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OptaJack has been throwing out some great statistics on twitter, so I thought I'd capture them all in a preview post. When the Los Angeles Galaxy lace up their boots and take on the Houston Dynamo in a couple of hours, they'll be doing so with some of the best in the game today. You know this, but here are some things you may not know.
Omar Gonzalez finished fourth in the Castrol Index. What this means is that when Gonzalez is on the pitch, he is making a difference with every move. Gonzalez has won 72% of his duels this season, the highest percentage of 140 players involved in at least 150 duels.
Omar will find you, and when he does, he will take the ball off your foot. Gonzalez has made the most clearances (252) and has the 4th most interceptions (88) by any player in MLS this season. For those that claim its hard to judge a defender because there's little quantifiable information, there's the proof. It wasn't in the pudding, it was in the centerback who more than any defender keeps the Galaxy third clear of opposing attacks.
In the middle it's David Beckham that opposing teams have to deal with. Beckham has made the most crosses (211) for open play this season; 53 more than the next closest player in MLS. When David Beckham gets the ball alone in the midfield, he sees the whole pitch better than anyone in MLS. With targets in Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, and Mike Magee, he's got a great supporting cast to work with.
Didn't we already know that Beckham and Gonzalez take the Galaxy to another level? Well, now there's no one what can say otherwise. Fantastic.