Attacking metrics revisited: Win Impact Ratio

PAQ90 allows us to view a player’s attacking performance in terms of Generally Accepted Measures of Match Activity (GAMMA), but what about important stats that aren’t recorded? To compensate for the lack of personal statistics, I have developed the Win Impact Ratio (WIR), a number that offers further insight into a player’s contribution to his team’s performance. WIR = ((Player Wins + .333*Player Draws)/Total Player Appearances)/((Total Wins + .333*Total Draws)/Total Number of Matches)

For example, Red Bull New York so far have a total of 6 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws while with Juan Pablo Angel they have 3 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. Yes, he’s a scoring machine, but 3 out of 4 losses have occurred with him on the pitch. If we plug in the numbers, Mr. Angel currently has a 0.884 WIR. Multiplying his 4.51 PAQ90 by 0.884 WIR yields a 3.99 Total Attack Rating per 90 minutes (TAR90).

Another one: Chris Rolfe. Overall, the Fire have 4 wins, 6 losses, and 2 draws; with Rolfe on the pitch they are 3-2-1. This leads to a 1.43 WIR for the diminuitive striker, which in turn boosts his 3.15 PAQ90 to a 4.498 TAR90.

And one more: Eddie Johnson, the guy who got me thinking in the first place. With EJ the Wizards are 6-2-1 while overall they are 6-4-2. This yields a 1.27 WIR and a 5.29 TAR90 for Mr. Johnson. Very impressive, indeed. Now if he can just gain some consistency for the national team . . .

Photo by akirsa