The following are instructions for how matches are logged, using an Excel spreadsheet. While matches aren’t being actively logged right, this is still useful for those of you who want to know how the matches in our database were logged. If you have questions, send a DM/mention to @WoSoStats or email to wosostats.team@gmail.com.

Requirements before logging a match

A thorough understanding of match action definitions, which are listed out at the bottom of this page.
Access to Excel would be ideal.
The match-actions-template.xlsx Excel file https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PLvFh6SsNNHfJpoEPxcrHIB_lhxFSESn?usp=sharing). The match-actions-sample.xslx Excel file shows an example of what a completed match log will look like.
Information about the teams and players listed out into the first few rows of the Excel file before the "kickoff" action. At the very minimum, player names and their associated team acronyms should be filled out, with jersey number and player position added if it will help differentiate players. The top of the spreadsheet, above the "kickoff" action, should look like this.
Determine the borders for the different zones of the soccer field, based on this map. Soccer field dimensions can vary widely, so do your best with what you can see and measure. The left and right thirds will usually cut a few yards into the 18-yard box, and the center third will usually extend a few yards from the center circle. Width of the field can vary widely, so use your best judgment here. It helps to use landmarks around the stadium, such as stands, or lines or stripes on the field. Worst comes to worst, find the widest shot you can of the field, either during the match stream or from an image online, and literally use a ruler to figure out the thirds of the fields.
Make sure the Excel spreadsheet is long enough – 1,500 rows is usually more than enough. However, if the match you are logging requires more rows and ends up going into blank rows (beyond the ones filled in with “-” hyphens), then guesstimate how many more rows you’ll need and fill them all in with additional “-” hyphens. These non-blank values help with auto-filling values in Excel.

Logging match actions (without location data)

IMPORTANT: If you decide to start logging matches, IT IS NOT recommended that you log location data for events in the poss.location, poss.play.destination, OR def.location columns. Logging location data on top of everything else is VERY time-consuming and, while interesting, is not as important as getting a match logged and done, which can be logged for location data later, anyways, as the location data columns will still be there.
It is HIGHLY recommended that you use shorthand keywords and letters for players, actions, and qualifiers. For example, in the Excel file it is recommended you write down "pf" for a forward pass instead of typing out "passes.f", or even a shortened nickname for a player with a long name.

If you use a shortcut that isn’t featured in the metadata above the kickoff (i.e. anything other than "pf", "passes.f" or "pf (passes.f)" for a forward pass) or isn’t featured as a shortcut in the definitions.md document, then you will have to search and replace this with a term that is in the metadata section. Otherwise, the R code that computes stats from this spreadsheet won’t be able to read what your shortcut is.

Start logging actions in the row below the one with “kickoff” in the poss.action column.
Create a new row for the following types of events, to be typed in the poss.action as one of the options shown like this or as one of the shortcut options shown in the definitions.md doc. You can write down the action as Refer to the action-definitions.doc file at https://github.com/amj2012/woso-stats/blob/master/resources/definitions.md for in-depth definitions for each action.

Shots stopped by the goalkeeper – shots.stopped.by.gk
Shots stopped by a defender – shots.stopped.by.def
Shots blocked by a defender – shots.blocked
Shots missed – shots.missed
Shots scored – shots.scored
Forward pass attempts – passes.f
Sideway pass attempts – passes.s
Backward pass attempts – passes.b
Movement into another zone – movement
Take ons won – take.on.won
Take ons lost – take.on.lost
Dispossessed of the ball – dispossessed
Lost touch – lost.touch
Ball touch – ball.touch
Aerial duels won – aerial.won
Aerial duels lost – aerial.lost
Ground duels won – ground.50.50.won
Ground duels lost – ground.50.50.lost
Recoveries – recoveries
Balls shielded – ball.shield
Clearances – clearances
Fouls won – fouls.won
Fouls conceded – fouls.conceded
Offside Calls – offside.calls
Substitutions – substitution.on & substitution.off
There will be instances where play is either stopped or peskily cut off by the broadcast. There will also be breaks in play. These instances should be noted.
Play cut off by broadcast – playcutoffbybroadcast
Halftime – halftime
Fulltime, but with extra time on the way – fulltime
End of first period of extra time – end.of.1.ET
End of second period of extra time – end.of.2.ET
End of the match – end.of.match
Other stoppages in play – stoppage.in.play

For every single new action logged in the poss.action column, the value in that row’s event column should automatically increase by 1.

If the poss.action column has a “-” denoting that there are additional defensive actions being credited to the event, then the value in the event column should remain the same. The idea is that a new event is only triggered by a new possessive action or something like a stoppage in play or break in broadcast.

For every single new action logged in the poss.action column, log the possessing player’s name in poss.player

You do NOT have to define the event’s location in poss.location for anything. If you decided to log the location of every event, it could take about as much as 50% longer to finish the entire match. It is recommended that you leave poss.location blank unless otherwise specified, or unless you know what you’re getting yourself into.

In the poss.location column, the value must be one of the appropriate acronyms, shown in italics below. The location is relative to the player for which you are logging it (e.g. a player is in her 18-yard box if she is defending someone in possession of the ball in the opponent’s 18-yard box, and vice versa).
- Opponent’s 6-yard box – A6
- Opponent’s 18-yard box – A18
- Attacking third, left wing – AL
- Attacking third, center field – AC
- Attacking third, right wing – AR
- Opponent’s half of middle third, left wing – AML
- Opponent’s half of middle third, center field – AMC
- Opponent’s half of middle third, right wing – AMR
- Own half of middle third, left wing – DML
- Own half of middle third, center field – DMC
- Own half of middle third, right wing – DMR
- Defensive third, left wing – DL
- Defensive third, center field – DC
- Defensive third, right wing – DR
- Own 18-yard box – D18
- Own 6-yard box – D6

The play.type column should be filled in for the following types of passing and shots actions written in italics below. Refer to the action-definitions.doc file at https://github.com/amj2012/woso-stats/blob/master/resources/definitions.md for in-depth definitions for each qualifier.

In the event that a play has more than one play.type qualifier that could apply, log each one in a different row but leave the poss.player column blank so as not to accidentally create a new event:
Crosses – crosses
Switch – switch
Launch balls – launch
Through balls – through
Throw-ins – throw.in
Free kicks – free.kick
Headed balls – headed
Corner kicks – corner.kick
Goal kick – goal.kick
Goalkeeper throws – gk.throws
Goalkeeper drop kicks – gk.drop.kick
Penalty kicks – pk
Passed the ball into pressure – pass.into.pressure

For each event in the poss.action column, log any of the following defensive actions in italics below in the def.action column. Refer to the action-definitions.doc file at https://github.com/amj2012/woso-stats/blob/master/resources/definitions.md for in-depth definitions for each action.

Create a new row if necessary when there are multiple defensive actions for one possessing event, but be sure to leave the poss.action column blank so that a new event number is not accidentally created:
Dispossessing the opponent – dispossess
Tackling the ball – tackles.ball
Dibbled by an opponent – dribbled
Pressuring an opponent – pressured
Challenging an opponent – challenged
Blocks – blocks
Interceptions – interceptions
Balls shielded – ball.shield
Clearances – clearances
Aerial duels won – aerial.won
Aerial duels lost – aerial.lost
Ground duels won – ground.50.50.won
Ground duels lost – ground.50.50.lost
Fouls won – fouls.won
Fouls conceded – fouls.conceded
Goalkeepers have their own types of defensive actions in the “def.event” column”
Shots on goal stopped by a goalkeeper – gk.s.o.g.stop
Shots on goal stopped by a defender – gk.s.o.g.def.stop
Shots on goal scored – gk.s.o.g.scored
Shots missed – gk.shot.miss
High balls won by the goalkeeper – gk.high.balls.won
High balls lost by the goalkeeper – gk.high.balls.lost
Smothers won by the goalkeeper – gk.smothers.won
Smothers lost by the goalkeeper – gk.smothers.lost
Loose balls claimed by the goalkeeper – gk.loose.balls.won
Loose balls lost by the goalkeeper – gk.loose.balls.lost

For each def.action value, fill in the corresponding player in the def.player column.
The def.location column should ONLY be manually filled in for the following defensive events and ONLY if you’re additionally interested in location data:

Blocks – blocks
Interceptions – interceptions
Balls shielded – ball.shield
Clearances – clearances
All goalkeeper-specific events

For all goalkeeper defensive actions, except for missed shots and goals, you should further describe the action by filling in the gk.ball.stop column with the appropriate descriptor for what happened to the ball, to be written as it is shown in italics below:

Caught – caught
Punched to safety – punched.to.safety
Punched to danger – punched.to.danger
Dropped – dropped
Missed the ball – missed.the.ball
Collected – collected
Parried to safety – parried.to.safety
Parried to danger – parried.to.danger
Deflected to safety – deflected.to.safety
Deflected to danger – deflected.to.danger

If a foul was committed, log for the possessing player in the poss.player.disciplinary column and for the defending player in the def.player.disciplinary column one of the following values to be written as it is shown in italics below:

In the event that a play has more than one poss.player.disciplinary or def.player.disciplinary qualifiers that could apply, log each one in a different row but leave the poss.player column blank so as not to accidentally create a new event:
Fouls won – fouls.won
Fouls conceded fouls.conceded
Yellow cards – yellow.cards
Red cards – red.cards
Penalty kicks won – penalties.won
Penalty kicks conceded – penalties.conceded

Certain possessing player actions need additional qualifiers, related to scoring opportunities or defensive mistakes, that should be added in the poss.notes column, to be written in as they are shown in italics below. In the event that more than one of these apply to the same event, add them all into the same cell but separate them by a comma:

In the event that a play has more than one poss.notes qualifier that could apply, log each one in a different row but leave the poss.player column blank so as not to accidentally create a new event:
Big chances scored – big.chances.scored
Big chances shot on goal – big.chances.shot.on.goal
Big chances missed – big.chances.shot.missed
Big chances dispossessed – big.chances.dispossessed
Big chances lost – big.chances.lost
Big chance created – big.chances.created
Assists – assists
Second assists – second.assists
Key passes – key.passes
Ball goes out of bounds and possession is kept – out.of.bounds.keep.poss
Ball goes out of bounds and possession is lost – out.of.bounds.lost.poss
Errors leading to a goal for the opposition – errors.to.goals
Errors leading to an unscored big chance for the opposition – errors.to.big.chances

Similarly, certain defending player actions need additional qualifiers, related to defensive accomplishments and mistakes, that should be added in the def.notes column, to be written in as they are shown in italics below. In the event that a play has more than one def.notes qualifier that could apply, log each one in a different row but leave the poss.player column blank so as not to accidentally create a new event

Big chances stopped – big.chances.stopped
Own goals allowed – own.goals
Errors leading to a goal for the opposition – errors.to.goals
Errors leading to an unscored big chance for the opposition – errors.to.big.chances

When a new minute in play is reached, change the “time” column for the first event of each minute to the time in minutes. An event in the first 30 seconds is in minute 1, an event at 30:34 is in minute 31, and so on. For stoppage time, use a plus sign to denote how much stoppage time was added. For example, 2 minutes into stoppage time after 90 minutes should be written as “90+3”, NOT as “93.” The same goes with examples such as “45+3”, “120+1”, and so on.

After logging match stats

Delete all unused rows with “-” hyphens below the row with the end.of.match action
Quickly browse and search through the spreadsheet and be on the lookout for anything that doesn’t look right.
Search and replace every “-” hyphen with a blank “” value (do not replace it with a space “ “ value).

If this affects any hyphenated player names, search through the name that was changed and replace it with the correct name that was affected.

Save the file as an .xlsx file. There are other types of Excel files, but DO NOT save them as those types, just as an .xlsx file.

Location location data

Understand what the location acronyms mean. For location data, you will log one of the following acronyms, depending on the player’s position, relative to which direction her team is going, on a field split up like this.

Opponent’s 6-yard box – A6
Opponent’s 18-yard box – A18
Attacking third, left wing – AL
Attacking third, center field – AC
Attacking third, right wing – AR
Opponent’s half of middle third, left wing – AML
Opponent’s half of middle third, center field – AMC
Opponent’s half of middle third, right wing – AMR
Own half of middle third, left wing – DML
Own half of middle third, center field – DMC
Own half of middle third, right wing – DMR
Defensive third, left wing – DL
Defensive third, center field – DC
Defensive third, right wing – DR
Own 18-yard box – D18
Own 6-yard box – D6

Add location data to the "poss.location", "poss.player.destination", and "def.location" columns, but not for every action. Here are the rules to follow for each column.

For the "poss.location" column: Add location data for every action.
For the "poss.play.destination" column: DO NOT add location data EXCEPT for successful passes or movement where the following action was cut off by either a stoppage in play (such as a player injury or halftime) or a cut in the broadcast. All other successful passes and movement will be computed by the R code that runs through an Excel file and fills in empty values, based details of subsequent events.
For the "def.location" column: DO NOT add location data EXCEPT for the following defensive actions (again, the reason is that these are events for which the R code can’t automatically compute the location based on the location of surrounding actions):
- Blocks – blocks
- Interceptions – interceptions
- Balls shielded – ball.shield
- Clearances – clearances
- All goalkeeper-specific events

Match Action Definitions

*This is a list of action definitions that are meant to inform how actions should be logged. It is meant to be used by people who are either logging actions on their own or would like to have a look at how they are being defined. The values below encompass player actions (such as passes and shots), qualifiers to player actions that further describe the action (such as the type of pass or if a big chance was stopped), and location data. When logging actions, refer to this document when in doubt about what a certain value means and when to log it. Feedback and questions is welcome and should be sent to wosostats.team@gmail or @WoSoStats on Twitter.

Possessing Player Actions – poss.action
Play Type – play.type
Defensive Player Actions – def.action
Goalkeeper Actions – gk.ball.stop
Disciplinary Actions – poss.player.disciplinary & def.player.disciplinary
Additional Possessing Player Notes – poss.notes
Additional Defensive Player Notes – def.notes
Location-based Notes – poss.location, poss.play.destination, & def.location

Each player action falls under one of nine different types of actions. In the match-stats-template.xlsx Excel document, this looks like nine different columns.

A key part of this model is that during any given moment in a match there is a team in "possession" of the ball and a team "defending" the ball. As such, these nine different columns will fall into one of three different types of actions: 1) actions by a player from the team "in possession" of the ball, 2) actions by a player from the team "defending" against the ball, and 3) actions by a goalkeeper making a play on the ball.

Another key part of this model is that there are actions that can only be done by a team in possession of the ball, actions that can only be done by a team playing defense, and actions that denote a clear change in possession. The last point is crucial; there are certain defensive actions (such as an interception) that signal a clear change in possession to the defending team, certain possessive actions (such as a recovery by a team that was formerly defending that do the same, and certain actions in other columns (such as a ball that went out of bounds and goes to the other team) that also do the same. This "flow" to the game where one team is in possession of the ball, the other team is defending, and certain moments denote a change in possession are key to logging stats under this model.

Logging location data is laborious and, unless requested or unless you really want to know it, it is not recommended that you log it. More on how to define the different locations of a soccer pitch will be covered in the "Location-based Notes" section.

For each definition, the long name will be shown in bold like this and the different ways you can actually write it in the Excel spreadsheet will be shown in code span like this, separated by a comma. You are not to write out the long name in the Excel spreadsheet, and it is highly recommended you use the shortest version possible, as using shortcuts will save you a significant amount of time. Shortcuts specified below do not need to be searched and replaced after the fact with anything, as they will be correctly logged by the R code used by the Shiny App. However, while you are free to use any other shortcuts you like (such as nicknames for players), know that those will have to be searched and replaced in order to be readable by the R code that has been created.

A GIF showing an example will be provided for a definition when appropriate and possible.

Possessing Player Actions

Column name: poss.action

The actions below will be tracked under the poss.player.action column. As the name suggests, these are actions by a player on a team "in possession” of the ball.

Shots stopped by the goalkeeper – shots.stopped.by.gk, sog.gk , sgk

A shot that would have been scored but for being stopped by a goalkeeper’s save

Shots stopped by a defender – shots.stopped.by.def, sog.def, sdef

A shot that would have been scored but for being blocked by the last defender behind the goalkeeper

Shots blocked by a defender – shots.blocked, sb

A shot heading towards the goal that was blocked by a defender who had other defenders and/or the goalkeeper behind her.

Shots missed – shots.missed, sm

A shot that misses the goal or hits the post or crossbar.

Shots scored – shots.scored, sc

A shot that goes into the goal. Easy!

Forward pass attempts – passes.f, pf

Forward pass attempts, regardless of whether the pass attempt was completed

Sideway pass attempts – passes.s, ps

Sideway pass attempts, regardless of whether the pass attempt was completed. For a pass to go sideways, it does not have to be at a perfect 90 angle; if it goes a little bit backwards or forwards but can be deemed to be going largely sideways, it should be logged as such.

Backward pass attempts – passes.b, pb

Backward pass attempts, regardless of whether the pass attempt was completed

Movement into another zone – movement, m

When a player moves from one "zone" (zone definitions are outlined in the "Location-based Data" section below) into another "zone." If a player consecutively moves from one zone into another, each instance should be tracked separately.

Example: http://i.imgur.com/mYoa9eF.gif

In the GIF above, Leigh Ann Brown, the player in white and blue, moves with the ball from her defensive right third, into her defensive right middle third, into her opposing right middle third, to her opposing right third. This should be logged as three separate ‘movement’ events; one from defensive right third into defensive right middle third, one from defensive right middle third into opposing right middle third, and one from opposing right middle third into opposing right third.

The above example on an Excel spreadsheet would look like this, with each "movement" in it’s own row in the poss.action column, triggering a new event each time:

Take ons won – take.on.won, tkw

A take on is an intentional attempt by a player to get past her defender while maintaining possession of the ball. A take on is “won” if the player dribbles past a defender, turns a defender to create open space, or draws a foul.

When a player wins a take on, the defender who was beat (or multiple defenders) must be logged as "dribbled" in the "def.action" column. More on the different ways a defender can be dribbled are described further below, but every take on won should also have in that event at least one defender who shown to have been dribbled.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/uTDOeay.gif

Mandy Laddish, the player in white and blue, wins a take on against Jess Fishlock, in the yellow and purple, by dribbling past a missed tackle

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/GXS3exL.gif

Erika Tymrak, the player in white and blue, wins a take on against Kendall Fletcher, in the yellow and purple, by running right past her for a chance at a cross.

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/OVbQKZH.gif

Megan Rapinoe, the player in yellow and purple, wins a take on against Erika Tymrak, in the white and blue, by turning her and dribbling past her into the open midfield:

Take ons lost – take.on.lost, tkl

A take on is “lost” if a player intentionally attempts to get past her defender and ends up getting dispossessed by a tackle (regardless of who recovers the ball), a lost touch, a ball shield, or because she conceded a foul to a defender. A lost take-on is different from the "dispossessed" definition covered below because a "take on lost" was the result of an intentional attempt to get past a defender.

Example: http://i.imgur.com/n0ThErg.gif

Different take on attempts can occur in succession and should be logged separately. Here, Kim Little, the player in yellow and purple, wins a take on against #6 Jen Buczkowski by dribbling through her tackle attempt, but Little proceeds to lose the following take on attempt against #3 Becca Moros, who steps up to tackle the ball away from her.

Dispossessed of the ball – dispossessed, d

A dispossession is when the player in possession of the ball loses the ball to a defender who stepped up to take away the ball, without the possessing player having attempted to a “take on” the defender. This is different from a lost take on in that encompasses moments other than "lost take ons" where a possessing player was dispossessed by a defender who was making an intentional attempt at dispossessing that possessing player.

This is meant to define moments such as a possessing player getting snuck up from behind. It is also meant to define moments where a possessing player isn’t so much attempting to take on a defender as she is trying to just maintain possession in the face of a player challenging her off the ball.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/wfXAGUx.gif

Keelin Winters, the player in yellow and purple who receives the pass, is dispossessed from behind by Jen Buczkowski, in the white and blue. Since it does not appear like Winters had a chance to attempt a take on, this is logged as a dispossession. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/GWHVuk5.gif

Demi Stokes, the player in red who receives the pass, is immediately challenged for the ball by Kelley O’Hara, the player in white. Stokes, practically face to face with O’Hara, never seems to be taking on O’Hara so much as she is trying to keep the ball away. Since it doesn’t look like a clear take on, and since it’s clear that O’Hara was forcing a dispossession with a tackle, this is considered a "dispossessed" for Stokes. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Lost touch – lost.touch, lt

A lost touch is when a player loses possession of the ball due to a mistouch or heavy touch, without it being clear that she was attempting a shot, pass or take-on; or it is when a player attempts to win possession of the ball and unsuccessfully knocks it away with a mistouch or bad touch.

This type of action is meant to be different from the ones defined above (lost take ons and "dispossessions") in that a "lost touch", as it should appear in this Excel spreadsheet, is meant to encompass bad touches. It is not meant to define unsuccessful intentional attempts to get past opponents, and it is not meant to define moments where a player, who wasn’t attempting to take on anyone, was dispossessed because of a defender intentional attempt at taking the ball away.

Put in other words, if the possessing player wasn’t clearly attempting to take on a defender, and the defender who ended up with the ball didn’t dispossess the possessing player as much as she actually just recovered a loose ball, then the possessing player’s action should be considered a "lost.touch."

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/W4y6DOs.gif

Lindsey Horan, the player in white, attempts to trap a ball with her body but ends up knocking the ball away. She was not being challenged by any one from England, the team in red, and it is not clear that she was attempting a pass, so this is considered a "lost.touch." This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/hVcRbPJ.gif

Mallory Pugh, the player in white, attempts to win a ball that has been knocked into her direction from an aerial duel, and she ends up mistouching it and glancing it into the direction of a player on the opposing team. It’s not clear that this was meant to be a pass and Jordan Nobbs, the player in red from the opposing team running towards her from behind, was not physically engaged with her as Pugh was attempting to control the ball, so this is considered a "lost.touch." This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/9CaWO5l.gif

Jess Fishlock, the player in yellow and purple, receives a pass from Kim Little but loses the ball to Maddy Laddish, in the white and blue, due to a bad first touch. Since it is not clear that Fishlock was attempting to take on Laddish with that touch, this is logged as a dispossession:

Ball touch – ball.touch, bt

A catch-all definition for unintentional touches of the ball and other touches of the ball that aren’t easily covered by existing actions. Examples are when the ball hits the player without a reasonable amount of time to act on it, or when a ball hits an unsuspecting player such as in the back off of an aerial duel. Should not be mistaken with a lost.touch which is meant for bad touches of a ball over which a player had possession or should have won possession, or with a block where a defending player intentionally gets in the way of the ball.

Can also be used to account for special instances such as when a player intentionally taps or launches the ball out of play or towards the opposing team due to an injury, as those shouldn’t be considered passes.

Aerial duels won – aerial.won, aw

Aerial duels are when two players challenge for a 50/50 ball in the air. The first player to make contact with the ball is deemed to have won the aerial duel, regardless of where the ball ends up or who recovers it. An aerial duel can only happen if two players challenge for the same ball in the air; if just one player goes up for a ball and wasn’t clearly being challenged by anyone else, then it’s not an aerial duel.

Passes that are also aerial duels should still be counted as aerial duels in a separate row as its own event. So, if a player challenges for a launched ball and heads it to an intended recipient, it should be logged as an aerial.won in one event and as a passes.f/s/b in the next event.

If a player wins an aerial duel, the defending player who lost that aerial duel must have that "aerial.lost" action logged in the "def.action" column.

Example 1: http://imgur.com/W4dC52H.gif

Lindsey Horan, the player in white, launches a pass forward. Carli Lloyd, the player in white, and Carol Sanchez, the player in red, both go up into the air to challenge for the ball, and Lloyd wins the challenge by being the first to make contact with the ball. In addition, Lloyd also looks to clearly be, in that same motion, making a flick-on header pass forward to her teammate. In this case, Lloyd gets an "aerial.won" and a "passes.f". On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Aerial duels lost – aerial.lost, al

A player is deemed to have lost an aerial duel if the player challenging her for the ball got to the ball first, regardless of where the ball ends up or who recovers it.

A lost aerial duel should be logged for both players when they both had a reasonable chance at winning the ball but ended up mistiming their jump.

If a player loses an aerial duel, the defending player who won that aerial duel must have that "aerial.won" action logged in the "def.action" column.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/EspvEYN.gif

Mallory Pugh, the player in white, and Steph Houghton, the player in red, both have a reasonable chance at winning this launched pass, but neither really manages to get off a good jump, due to running into each other, even though it was a winnable ball in the air for both of them. This goes down as an "aerial.lost" for the "possessing" player (due to the ball still being in "possession" of the team in white), and also an "aerial.lost" for the defending player. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Ground 50/50 balls won – ground.50.50.won, gw

Ground 50/50 balls are the ground equivalent of aerial duels – when two players challenge for a 50/50 ball on the ground. A player outright winning possession of 50/50 ball is deemed to have won the ground 50/50 ball. If there’s no one who outright wins possession (such as if the ball just keeps getting knocked away or knocked out of bounds), the first player to make contact with the ball is deemed to have won the ground 50/50 duel, regardless of where the ball ends up or who recovers it.

In the "poss.action" column, the player logged should be the player on the team that had possession of the ball in the previous event. If she wins the ground 50/50 ball based on the criteria above, she gets a "ground.50.50.won"

Ground 50/50 balls lost – ground.50.50.lost, gl

Ground 50/50 balls are the ground equivalent of aerial duels – when two players challenge for a 50/50 ball on the ground. A player is deemed to have lost a ground 50/50 ball if the other player either won outright possession of the ball or – if there was no one who got outright possession of the ball – if the other player got to the ball first, regardless of where the ball ends up or who recovers it.

In the "poss.action" column, the player logged should be the player on the team that had possession of the ball in the previous event. If she lost the ground 50/50 ball based on the criteria above, she gets a "ground.50.50.lost."

When both players challenge for the 50/50 ball and neither "wins" the ball (such as if the ball happens to just roll through both their legs), but they can reasonably be said to have had a chance to win the ball, then they both get credited with an "ground.50.50.lost."

Recoveries – recoveries, r

A recovery is when a player gets possession of a loose ball, regardless of which team was the one to previously have possession of the ball. A recovery should always be logged when a player wins possession of the ball after a scenario that creates a loose ball, such as (but not limited to):

A block
An aerial duel
A clearance
A tackle
A blocked shot
A missed pass
A lost touch
A dispossession
A save going into open play

Recoveries are a way of noting how a team wins or maintains possession. To reiterate, you must log as a recovery every moment where a player gains possession of a loose ball, regardless of which team previously possessed the ball.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/v6B4AIK.gif

Mallory Pugh, the player in white, attempts to pass the ball forward but is blocked by a player from the opposing team. The ball is now a loose ball and the person who regains possession is Carli Lloyd, the player in white, who should then be logged with a recovery. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/hwBHR4z.gif

Kelley O’Hara, the player in white, clears the ball away from the box. Her teammate, Carli Lloyd gets a bad touch on the ball and knocks it away, causing a loose ball scenario. Jordan Nobbs, the player in red, ends up gaining possession of the loose ball and gets credited with a recovery. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/ZBFFuH1.gif

Toni Duggan, the player in red, attempts to pass the ball sideways but it ends up being incomplete and becoming a missed pass. A missed pass that doesn’t go out of bounds is pretty much a loose ball scenario, and Mallory Pugh, the player in white, gains possession of it and gets credited with a recovery. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Balls shielded – ball.shield, bs

A ball shield in the "poss.action" column is when a possessing player on a team that already has possession of the ball intentionally uses her body to shield the ball from a defender and keep it in her team’s possession. This action is meant to encompass moments where a player is trying to waste time by shielding the ball in the corner; when a player is trying to earn a throw-in or corner by getting a defender to tackle the ball out of bounds; when a player shields a loose ball or untouched pass for a teammate to pick up; or when a player shields a pass to turn a defender before touching the ball.

To differentiate between a "ball.shield" and a "take.on.won" that turns a defender, a ball shield is for when the player on the possessing team doesn’t make a touch on the ball until after the defender is turned.

There is a "ball.shield" action in the "def.action" column, but that goes for a separate type of ball shields that gets credited to a player from a team defending the ball.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/As8VvLs.gifv

Katrine Veje, the player in black and blue, receives a pass in the corner area and proceeds to attempt a cross which is blocked by Amanda Da Costa, the player in white. The blocked ball, which was last touched by Da Costa, the defender, is now a loose ball rolling out of bounds and Veje shields the ball away from Da Costa as it goes out of bounds for a corner kick. As the blocked ball is still technically, under this model, "under possession" by Veje’s team, she gets credited with a "ball shield" in the "poss.action" column for keeping the ball under her team’s possession. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/0dICuJ7.gifv

Diana Matheson, the player in white, passes the ball forward to her teammate, Francisca Ordega. Before touching the ball, Ordega shields the ball away from her defender, Lauren Barnes, who is challenging her for the ball. Ordega successfully shields the pass and maintains possession of the ball for her team as she then runs forward towards the box. This is an example of a ball shield that would have been a take-on if Ordega had gotten a touch on the ball first. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/IPEyEHb.gifv

Kim Little, the player in black and blue, dribbles the ball towards the corner flag while being challenged by Diana Matheson and Estelle Johnson, the players in white. While what happens next could be considered a "dispossessed" action, context and apparent intent is important; it is the 87th minute, Little’s team has a 2-0 lead, and she appears to be more shielding the ball than actually trying to dribble it past her defenders. Matheson proceeds to gets a touch on the ball and knocks it out of bounds, keeping the ball in possession of Little’s team and winning Little a "ball.shield" as it appears her intent was to shield the ball rather than beat her defenders. On the spreadsheet, this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Clearances – clearances, cl

A clearance is logged in the poss.action column when a player in possession of the ball intentionally kicks the ball away without an intended recipient. Intent, time on the ball, pressure from defenders, and the angle the player was facing when she kicked the ball all should be considered when deciding to consider something a "clearance" rather than a pass attempt.

Fouls won – fouls.won, fw

Fouls won by a possessing player should be logged in the "poss.action" column instead of in the "poss.player.disciplinary" column if there isn’t an action that encompasses whatever caused the foul. An example would be a player with possession of the ball getting fouled without doing anything that could be considered something like a "take.on" or even "movement."

Fouls conceded fouls.conceded, fc

Fouls conceded by a possessing player should be logged in the "poss.action" column instead of in the "poss.player.disciplinary" column if there isn’t an action that encompasses whatever caused the foul. An example would be a player with possession of the ball who fouled a defender but was not doing anything that could be considered something like a "take.on" or even "movement." Can also be attributed to a possessing player for fouls and misconduct, such as if a goalkeeper holds onto the ball for too long.

Offside Calls – offside.calls

Logged when a player is called offside.

Breaks in play or broadcast

Play cut off by broadcast – playcutoffbybroadcast, playcutoff

These are pesky instances when the broadcast of the game is cut off by something such as a replay or sideline interview. They can completely cut off your ability to log match stats and can affect how stats are analyzed if they aren’t outright mentioned. They should be logged in the poss.action column.

On super-pesky instances when the broadcast cuts off right after a completed, impeding your ability to tell if the pass was completed or not and to who, log the last pass that could be seen that was completed as "passes.f.c", "passes.s.c", or "passes.b.c", depending on the direction of the pass. The "c" at the end indicates that the pass was completed. You only need add that "c" when a completed pass was the last action before a stoppage in play or broadcast interruption.

The short story for the reason for the "c", and why you don’t have to add it to every single completed pass attempt in the game, is that the R code that reads the Excel file, which generates the match actions .csv file that is used to compute match stats, can tell if a pass attempt was completed based on other actions and qualifiers in the surrounding events and columns, except for these instances when play was stopped or cut off directly after a completed pass.

For example, observe this moment: https://streamable.com/7o9o. Ali Krieger, the player in white, completes a pass forward to her teammate Sam Mewis, and then the broadcast cuts to a shot of Hope Solo for a couple of seconds. When the broadcast, does return to the game, the ball is still in possession of the same team but is now at the feet of Whitney Engen. Since it is not 100% clear what happened while the camera was on Solo, on the spreadsheet this action would look like the following (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Substitutions – substitution.on & substitution.off

Note which players are being substituted on and off.

The player who gets subbed off should have her substitution logged as occurring during her last minute of play. For example, if play is stopped at 50:35 (the 51st minute), Player A is subbed off, and play does not resume again until 51:10 (the 52nd minute), then Player A should have her substitution logged as having happened during minute 51.

The player who gets subbed on should have her substitution logged as occurring during her first minute of actual play. For example, to stay with the example in the previous paragraph, if play was stopped at 50:35 (the 51st minute), Player B was subbed on, and play does not resume again until 51:10 (the 52 minute), then Player B should have her substitution onto the pitch as having happened during minute 52.

This process for logging the minute of when a substitution happened is essential for correctly computing how many minutes a player actually played.

Halftime – halftime

Fulltime, but with extra time on the way – fulltime

This should be logged if there is extra time on the way.

End of first period of extra time – end.of.1.ET

End of second period of extra time – end.of.2.ET

End of the match – end.of.match

Other stoppages in play – stoppage.in.play

If not a substitution or end of play, any other instances that stop play, such as an injury, should be noted.

Play Types

Column name: play.type

Certain shots and passes logged in the poss.action column will be of special types that will require additional qualifiers to be logged in this column. Sometimes more than one of these will apply, such as a lay off that was also headed, in which case a new row should be created (but leaving the ‘poss.action’ column blank so as not to create a new event by accident), and the additional qualifier should be added in the new row.

To further show how multiple qualifiers can be added to the same action, below are two examples taken from an Excel spreadsheet for an actual match (certain columns have been hidden to better show the use of multiple qualifiers).

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/hPSFSq9.gifv

Karen Bardsley passes the ball forward, and the pass was both a goal kick and launched into the air. Note how the poss.action column for the row with the additional qualifier was left "blank" with a hyphen, which, based on a formula in the spreadsheet, ensures that the additional row is logged under the same event number (in this case, event 6).

http://i.imgur.com/JyNiAMu.png

Example 2: https://streamable.com/ab02n

Le Sommer, the player in white, receives a launched pass from her teammate, Gerard, the goalkeeper and passes the ball forward – and the pass was both a header and a flick-on. Again, the poss.action column is left blank so as not to create a new event:

http://i.imgur.com/evFeNMG.png

Crosses – Crosses, cr

A ball launched or driven from the left wing or right wing of the field into the box. Log this in the play.type column for all types of crosses; that includes crosses from open play and set-pieces (free kicks, corner kicks, and throw-ins that are launched or driven into the box).

Switch – switch, s

A long, high ball to an intended recipient across the field. Often from an opposite wing to another, but sometimes also from the middle third of the field if the player launching the ball is close enough to the wing.

Launch balls – launch, lau

Also sometimes known as "long balls." Long, high balls into open space, not clearly towards any one intended recipient, or into a crowded area, or into open space for a teammate to run into. If they come from the left or right thirds of the field, they should be logged as crosses and NOT as a launch ball.

Log this in the play.type column for all types of launched balls; that includes crosses from open play and set-pieces (free kicks, corner kicks, and throw-ins that are launched or driven into the box).

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/HgK2mXJ.gifv

Hope Solo, the goalkeeper in black, passes the ball forward by launching into the air to be contested in the midfield. In the spreadsheet, this moment would look like this (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/Ad7Pa60.gifv

Many goal kicks, passes taken by a goalkeeper after the ball has gone out of bounds, end up being launched passes, such as this one by Karen Bardsley, the goalkeeper in green. In the spreadsheet, this moment would look like this (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Through balls – through, th

A pass, through the ground or air, that splits the defense by going between two defenders, or between a defender and the touchline, or around the defensive line, into open space, to meet a teammate at the end of her run.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/rVWTJs3.gifv

Alex Greenwood, the player in red, passes the ball forward, which goes between the defender, Kelley O’Hara, and the touchline into open space for her teammate, Toni Duggan, to receive. Regardless of the result of the pass, the attempt was a through ball and it should be logged as such. In the spreadsheet, this moment would look like this (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/FK1fDSB.gifv

Toni Duggan, the player in red, passes the ball forward, which attempts to meet her teammate at the end of her run in front of the defenders. In the spreadsheet, this moment would look like this (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Throw-ins – throw.in, ti

Free kicks – free.kick, fk

A ball given to a team after a foul. This should be logged for both shots and passes.

Headed balls – headed, h

This should be logged for both shots and passes.

Corner kicks – corner.kick, ck

This should be logged for corner kicks that are launched into the box and for those that are just short passes.

Goal kick – goal.kick, gk

This is separate from a gk.drop.kick in that a goal kick happens after a stoppage in play.

Goalkeeper throws – gk.throws, gkt

Goalkeeper drop kicks – gk.drop.kick, gkdk

This is separate from a goal.kick in that a drop kick is after a goalkeeper wins the ball from open play.

Penalty kicks – pk

Pass into pressure – pip

This qualifier should be logged for pass attempts that went to a teammate who was under pressure by the time the pass attempt reached her. This should be logged for all pass attempts that fit this criteria regardless of whether the pass was completed.

Defensive Player Actions

Column name: def.action

Not everything in the ‘poss.action’ will have a reaction from the defending team that gets to be logged. The following defensive actions, when they happen, are to be logged in the def.action column within the same event as the possessing action to which the defender is acting upon.

Defensive actions end up getting logged in the "def.action" column like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Tackling the ball away – tackles.ball, tb

When a defender challenges a possessing player, connects with the ball while making contact and engaging with the player, and successfully dispossesses the possessing player of the ball, it’s a successful tackle that should be logged as "tackles.ball". Regardless of whether the defending player immediately wins the tackled ball, or just tackles the ball away, it should always be logged as a "tackles.ball."

The difference between a tackle and the "dispossessing" defensive actions described below is that a tackle involves the defender engaging the possessing player (i.e. making contact with her and actually trying to challenge her off the ball).

There will be moments when a defender tackles the ball away, creates a loose ball, and has to run to recover the ball. This should be logged as a "tackles.ball" for the defender and then that defender should get a "recoveries" in the next event in the "poss.action" column. For moments when a defender tackles the ball away and another player recovers the ball, regardless of which team recovers the ball, the defender should get credited with a "tackles.ball" and the player who subsequently recovers the ball gets credited with a "recoveries" in the next event in the "poss.action" column.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/zSzJ4bC.gifv

Demi Stokes, the player in red, attempts to take on Morgan Brian, the defender in white, and get past her but Brian successfully tackles the ball away, which Becky Sauerbrunn, the player in white, ends up clearing away. Brian gets credited with a "tackles.ball" for engaging with the possessing player, challenging her for the ball, and successfully tackling the ball away. In the spreadsheet, this moment would look like this (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/GWHVuk5.gif

Demi Stokes, the player in red who receives the pass, is immediately challenged for the ball by Tobin Heath, the player in white. Stokes, practically face to face with Heath, never seems to be taking on Heath so much as she is trying to keep the ball away. Despite the fact that it doesn’t look like a take on, Heath looks like she was engaging Stokes, was challenging her for the ball, and ultimately tackled the ball away. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/60baBdL.gifv

Mallory Pugh, the player in white, successfully takes on Jill Scott, the player in red, by dribbling past her but then proceeds to have the ball tackled away while trying to take on Jordan Nobbs. The ball then gets recovered by Pugh’s teammate, Meghan Klingenberg. Nobbs gets credited with a "tackles.ball" for successfully tackling the ball away, even though the ball was recovered by the possessing team. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 4: http://i.imgur.com/w8B42qA.gifv

Dzsenifer Marozsán, the player in red, tackles the ball away from Sam Mewis, the possessing player in white who didn’t appear to clearly be attempting a take on, and wins possession without having to run too far to recover a loose ball. Marozsán gets credited with a "tackles.ball" for successfully tackling the ball and winning possession of it in the same action. Since Marozsán won possession of the ball in the act of making a tackle, the following event isn’t a recovery, but just the next action she does. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 5: http://i.imgur.com/KtW7aSJ.gifv

Meghan Klingenberg, the player in white, tackles the ball away from Anna Blasse, the player in red who turned and was attempting to take on Klingenberg and get past her. Klingenberg wins possession of the ball while making the tackle, so she gets credited with a "tackles.ball." Like with the Marozsán example above, Klingenberg’s next event isn’t a recovery but simply her next action, since she won possession with the tackle. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Dribbled by an opponent – dribbled, dr

When a defender faces a take on and is dribbled past by the possessing player. Encompasses a variety of scenarios including (but not necessarily restricted to) these:

When a defender goes in for a tackle, either misses the ball or connects with the ball but without being able to dispossess the possessing player, and the possessing player dribbles past the missed tackle.
When a defender gets "burnt" and a possessing player runs past her without the defender getting a chance to go in for a tackle and without getting turned.
When a defender is turned and allows a possessing player to dribble past her or get into open space, such as when a defender gets caught going the wrong way due to a feint.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/ACwuQQS.gifv

Melanie Behringer, the player in red, attempts to tackle the ball away from Carli Lloyd, the player in white, but misses her tackle as Lloyd dribbles past the missed tackle. Behringer gets credited with a "dribbled.tackles.missed." This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 2: http://i.imgur.com/7BuGs8N.gifv

Babett Peter, the player in red, faces Alex Morgan, the player in white with possession of the ball, but proceeds to get out-run by Morgan as she dribbles past her in the 18-yard box. Peter gets credited with a "dribbled.out.run". This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Example 3: http://i.imgur.com/58zonnm.gifv

Saskia Bartusiak, the player in red, faces Carli Lloyd, the player in white, and gets turned as Carli Lloyd takes on her to create space for a shot. Bartusiak gets credited with a "dribbled.turned." This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Dispossessing the opponent – dispossess, dis

When a defender dispossesses the possessing player without the possessing player having had a chance to take on the player or get rid of the ball. This is meant to encompass moments when a defender dispossesses a possessing player without having gone in for a tackle, such as sneaking up from behind to steal the ball, stepping up to knock away the ball, or stepping up to take possession while a player is being challenged or pressured by someone else.

Pressuring an opponent – pressured, p

When a defender applies pressure onto a possessing player’s pass, shot, movement into another zone, ball shield, or recovery by stepping up, running at the player, or staying close in front of her, all with the intent of hurrying up the possessing player’s play or impeding the possessing player’s chance at making a play. There can be more than one defender deemed to be pressuring an opponent (for example, being double-teamed).

Challenging an opponent – challenged, ch

Same as a pressured instance, except these are instances when a defender ends up making contact with a possessing player as she is making one of the aforementioned plays (pass, shot, movement into another zone, ball shield, recovery), further challenging that possessing player’s ability to make that play on the ball. Like with pressuring an opponent, there can be more than one defender deemed to be challenging an opponent (for example, being double-teamed).

Blocks – blocks, bl

When a defender blocks a pass or a shot and creates a loose ball situation that usually either goes out of bounds or is recovered by another player.

Interceptions – interceptions, int

When a defender blocks a pass (or sometimes a shot) and clearly wins possession of the ball. These should NOT be counted for missed passes that go into open area, too far away from its intended recipient, and were going to be won by the opposing team anyways. Interceptions should be logged for passes that, were it not for the intercepting defender, were going to meet its intended recipient at her location or at the end of her run.

Balls shielded – ball.shield, bs

When a defender successfully shields ball that was in possession of the opposing team by either stepping up in between the ball and the possessing player; shielding a loose ball away from the possessing team for another player to recover, clear away, or until the ball rolls out of bounds; or shielding a pass from the possessing team for another player to recover, clear away, or until the ball rolls out of bounds.

Clearances – clearances, cl – can be appended with .headed/.h and/or pressed/.p

When a defender intentionally kicks a ball away that was in possession of the opposing team, without an intended recipient and without having deemed to have recovered or intercepted it, and without having clearly won possession of the ball before the ball was cleared. Otherwise, it would be considered either an interception or recovery, followed by a clearance logged in the poss.action column.

For instances when a defender intentionally clears away a ball with her head, the clearances action should be appended with a .headed or .h, the latter if a shortcut is being used, for an action that will read clearances.headed or cl.h. For instances when a defender intentionally clears away a ball and was being pressed by a defender (but wasn’t deemed to have possession of the ball) the clearances action should be appended with a .pressed or .p, the latter if a shortcut is being used, for an action that will read clearances.pressed or cl.p.

For instances when a player intentionally clears a way a ball with her head and was also being pressed, append with both a .headed and .pressed or .h and p, the latter if shortcuts are being used, for an action that will read clearances.headed.pressed or cl.h.p.

Aerial duels won – aerial.won, aw

If a defender wins an aerial duel, the possessing player who lost that aerial duel must have that "aerial.lost" action logged in the "poss.action" column.

When an aerial duel can be said to also be an interception, log the aerial duel as its own event and make sure to log the interception for the pass event that led to the aerial duel. When an aerial duel can be said to be a recovery of a loose ball that used to be under possession of the opposing team, such as a pass that was blocked and went up in the air, then log the aerial duel as its own event, and then log the recovery for the defending player as the following event.

Aerial duels lost – aerial.lost, al

A player is deemed to have lost an aerial duel if the player challenging her for the ball got to the ball first, regardless of where the ball ends up or who recovers it.

If a defender loses an aerial duel, the possessing player who won that aerial duel must have that "aerial.won" action logged in the "poss.action" column.

When both players challenge for the ball and neither wins the ball (i.e., they both mistime their jumps) but can reasonably be said to have had a chance to win the ball, then they both get credited with an "aerial.lost."

Ground 50/50 balls won – ground.50.50.won, gw

In the "def.action" column, the player logged should be the player on the defending team – that is, the team that didn’t have possession of the ball in the previous event. If she wins the ground 50/50 ball based on the criteria above, she gets a "ground.50.50.won."

Ground 50/50 balls lost – ground.50.50.lost, gl

In the "def.action" column, the player logged should be the player on the defending team – that is, the team that didn’t have possession of the ball in the previous event. If she lost the ground 50/50 ball based on the criteria above, she gets a "ground.50.50.lost."

Ball touch – ball.touch, bt

Shots on goal stopped by a goalkeeper – gk.s.o.g.stop

Credited to a goalkeeper when a shot on goal is faced and stopped by the goalkeeper.

Shots on goal stopped by a defender – gk.s.o.g.def.stop

Credited to the last defender, behind the goalie, who stops a shot that would have been scored.

Shots on goal scored – gk.s.o.g.scored

Credited to the goalkeeper when a goal is scored.

Shots missed – gk.shot.miss

Credited to the goalkeeper when a shot is missed.

High balls won by the goalkeeper – gk.high.balls.won

When a goalkeeper faces a high ball, usually from a corner kick, cross, or launch ball, and wins it by either gaining possession of the ball or clearing the ball away.

High balls lost by the goalkeeper – gk.high.balls.lost

When a goalkeeper faces a high ball, usually from a corner kick, cross, or launch ball, and loses it by either mishandling it or completely missing the ball.

Smothers won by the goalkeeper – gk.smothers.won

When a goalkeeper faces a take on by an opposing player in the box, or a ball into the box that an an opposing player is about to meet at the end of her run, and wins it by successfully coming out to either claim the ball or clear it to safety.

Smothers lost by the goalkeeper – gk.smothers.lost

When a goalkeeper faces a take on by an opposing player in the box, or a ball into the box that an an opposing player is about to meet at the end of her run, and loses it by missing the ball, causing a foul, or mishandling the ball.

Loose balls claimed by the goalkeeper – gk.loose.balls.won

When a goalkeeper successfully claims a loose ball and wins possession with her hands. This usually encompasses moments such as stray missed passes that a goalkeeper goes out to pick up off the ground.

Loose balls lost by the goalkeeper – gk.loose.balls.lost

When a goalkeeper unsuccessfully comes out for a loose ball. Usually the result of mishandling or mistouching the ball.

Fouls won – fouls.won, fw

Fouls won by a defending player should be logged in the "def.action" column instead of in the "def.player.disciplinary" column if there isn’t a defensive action that encompasses whatever caused the foul. An example would be a defender getting fouled by a player with possession of the ball but the defender was not doing anything that could be considered something like a "tackle" or getting "dribbled."

Fouls conceded fouls.conceded, fc

Fouls conceded by a defending player should be logged in the "def.action" column instead of in the "def.player.disciplinary" column if there isn’t a defensive action that encompasses whatever caused the foul. An example would be a defender fouled a player with possession of the ball but the defender was not doing anything that could be considered something like a "tackle" or getting "dribbled."

Goalkeeper Ball Stops

Column name: gk.ball.stop

When a goalkeeper makes an attempt to stop a ball with any part of her body, whether it’s a high ball, loose ball, or shot, the type of stop attempt should be logged in the gk.ball.stop column. The stop will be one of the below.

Caught – caught

Punched to safety – punched.to.safety, punched.safety

Punching a ball out of bounds counts as "to safety."

Punched to danger – punched.to.danger, punched.danger

When a goalkeeper punches the ball away, but close to the goal and at the feet of an opponent ready to make a play on the ball.

Dropped – dropped

When a goalkeeper mishandles the ball and ultimately loses it.

Missed the ball – missed.the.ball, missed.ball

When a goalkeeper misses the ball which rolls or flies by.

Collected – collected

When a goalkeeper doesn’t cleanly catch the ball but does handle it, usually with a bounce, and ultimately collect it.

Parried to safety – parried.to.safety, parried.safety

When a goalkeeper gets a glancing touch on the ball and deviates it into safety. Parrying a ball out of bounds counts as "to safety."

Parried to danger – parried.to.danger, parried.danger

When a goalkeeper gets a glancing touch on the ball and deviates it away, but close to the goal and at the feet of an opponent ready to make a play on the ball.

Deflected to safety – deflected.to.safety, deflected.safety

When a goalkeeper uses a part of her body other than her hands (such as her body or legs) to deviate the direction of the ball into safety. Deviating a ball out of bounds counts as "to safety."

Deflected to danger – deflected.to.danger, deflected.danger

When a goalkeeper uses a part of her body other than her hands (such as her body or legs) to deviate the direction of the ball, but it ends up close to goal and at the feet of an opponent ready to make a play on the ball.

[UPDATE: definitions for gk.s.o.g.attempt actions that were previously here have now been removed – July 22, 2017 ]

Disciplinary notes

Column names: poss.player.disciplinary & def.player.disciplinary

When a player wins or concedes foul, card, and/or penalty, it should be logged for the possessing player in the poss.player.disciplinary column and for the defending player in the def.player.disciplinary column. Sometimes more than one of these will apply, such as penalty kick conceded that was also a yellow card, in which case a comma should separate the two in the same cell so it looks like yellow.cards,penalties.conceded.

Fouls won – fouls.won, fw

Fouls conceded fouls.conceded, fc

Yellow cards – yellow.cards

Red cards – red.cards

Penalty kicks won – penalties.won

Penalty kicks conceded – penalties.conceded

Additional Possessing Player Notes

Column name: poss.notes

Certain possessing player actions need additional qualifiers, related to scoring opportunities or defensive mistakes, that don’t fit in any of the other aforementioned columns and should instead be be logged in the poss.notes column. Sometimes more than one of these will apply, such as a big chance that was shot and missed, and thus went out of bounds, in which case a comma should separate the two in the same cell so it looks like big.chances.shot.missed,out.of.bounds.lost.poss.

Big chances scored – big.chances.scored

A big chance is a clear-cut goal scoring opportunity where a possessing player is reasonably expected to score. These are usually one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper or very close range and generally unpressured shots.

When deciding if a certain moment is a big chance, consider the following:

Pressure on a possessing player from defenders
Position of the player
Movement of the player
Angle at which the player was facing the goal
Position of goalkeeper
Control on the ball.

When a big chance has occurred, log big.chances.scored if the possessing player scores.

Big chances shot on goal – big.chances.shot.on.goal

When deciding if a certain moment is a big chance, consider the following: pressure on a possessing player, position of the player, movement of the player, angle at which the player was facing the goal, position of goalkeeper, and control on the ball.

When a big chance has occurred, log big.chances.shot.on.goal if the possessing player gets a shot on goal but does not score.

Big chances missed – big.chances.shot.missed

When a big chance has occurred, log big.chances.shot.missed if the possessing player misses the shot.

Big chances dispossessed – big.chances.dispossessed

When a big chance has occurred, log big.chances.dispossessed if the possessing player gets dispossessed before having a chance at a shot on goal

Big chances lost – big.chances.lost

When a big chance has occurred, log big.chances.lost for moments when a player had a reasonable chance at winning control of the ball but missed the ball, usually due to a mistimed kick.

Example 1: http://i.imgur.com/Wt6giq4.gifv

Louisa Necib, the player in white, completes a corner kick to her teammate, Eugenie Le Sommer, who flicks it forward with a headed pass towards her teammate, Ada Hegerberg, who mistimes her kick and misses the ball. Le Sommer gets credited with a key pass for her headed pass which found Hegerberg in the 6-yard box, and Hegerberg gets credited with a "big.chances.lost" for losing a chance at making a play on a big chance. This looks like this on the spreadsheet (certain columns have been hidden to better show this):

Big chances created – big.chances.created To be noted for plays, usually via successful take ons or interceptions in dangerous areas, where a player creates a big chance by herself. Passes that create big chances should be separately logged as "key.passes."

Assists – assists

Second assists – second.assists

A pass that wasn’t an assist that was still instrumental in creating a scored big chance, such as a through ball to an player in the box who lays it off for the goalscorer to shoot.

Key passes – key.passes

A pass instrumental in creating a big chance, regardless of whether it was converted into a goal. Just because a pass led to a shot DOES NOT necessarily make it a key pass, and just because a pass was a nice pass DOES NOT necessarily make it a key pass unless it was instrumental in creating a big chance.

As not all assists are necessarily key passes, but it should be noted when an assist is a key pass, when an assist is a key pass, create two rows in the "poss.notes" column: one to note that it was an "assists", another to note it was a "key.passes".

Ball goes out of bounds and possession is kept – out.of.bounds.keep.poss

Ball goes out of bounds and possession is lost – out.of.bounds.lost.poss

Errors leading to a goal for the opposition – errors.to.goals

Errors leading to an unscored big chance for the opposition – errors.to.big.chances

Additional Defensive Player Notes

Column name: def.notes

Likewise for defending players, certain defensive actions will also need additional qualifiers, related to defensive accomplishments and mistakes, that don’t fit in any of the other aforementioned columns and should instead be be logged in the def.notes column.

Big chances stopped – big.chances.stopped

When a defending player or a goalkeeper stops a possessing player’s big chance from being scored or shot, such as with a block, tackle, or save.

Own goals allowed – own.goals

Errors leading to a goal for the opposition – errors.to.goals

Errors leading to an unscored big chance for the opposition – errors.to.big.chances

Location-based Notes

Column names: poss.location, poss.play.destination, & def.location

Each poss.action will have a location on the pitch, which will either be manually logged or coded into the poss.location column. If it is a type of play with a destination, such as a pass or movement, the destination on the pitch will also either be manually logged or coded into the poss.play.destination column.

Similarly, for each def.action, a location on the pitch for the defensive action will be either manually logged or coded into the def.location column.

The acronyms used for each location are defined below. To better get an idea of how the pitch is split up, refer to this image:

Opponent’s 6-yard box – A6

Opponent’s 18-yard box – A18

Attacking third, left wing – AL

Attacking third, center field – AC

Attacking third, right wing – AR

Opponent’s half of middle third, left wing – AML

Opponent’s half of middle third, center field – AMC

Opponent’s half of middle third, right wing – AMR

Own half of middle third, left wing – DML

Own half of middle third, center field – DMC

Own half of middle third, right wing – DMR

Defensive third, left wing – DL

Defensive third, center field – DC

Defensive third, right wing – DR

Own 18-yard box – D18

Own 6-yard box – D6

FAQ

What’s with all the “-” hyphens?
- The “-” hyphens are there to make it make use of Excel’s Autocomplete feature (more on what that is here) that, after typing in the first few characters of a value that has already been typed in that column. For example, if you type in “pa” the cell will have a drop-down menu appear below it with “passes.f”, “passes.b”, and “passes.s” as options you can click. Clicking on, for example, “passes.f” will automatically insert that value into the cell. Not having to manually type in “passes.f”, for example, will save you an incredible amount of time in the long run, HOWEVER this feature does not seem to work if the cells above the one you are editing are spaceless blanks. To remedy this in a way you can tell the “blank” cell is appropriately edited, without filing it in with something too distracting, I’ve chosen “-” hyphens.
Why aren’t all cells that could have a value filled in?
- The R code I have written is able to use some logic to figure out, based on values around it, what that “blank” value should be. For example, if a defending player was pressuring an opponent, you can just leave her location as the “-” value. The R code that this Excel file will run through will take the location of the possessing player and use that to figure out the location of the defensive action. If the match was properly logged (and if the code doesn’t run into a bug), these logical checks in the R code will fill in these values for you. This saves you hours.
Why does this process take so long?
- Logging each action in chronological order unfortunately takes a while, but this is the fastest process I’ve been able to create that can return mountains of data. It takes close to half a day to log an entire match, but you could spend days, or even longer, poring through the data. I could make this process shorter by getting rid of things like location data or special types of passes, but then we’d lose out on valuable data that I really don’t yet know how to log otherwise. I hope to explore some ideas on how to make this faster, and ideas are welcome.
Why not log in location data for everything?
- Logging location data increases that amount of time it takes to log a match by about 50%. I believe it’s better to get rich data without location data for 30 matches, and then add that location data later as part of a separate project, than to take longer to get those 30 matches done in the first place. It’s just a matter of priorities. Besides, as the columns for location data are still there, it should be simple to go back and add location data for any match.
Do I have to do an entire match by myself?
- Nope! Do whatever you can, as it is quite easy to split up a match and have other people do the rest of the match.

WoSo Stats

Collecting, analyzing, and sharing data about women's soccer from around the world.

How matches are logged

Requirements before logging a match

Logging match actions (without location data)

After logging match stats

Location location data

Match Action Definitions

Possessing Player Actions

Play Types

Defensive Player Actions

Goalkeeper Ball Stops

Disciplinary notes

Additional Possessing Player Notes

Additional Defensive Player Notes

Location-based Notes

FAQ

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