Match in Metrics: CF Montreal

(image via Diego Martinez)

Soccer is often described as a game of moments, but sometimes the real story unfolds in the numbers. In the latest match between the Houston Dynamo and CF Montreal, the stat sheet paints a clear picture of where the game was won and lost. From expected goals to passing accuracy, duels won to shots on target, we break down the key metrics that shaped the result and reveal the trends behind the final scoreline.

• Houston started the game brightly, pinning Montreal to their box for most of the first 30 minutes but just missing the final ball to create a goal. The closest chance at scoring came when Ezequiel Ponce missed a header just high, worth 0.28xG, off an Ondrej Lingr cross.

• Montreal patiently waited and pounced on the Dynamo defense off the counter when Prince Owusu opened the scoring in the 30th minute off a 0.33xG shot. That goal deflated the Dynamo team, and they were caught sleepwalking just seconds after restarting the game off another goal from Owusu off a 0.04xG header.

• The game was pretty even at the start of the half, but after Pablo Ortiz was made to watch on the sidelines following a minor head injury, the Dynamo were left to defend a free kick with no center backs, Montreal defender Jalen Neal made it 3-0 off a 0.19xG header.

• In the second half, Houston's substitutes Franco Escobar, Lawrence Ennali and Nicolas Lodeiro brought life back into the Dynamo offense. Lodeiro put in in a wicked cross off a second ball following a corner, and Lingr raised high to head in his third goal of the season (0.14xG) into the Montreal net to make it 3-1

• Houston very nearly scored a quick goal off the restart of their own with another chance off a similar set piece situation. Franco Escobar's header (0.53xG) hit the inside of the post and came out.

• In the 88th minute, Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois mishandled a Griffin Dorsey cross but Lingr couldn't get his header into the empty net off a tough angle (0.48xG).

  Post Match Stats:
  Possession: Dynamo 63% - 37% Montreal
  xG: Dynamo 2.65xG - 1.54xG
  Shots(on target): Dynamo 18(2) - 8(5) Montreal
  
  Out of the Dynamo's 2.65xG, set pieces accounted for 2.15xG, and open play only accounted for 0.50xG

The average positions of the players on the field also painted an interesting picture. Here are the average positions at half time.

And here they are at full time.