Meh-Coach

I guess like everyone who has an MLS podcast or blogs about the league, I'm not one to get excited about All-Star games. But as a stats geek, the notion of adidas providing a means of tracking player movement, activity and other sundry stats, I have to say I was intrigued. Now that the game is over, I can't help but feel adidas over promised and under delivered. With so much publicity going into the miCoach Elite System debut at the MLS All-Star game, I really expected something much more substantive.

For instance, if you look at this graphic from the adidas soccer Facebook page, you'll notice that it shows totals for only a handful of players. Absent are not only the more recognizable MLS All-Stars (ex. Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Dwayne De Rosario) but the entire Chelsea squad.

Further, the stats that you do see lack context. Chris Pontius reached a peak of 20 miles an hour but we don't know at what point he ran that fast or for long.

As a personal disclaimer, I've been using the micoach Speed Cell for a few weeks now. I previously used Nike-plus but in recovering from a freak injury, my orthopedic surgeon recommended I try a specific adidas shoe. So I made the switch and I'm quite happy with it. For whatever reason running is infinitely more fun with a little technology baked in.

At any rate, the inclusion of the adidas elite system into all MLS league games next year could be something truly special. But it all remains to be seen what information will be tracked, who will have access to it (fans? front offices?) and how reliable the information is.