated between a 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 But, Hearts of Pine performances vs 4-2-3-1 are better in a 4-4-2

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

DC United play FC Cincinnati tonight René Weiler puts out a 4-4-2 virtually every game, although vs LAFC last time it was a 4-3-3 with Hefti suspended DC are a bit lopsided against back 3s, which is how FCC play. Vs back 3s, DC push RCB up & wide and RW tucks in much more

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Zach Zengue is one of those MLS Next Pro players who you're just kinda confused about why they don't get more test minutes in MLS Incredible in college and continuing that both for the Crew & St Louis City's Next Pro teams this year

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Same with me, born in Ohio, raised in Ohio & Michigan... but parents and all extended family in Massachusetts, summers spent in Massachusetts Obviously played the biggest role lol. Super cool stuff

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Improved the title and added a ternary plot to see the players’ progression style… in these receipt-carry-pass chains, where is most of the progression coming from for them? Most are obviously receipt or pass, but some players can be heavily skewed towards one of them. Nice to see it on the image

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Jeppe Tverskov is one of the most progressive midfielders in MLS And it's not just his passing... He gets into great spaces to receive pass that take opponents out of the game Here's an analysis of progression chains, or receipt-carry-pass sequences. Tverskov ranks #1

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Interesting team popped up in my goal kick research... Metropolitanos 🇻🇪 take goal kicks to the width over 23% of the time, one of the most extreme rates in my 2,800 team sample (99th percentile) Virtually all of these taken to the right, out to the RCB who then plays it long

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Bromley preview is up! We're re-vamping the previews this season at UTAS & I've made a new, simple visual comparing the opponent's style to Cambridge United's & of course the 3 key points & 2 key players Read with a trial, then maybe subscribe? 😃 👇 www.undertheabbeystand.com/p/bromley-a-...

undertheabbeystand.com

Bromley (A) 22/8/26 | Match Preview

Your one-stop cheat sheet for our trip to South London

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Jesper Sørensen's style at the Whitecaps over both seasons. Distinct & very consistent

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Weekly report 2 out now! 🇯🇵 Rei Ieizumi, a major set piece threat CB who also enables solid buildups from the back Just moved to Mito Hollyhock ahead of this season & it will be interesting to see how he performs in J1, hopefully staying injury free griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com/p/weekly-pla...

griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com

Weekly Player #2: Rei Ieizumi

Rei Ieizumi: J-League ball-playing CB with elite set-piece threat. Scout report on the physical defender excelling in possession and aerial dominance.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Shamrock Rovers 🇮🇪 & KuPS 🇫🇮 playstyle comparison ahead of their UECL final first leg tomorrow

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I'm sure people have noticed, but my Match Report app has been being updated daily as 26/27 leagues start up Recent weeks have seen lower tiers in 🇩🇪🇫🇷🇪🇸 again plus leagues from all over 🇿🇦🇯🇵🇸🇦🇦🇪🇳🇱🇧🇪🇵🇹🇭🇷🇷🇸🇵🇱 & so many more We're almost fully in 26/27 👇 best11scouting.streamlit.app/Football_Mat...

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

My next article dropped this morning… one of the twice-monthly team analyses! We’re looking at FH 🇮🇸 and how they’ve managed to turn around their defensive woes from the first half of the season: From 9 winless to 9 unbeaten Subscribe today to read! 🙏 griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com/p/fh-solving...

griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com

FH: Solving Defensive Problems In Iceland

FH's defensive turnaround in Iceland: From 9 winless to 9 unbeaten. Explore how Hafnarfjarðar transformed their Besta Deild season.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Tómas Orri Róbertsson's progression passing this season One of the best midfielders in the league for 2 seasons now at this, yet in a team that isn't the best at progressing... not sure how they'd be without him

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I've started up a new subscription-based website & will be posting, among other things, weekly data-driven player reports First on Daniel Job, one of the most exciting prospects in Scandinavia right now & possibly the best from a 2nd tier in a long time griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com/p/weekly-pla...

griffisanalysis.beehiiv.com

Weekly Player #1: Daniel Job

Daniel Job: Nigeria winger dominating Norway's 2nd tier with elite ball-carrying and dribbling skills. Scout report and tactical breakdown.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Where do former NCAA players since 2021 play? Overwhelmingly in Next Pro (no surprise). Significant numbers in USL League 1 & plenty in USL Championship Most MLS players are "two-way" players Scandinavia is a big destination, mainly Icelanders/Danes/Norwegians moving back home after college

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

KFUM Oslo 🇳🇴 has been one of the most effective Eliteserien teams out of possession this season Mid table. 50% possession & field tilt. Not great at scoring... but solid at keeping opponents at bay; they rank 5th for goals against 📊 & 📺 thread Data via Twelve Football 🙏

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footballytics @footballytics.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

⚽️ You love football and have a fascination for data 📊? Then footballytics Learn is made for you. Discover 30+ audios and videos on #analytics, #tactics and #innovation — turning experience and insights into short, practical lessons you can apply right away. 👉 www.footballytics.ch/learn

footballytics.ch

LEARN | footballytics

Learn football analytics with 30+ free audios and videos – short, practical microlearnings packed with insights into Analytics, Scouting, Tactics and Innovation.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

As a huge fan and proponent of craft beer, I feel like a few things are going on: 1) obv, less beer consumption to begin with 2) Too many microbreweries went extreme with the additives and/or over-hopping 3) At some point, experiments replaced quality www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/b...

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

I'd love nothing more than to live in my favorite place in the world, Alexandria VA, for the rest of my life whenever my time in Denmark is up But I'm am genuinely fearful the US I grew up in and love, and even the Alexandria I lived in from 2020 to 2025, might actually be in danger of being gone

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

NFL-style extra time: coin flip, winner decides who gets the ball first First team gets 120 seconds to score, and if they concede that's the end of the game, other team wins. If they score, the other team gets 120 seconds as well. If neither teams score, or if both teams score: old MLS-style pens

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T. Greg Doucette @gregdoucette.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

I don't feel any particular joy in Charlie Kirk getting shot. It's not the sort of thing I celebrate. But I also struggle to care when someone gets the very thing they've wished for openly, on multiple occasions, in multiple iterations, for literal years, b/c they thought it would be someone else.

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Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

The MSNBC commentator saying that most political violence has historically come from the left just once again showed how we suffer from failing to learn history. Lynching, pogroms, race riots, the political violence that ended Reconstruction, and against the Civil Rights Movement. Come on.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

MAJOR UPDATE 🚨 Best XI Scouting now has a slightly new look... There's a landing page that asks you to choose the Men's or Women's app on the sidebar Men's app is the same as before... Women's app is more advanced, with lots more features! 💪 best11scouting.streamlit.app

best11scouting.streamlit.app

Best XI

This app was built in Streamlit! Check it out and visit https://streamlit.io for more awesome community apps. 🎈

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Thought it was really interesting how UVA sent both strikers to press the GK on goal kicks against Virginia Tech UVA's strikers effectively blocked both CBs as passing options. VT's GK played a vertical ball to a CM who then passed to the RCB. But UVA kept the press up very well

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Finally spent the time to use my team rating model to create outcome probabilities instead of just an xGD Compared it with the paper I worked off of & my model is at least as strong In Top 5 leagues last season, the biggest "surprise" result was Sociedad 1-0 Barcelona 🧵

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Trump can fire as many BLS directors as he wants but it won't change the fact that the 12-month slope for total non-farm employment has only been lower than it is now 2 times in the last 20 years COVID, obviously & between Sept 2007 - April 2011

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

I cannot believe Daniel Levy is gone. He's the reason the Big 6 is even a 6 and not a 5. He's the reason Spurs are so financially healthy and sustainable WHILE being perennial top 4 candidates. Insane work He is a living legend to me. Has earned some gripes from fans, but is the best chair ever imo

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

NWSL xG & xT Buildup per 90 Courage's Shinomi Koyama is doing pretty well... you don't need to directly score or assist to have a major impact Koyama ranks #1 for xT Buildup and #4 for xG Buildup

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Just found this package, wow This will be fun this season

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

I've posted a lot about Cusco FC 🇵🇪 this summer With data kindly provided by Twelve Football, let me dig into them more The key thing: they are a total outlier in turning box entries into shots. 65% of them! #2 is 58%, #3 57% Couple with #3 xG/shot, #6 high opportunity shots

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Do we have a #bundesliga-live? Insane season opener as per usual

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

One of the biggest reasons I see among US ⚽️ fans against moving to a Fall-to-Spring calendar is that attendances will drop if leagues start playing at the same time as NFL/NCAA Football ...But we already play regular season games for 2 months with NFL & attendances don't drop

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Pablo Maurer @mlsist.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

On @us.theguardian.com, I wrote about the contrast between the Washington Spirit & DC United. In DC, the Spirit haven't just narrowed the gap in terms of popularity & relevance, they may well have eliminated it. United, on the other hand, are worse than ever: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

theguardian.com

Washington Spirit seize the moment as DC United stumble in city of unrest

The rise of the NWSL’s Spirit and fall of MLS’s United are emblematic of the two ownership groups’ commitment to fans and the culture of a unique city

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

The first League Two Stat Pack of the season is out now! Make sure to subscribe to UTAS to support everything that they put out each day, each week And stay tuned for this monthly column as well as continuing the Cambridge United-focused Get Your Stats Right column 💪 substack.com/@undertheabb...

substack.com

Under The Abbey Stand (@undertheabbeystand)

It's time for a data deep dive. This season, every two weeks our resident statistician Ben Griffis is going to bring you a look at the numbers around League 2 to see who is under or over performing,...

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Cambridge United with that sweet relational defending this season, i.e. ball-following worse than a team of Bronze 2s in Rocket League

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Cambridge United with that sweet relational defending this season, i.e. ball-following worse than a team of Bronze 2s in Rocket League

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

This is incredible and will be a massive boon for Detroit

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

I made a 4 minute video but there's a 3 minute limit Here's a google drive link if you want to see about Stade Lausanne Ouchy's goal kicks Key aspects: Just LCB & GK in the box 2 players deep on side of box Penchant for kicks to width Variants to surprise opponent drive.google.com/file/d/1fZSu...

drive.google.com

Stade Lausanne Ouchy Goal Kick Analysis.mp4

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John Morrissey @usltactics.com · 08/08/2025

ICYMI: 2025 has been the year of the academy prospect across the USL Championship and League One. Why is it such an important trend, and which homegrown talents do you need to know? I dig in. www.backheeled.com/usl-youth-de...

backheeled.com

The USL's youth movement has begun (and 11 prospects to watch)

USL clubs have begun to develop their own homegrown players. Here’s why that matters.

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Ben Griffis @begriffis.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Look at all of the communication & off-ball movement from Cusco in the buildup of this possession Particularly the far side here. Players are fluid, dropping into spaces & creating more angles for the player on the ball, and communicating with teammates to keep everyone in check

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