Statistics tell a story.
Wins, losses, streaks and slump – sometimes the most obvious data can explain how a team performed over the course of the season.
A recurring theme this year was improvement. Compared to 2012, this version of the Union did much better in almost every category. Still, the high marks set by the 2011 playoff team remain mostly intact.
From 0 to 3,060, here's a look at the the numbers from 2013.
0.Penalty kick attempts: The Union was the only team in MLS not awarded a PK this season.
4. Venues where the team earned a positive result for the first time this season: The Union picked up points at Red Bull Arena, Crew Stadium, Rio Tinto, and B.C. Place for the first time in 2013.
4. Wins against playoff teams: This statistic says a lot about the why the Union did not reach the postseason. The team went just 4-10-5 against the ten teams that qualified for the playoffs. That's just 17 of 57 points taken from the best squads in the league.
5.
Game-winning goals for Jack McInerney: He was tied for third
in the league.
5.Goals scored in September and October: The Union offense struggled over the final seven games of the season.
7. Goals scored by Jack beyond the 75th minute: 58 percent of Jack's goals this year were scored in the final fifteen minutes of games, including stoppage time.
8. Assists for Sheanon Williams: Philadelphia's right back led all defenders in assists this season. FC Dallas' left back Michel also had eight assists but spent half of the season playing in the midfield. Colorado left back Chris Klute had seven. Here's the best part of about this stat – half of Sheanon's assists came from long throws. That means Sheanon had more assists with his hands (4), than Dwayne De Rosario, Corey Ashe, and Deandre Yedlin had with their feet.
12. Assists for Sebastien Le Toux: The Frenchman finished second in the league this season to Portland's Diego Valeri.
12.Goals for Jack McInerney: This was McInerney's best scoring mark since he was drafted in 2010.
12.
Shutouts for Zac MacMath: A personal best, MacMath had the third most shutouts of all goalkeepers this season.
12. Total wins: A new franchise single-season record.
13. Points against the Western Conference this year: The Union went 3-2-4 against the west and earned 13 of 27 total points in non-conference games.
13.Goals allowed in the first half
15. Combined goals and assists for Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux: They led the team in this category and had better combined numbers than players like Chris Wondolowski, Eddie Johnson, Darlington Nagbe, and Graham Zusi.
16.Goals allowed from minute 61 to 75: For some reason, this interval gave the team a lot of trouble.
18.Goals scored in the first half
20.Road points earned: The Union finished the season with a franchise-best road record of 5-7-5.
24.Goals scored in the second half
26. Points earned at PPL Park: Philadelphia finished 7-5-5 and could only grab 26 of 51 total points at home. It was an improvement over 2012's 7-8-2 home record, but it's just the third-best home record in the franchise's first four years.
28.
Appearances as a substitute for Antoine Hoppenot: Antoine came off the bench 28 times this year, which is more than anyone else in the entire league.
29. Goals allowed in the second half
42. Goals scored: It was an improvement over last year's total of 37 goals. The Union scored 44 in 2011 and 35 in 2010.
44.Goals allowed -The team conceded 45 last year, so there was only slight improvement in this category. The 4-1 and 5-3 losses to LA and Montreal certainly don't help the overall number. The defense allowed just 36 goals in 2011 but conceded 49 in 2010.
46.Total points: It was a ten point improvement from 2012, but not as good as the 48 points earned in 2011.
78. Offside calls: Montreal led the league by a wide margin.
150. Shots on goal: Improvement from 112 shots on goal in 2012. About 33% of shots this year were on frame.
172.Corner kicks: Philly was seventh in the league in attempts.
346.
Consecutive minutes without scoring: This represents the Union's scoring slump from August 25
to September 27
.
417. Fouls suffered: Nothing notable here. Montreal and Dallas were hacked down more than anyone else in the league.
438. Fouls committed: Ranked seventh out of 19 teams in this category. No surprise, Kansas City was number one with 511 fouls.
459.Total shots: The Union was also seventh out of 19 teams in this one. Huge improvement from 2012 when the team finished second to last in the league.
3,060. Minutes for Zac MacMath: The Union goalkeeper played every single minute this season. Among field players, Brian Carroll was number one with 2,969 minutes.
What do you think of these numbers? Leave your comment below.
Contact Union writer Kevin Kinkead at k.kinkead@hotmail.com
