Chapter 1: What is the significance of the Linda Hall Library for this podcast?
You are listening live to the program. Your teams, your town, your program. He's got the ground. He's got a penalty. And Messi. Alvarez. Here's McAllister. Di Maria is the spare man. And how Di Maria. Glorious goal. Mbappé. Trotterham. Mbappé. Oh, wow. Arturo Martinez. Lionel Messi. Fernandes. Martinez. Argentina, champions of the world!
And now, ready for a glorious show, Seren Petro. Right you are, Kay. Right you are. Petro on the program on Sports Radio 810 WHB as we're at one of our favorite places in Kansas City. Just the iconic Linda Hall Library is where we broadcast from today. There are still just a few tickets left for you to come and join what is going to be a great event.
We are going to be having a wonderful discussion about soccer, the beautiful game. You just heard the World Cup game. The championship call.
The amazing France and Argentina from 2022 with Messi and Mbappe going back and forth. And I'd forgotten just how great that match was. And putting that together, I was like, wow, that's fantastic. Soccer at its highest level.
It is absolutely always a great time to be here at the Linda Hall Library. We will have a great, great event. They always do. A great discussion as we will talk about basically World Cup, soccer, and how analytics, how math, how science, how technology. affects the game because that's what this is all about. So we will talk to you about that throughout the course of the day.
In fact, we're going to be joined by some folks. Sam Gregory is going to be with us as he is the head of U.S. Soccer Analytics, for lack of a better term, is the way I would describe it. Director of Analytics. Director of Analytics.
If you're a director of something, you're doing something big.
That's right. That's a very big. They trust you. That is a very big title. We will talk to him coming up here shortly in this hour. We will also talk later on with Jeff Passan. We'll talk later on. Director of baseball. That's right. We'll play There Can Be Only One, Stump the Chumps. Rafa Wiki from Sporting Kansas City, manager, head coach for Sporting Kansas City, will join us.
But the star of the show is the Linda Hall Library. They've got a great. exhibit. We love going out here during the breaks and checking everything out. This is one of the iconic locations here in Kansas City.
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Chapter 2: How do analytics impact soccer performance and strategy?
You can still get, like I said, there's a handful of tickets left. Come on out and enjoy. First, you've got to get a ticket. Go to lindahall.org. They do not cost anything. They cost nothing, but you've got to have the tickets so that they know what the seating is and how many seats to set up. So take advantage of that. Basically, we've got international.
We've got global soccer coming to Kansas City this year, and it is just a fantastic time for you to, if you're a hardcore soccer fan, get even more hardcore. If you're a casual fan who just wants to understand how it works with the World Cup coming to your city, Come on down and enjoy it. Andrew Wiebe, reporter, host, analyst for MLS Season Pass.
He's going to moderate a discussion with our panel of experts. Included in that panel of experts, as we said, is the fact that we're going to be talking all things soccer and analytics.
One of those things where I think people know enough about baseball and basketball and football, you can kind of see – It's kind of intuitive what analytics would mean. But for soccer, it really isn't. I'm fascinated to figure out how it applies to this sport that I've begun to like more and more. But I don't know how you'd put analytics to it. So I'm really interested to hear him.
tracking technology algorithm driven scouting predictive models uh expected goals uh how teams are increasingly turning to analytics to gain a competitive edge i know that was one of the things about sporting that they've been beefing up their analytics departments one of the things they're doing to try to turn the uh the team around uh whether you're a lifelong soccer fan maybe just curious about analytics and modern sports uh it is a great conversation uh great conversation that'll be had tonight uh it's the only place a unique insight you're going to get uh
Yes. And people come from all over the world to check out their different exhibits, but also to use some of their texts. They've got just such a great, great, rich collection of, like I said, STEM texts. And I'm talking about even stuff that is like, I think the term is hermetically sealed. Does that sound right?
Sounds close to it. I think people know what you're talking about.
I mean, it's climate control to make sure that it doesn't, you know.
The elements don't impact it and age things, so it stays there.
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Chapter 3: What is Sam Gregory's journey to becoming the Director of Analytics for US Soccer?
who is basically the director of analytics for USA Soccer, and he's going to be one of the panelists that you'll be hearing tonight. Let's start with the news that came out about the Players Era Championship. This is the tournament that is in Las Vegas, the preseason college basketball tournament in Las Vegas. They announced today they've expanded to 24 teams, and it will be bracket style.
Seems like we're missing a few teams. We couldn't get to 32. And so you might be asking yourself like I did, so how are we doing this? Are 16 playing down to 8 and 8 get a bye and it's one bracket? Or are we doing a 16-team bracket and an 18-bracket? The answer is 16 and 8. Yes. By the way, when you say two things, is the former the first one and the latter the second one?
Yes. Okay. Just to make sure.
Yeah. Just to make sure. I'm always, that's what I thought.
Former, yeah, before and latter.
Yeah, that's what I thought. Yeah. But I had about an 88% confidence level in that. So I just thought I'd get that check right now. I think that's right. Get that out of the way. ESPN's going to carry. I'm Ron Burgundy? That was the latter. I'll go with the former. Yeah. Yes. It... It is two brackets. ESPN is going to carry all the games. Some schools are going to get paid more than others.
Like Kansas is getting the most money. Eight of the 24 teams are Big 12 teams. Brett, your mark, is that good or bad? Is this them trying to make up the financial gap between them and the Big 10 and the SEC? Or is this just them understanding, hey, we can get a check here, let's go, and they beat everybody else to the punch?
Or... Yes. Recognize we're going to lack here. We've got to find a way to make up some space, and he's using his – Obviously, he's got an affinity for Las Vegas, and this is the kind of thing that he would be really interested in, so maybe it helps them out. I don't see any reasoning.
It just says in the story that I read by Matt Norlander on CBS, it says, after initially lofty goals of expanding to a gargantuan 32-team competition, they settled on a 24-team mega event. I don't know why they couldn't do 32.
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Chapter 4: How has soccer analytics evolved over the past decade?
Gargantuan. Okay. What was lofty? Lofty. The goals were lofty. Oh, okay. The lofty goals of expanding to a gargantuan 32 team competition. Oh, no way. 24, sure, yeah.
I'm interested. Is it better to be in the A team or the... The 16 team.
Well, if you're getting the same amount of money, probably you're going to play one less game to win it. I don't know. But if you want to play games, you want to get your team ready, you get to play more games if you're winning. I guess it kind of depends on what your goal is.
Kansas, Kansas State, Houston, West Virginia, Iowa State, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, all in this from the Big 12. No other league has more than four. That was the SEC, right, with Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and Alabama. I think the Big Ten might have four as well. Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan, and Oregon. Yeah. I think we're from there. The ACC, I believe, had three.
Notre Dame, which technically counts as an ACC team, is in Louisville and Miami. Then from the Big East, Creighton and St. John's. From the new Pac-12, you have Gonzaga, right? That's where they tucked in in San Diego State. San Diego State probably the best, along with Gonzaga, the two best schools from that league.
And then the lone wolf entrant from the Mountain West, UNLV, which seems to be kind of like a hometown deal.
Yeah, we'll do it. We're playing. We're getting something out of this.
Yeah, it's kind of like they're the chaminade, perhaps, of this. Well, we got one team we don't have to pay for. My question is, they're talking about teams getting up to a million dollars.
They said the average will be just over a million dollars. Just over a million dollars. What we don't know is... For the school. For the... Right? And it goes to the school, or... Yeah, it's at NIL. They give... I saw, I wanted to find what the average thing was I saw. This is a story that has several stops and, of course, 15.
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Chapter 5: What role does technology play in modern soccer analytics?
I mean, it's not that – I don't think there's a – my point is it's – How different would it be? Well, you'd have one more game. Well, I'm just curious. There'd be no reason to have two sixes.
Well, here's what I'd like to know. Who's funding $24 million? And that's on average more than $24 million. But let's just call it 24. Who's funding the $24 million that are going to these schools? And then we were kicking it around. Are they paying the travel? Are they putting them up for free? There's plenty of hotel rooms in Las Vegas. Are they feeding them?
Are they eating for free at these hotels? The hotels are in for the rooms on a trade. Put our logos up courtside, and everyone will see all the different hotels that are there. We'll get our percentage of the advertising. That's what I think may be going on here.
is that what makes it so is that they're going to clear a million minus whatever their flights are, which to Vegas they all make flights of that duration no matter where they're coming from. Rutgers plays in the Big Ten. They have to fly all the way to, what is it, Corvallis? Oregon State. Well, no, they don't go there. They go to Oregon. Where's Eugene? Eugene.
They've got to fly, you know, Newark to Eugene. So this is within their normal realm of what they do travel-wise. You know, is all of this million going in the pocket? I mean, we guesstimated $50,000 to $100,000 in total travel costs for the whole squad, the support staff, everybody that comes with it to be there for a few days with hotel and everything else, $50,000 to $100,000.
So you're putting in $900,000 plus into your pocket, that alone. But I'm just curious. Who is it worth a million dollars to?
Well, what I'm seeing here is that co-produced by Seth Berger and Ever Wonder Studio with significant financial backing through a revenue share partnership with ESPN. Maybe that's why they jumped on. They're the official. They have the whole thing now. It's theirs. So that's programming for them. Stick and then sell. So is that?
It also has a five-year equity partnership with the Big 12 Conference, which they signed, I think, a year ago.
So, hence, the Big 12 has eight teams.
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Chapter 6: How do youth soccer costs affect participation in the US?
Listen, Vegas is a nice place. I like Vegas. I go to Vegas all the time. I got friends there. I live there. You know, it's not Maui every four years, which is what Kansas was sent into. So for the fans, do you want to go to Vegas every year? How much are Kansas fans going to go when you're in it every single year? Is there still room for a Battle of Atlantis for a Maui Invitational?
You know, I think there was one in Orlando.
There was one down in... There was an ESPN Events Invitational, whatever that was, that was also mentioned in the Orlando story.
I don't remember where that was. Probably Disney. That was probably the one in Orlando. You know, is this what you want? Is this what you have to do as a fan? Is your fan experience better if what you're doing is going to Vegas every year? For a guy like me, I'll go to Vegas every year. But I'd also like to go to Maui. I'd also like to go down to, where is it, the Bahamas? I'd like to go there.
So if part of your fandom is traveling to see your team play, whether it's K-State, At, Take your pick, Tennessee, and let's go down to Knoxville and see them play there. If that's part of your fandom and all you're going to do is lock into you're going to Vegas every year or every other year, is that as good as being able to bounce to all these different places?
Nope. A lot of people won't be able to afford to go every year, but a lot of people will make that trip.
I think it's also entirely possible that what we've got is that the Maui Invitational and the Battle for Atlantis had sweetheart deals. And now they're going to have to pay a competitive wage to the teams. I mean, listen, if you can get the money, that's my point. When I say where's the money coming from, I'm not saying like, well, this is going to be a disaster and a financial bomb.
They've been doing it for multiple years and they keep expanding. There's clearly money there to be made. I just would like to understand how it is so we could see where things are going. And I think if you're the Hawaii Board of Tourism, well, maybe what you need to do is have the Hawaiian invitation and have eight teams in Maui and eight teams in Oahu.
You need to expand it and get 32 teams over there, and you need to pay their travel, and you need to give them NIL money. If you're getting that kind of kiss, that kind of boost from the economics, then that's what you need to do.
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Chapter 7: What challenges does US Soccer face compared to other countries?
You are basically going to be a smarter soccer fan behind the goal soccer in the age of analytics. It will be a great conversation as the World Cup comes here. We we've had a couple of conversations already on this, and we're fortunate right now to be joined by the director of data analytics for USA Soccer. Sam Gregory joins us. Sam, how are you?
I'm doing really well. I'm excited to be here today and looking forward to tonight's event. So thank you for having me.
Yeah, it's great to have you here. And they do such a great job in putting these events on. We've done it for baseball. We've done it for football. And now we're going to do it for football, if you will. How does one end up being the director of data analytics for USA Soccer? What's been your path to get here?
Yeah, so I've been involved in soccer analytics for about 10 years now. We were just talking about it off air before. I actually went to London for school, so London in the UK. And this was 2015, 2016, right when the Premier League was starting to start buying into analytics.
So I worked for a data company based out of London called Opta, and they started providing data to these Premier League teams. So I was there kind of on the ground floor when the analytics movement got started in soccer. Eventually moved back here to the U.S., I worked for Inter-Miami in a similar role to what I have now. So I worked for them and the MLS team for three and a bit years.
And, yeah, I've been at U.S. Soccer for now just over coming up over two years now.
It's funny because Paul Carr, who's also going to be on the panel, we talked to him earlier. He had a similar story about going to ESPN. He thought he was kind of broadcasting, but he was in their kind of stats and info department. He said that's when it all blew up. And he was kind of, you know. He was sitting on the golden egg and it blew up.
I mean, it seems like you're kind of your generation is that's kind of the way it was that, you know, that we didn't have the departments we have now. And you got to be on the cutting edge of it.
Yeah. And it's a small world. I've known Paul for probably 10 years since we both started getting into this. So, yeah, it's a small world. And now, I mean, when I look at people who are just coming into the field now coming out of college, their skill set is so much better than mine was at that age. And it's just it's I was in the right place at the right time, got lucky.
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Chapter 8: What are the future prospects for US Soccer on the world stage?
Yeah. Why aren't you working for Canada Soccer? Did they not call? Did the USA Soccer call first?
US Soccer did call first, yeah. Okay. But I think it's a really exciting organization. We have a lot of resources behind what we're doing, not just around the World Cup, but today's actually an exciting day in the history of US Soccer, which might not be as well-known to your listeners, but we're opening a new training facility today. So today is the opening.
There was a ribbon cutting, I think, two or three hours ago. OK. About an hour outside of Atlanta. Well, 30 minutes outside of Atlanta. I was there yesterday at the training facility. It's gorgeous, beautiful facility. And there's a lot of money behind U.S. soccer right now. There's a lot of momentum with the Men's World Cup this year, with the Women's World Cup in 2031, hopefully.
It's just I think it's an exciting time to be at this organization specifically right now.
I think so, too. We think it's an exciting time here in Kansas City, right, with all the World Cup that's coming here. We've got matches that are going to be here, and we've got four different countries that are making it home-based. By the way, have you been out to Sporting's training facility and seen that?
I have not been to Sporting's. I've been to the KC Currents, which is really a top-class facility in NWSL, I think. As far as women's sports facilities, probably in any women's sport around the country, that's got to be one of the nicest ones.
The sporting training facility is unbelievable. I mean, it's like I remember when I first looked at it and got the tour of it and everything and was talking with folks over there, and I'm like, you know, like the NFL has got all this money, and they don't have facilities like this. I mean, it's amazing, and I assume that it's along that line as to what's going on with USA Soccer, right?
Yeah, so ours has, I think, 17 fields, so it's a massive facility. For only 18 players, which is amazing.
Yeah, it can be a little lonely when all the guys are on their own field.
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