During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, SportTechie and N3XT Sports are surveying key soccer experts around the world to understand the current state of soccer technology and innovation. (More soccer technology viewpoints.)
Eric Miller is a defender at Minnesota United FC. He played three years at Creighton University before being picked fifth overall by Montreal in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. After being traded to Colorado in 2016, he was part of a Rapids team that reached the semifinals of the MLS Playoffs that year. In 2016, he also received his first call up to the U.S. senior team, as a squad member for friendlies against Iceland and Canada. He was traded to Minnesota this past May, returning to the state where he first started playing soccer.
Minnesota United FC is in its second season as an MLS team. The club replaced a North American Soccer League franchise with the same name last year, becoming the 22nd team in the MLS. In 2014, that NASL team won the league’s spring championship and regular season. Minnesota United struggled in its first season in the MLS, losing its first game 5-1 on the road to Portland, and its home opener 6-1 against fellow expansion team Atlanta. The team finished ninth out of 11 teams in the Western Conference in 2017, and is currently sitting in the same spot this season.
According to Miller, wearable technology has offered the biggest recent advancement in soccer. “When used correctly, it provides great feedback about every facet of your movement and output during a training session,” he explained. The data collected can determine recovery protocols and help understand physical limitations. “With the right fitness coaches, this information can be used for anything from injury prevention to game and training analysis to long-term planning of desired loading for players.”
The use of computers for scouting, both in terms of finding new players and of researching opposition teams has also had a significant impact. “For front offices, it allows them to use data tools to search for players based on criteria rather than relying on agents or personal recommendations and then actually having to watch tape of a player. These data tools can allow front offices to cast a bigger net and use their resources and time more effectively to find the right players for their clubs. For technical staffs, it hopefully allows them to scout opposing teams more efficiently and hopefully draw more intelligent conclusions than the simple eye test can provide.”
Although the existing computer scouting services used within the MLS don’t provide as much detailed information as he would like, Miller believes they are still useful. “I really enjoy viewing opposing players touches over their past few games, trying to learn if they have any tendencies, strengths, or weaknesses.”
The biggest obstacle that Miller sees to adopting new technologies is the rapid pace of the season, with teams playing one or two games per week from March through October. “Most technical staffs and front offices are just thinking one game to the next,” he noted. “But with this mentality they never step back and assess the overall environment to see what other kind of useful things they could be doing.”
There is also a resistance to doing new things, and perhaps a fear of failure. “If people don’t immediately understand something, they are hesitant to use it when they have already had success doing things their way for so long,” Miller observed.
As well as improving player and team performance, according to Miller, technology has also impacted fan engagement. “Players and fans are as close as they have ever been. Fans can see what a player is doing at the exact moment in time with Instagram Live and Periscope type apps, while also getting their thoughts on games or anything going on in their lives through the various other social media.”
Miller highlighted The Players’ Tribune as an example of how players are side-stepping traditional media channels to talk directly to their fans. Founded by former Yankees All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter in 2014, The Players’ Tribune features articles written by, and ghost written for, pro athletes. “It seems players are more interested in their personal brands and how they are perceived more than ever before,” explained Miller. “Publications like this allow them to truly control the narrative about them and provide an access that is brand new to professional sports.”
Overall, Miller is optimistic about the increasingly important role that technology will play in the industry. “It’s important to say that soccer isn’t baseball, and there are no cure-all statistics that can effectively evaluate how a team or a player performs,” he noted. “However, I think that teams can effectively use data and scouting technology together with more traditional methods to examine the processes that lead to results and try to improve those processes.”