Today's winners in Stats & Analytics:
Germany, goalies who stay putToday's losers:
Uruguay, ParaguayRemember how the last World Cup ended? After surviving Zinedine Zidane's insane headbutt and playing to a 1-1 draw in regulation, Italy beat France on penalty kicks. Neither the Italians nor the French made it to this year's quarterfinals, but penalty shootouts are still around. Personally, I consider them a silly way to end tied championship games, because the ability to beat a goalie from 12 yards away is just a tiny piece of overall soccer skill. But penalty kicks are exciting. More important, there are big differences in how well teams execute them -- differences that one day soon could become even more pronounced as goaltenders, aided by new research, are trained to detect kicker "tells."
To find out the best and worst teams at shootouts, you'll need to be an Insider.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
-
Peter Keating
Keating's blog covers the world of statistics and analytics. He will examine concepts for evaluating athletes and teams across all sports, not just those commonly associated with sabermetrics. He'll introduce researchers who are developing sports analytical tools. And he will present and examine "Next Level" findings from ESPN -- data analysis that goes beyond official statistics to explain strategies and performance.
Keating is a senior writer at ESPN the Magazine, where he has covered investigative and financial stories since 1999. He coordinates The Mag's annual "Ultimate Standings" project, which ranks all pro franchises according to how much they give back to fans. His work on concussions in football has earned awards from the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club and the Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
As an athlete, Keating has always combined the speed of Lou Piniella with the glovework of Darryl Strawberry, two childhood favorites. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife, Karen, and their daughters, Eleanor and Samantha.
E-mail Peter: pkeating.nj@verizon.net or follow him on Twitter: @PKStatsBlog.