MLS Next

OK - I read their deep-dive on February's results (link here). It uses goal differential, but doesn't appear to weight it tied to opponent strength, and it's just ranking it as if all competitors in league are equivalent. At the end of a season, with all results complete, the rankings would end up around the same either way. Just as if a set of teams in a bracket never played any outside games - their SR ranking would have to exactly match their standings ranking. But in the interim - a team putting up 4 goals against the #1 team should count more in rating their strength than a team putting up 4 goals against a backmarker.
 
agree for the most part. I do think he does take into some consideration the team, opponent and results. Otherwise, there would be no reason to move teams around or up and down, etc. you could literally just repost the current mls standings and call it a day. Flex play wraps up this weekend, and league play is down to maybe 8 weeks. not a lot of wiggle room amongst some of the teams. It's just a different perspective. End of the day, rankings matter when it comes time for playoffs. where you are seeded and what does the path look like?
 
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