The throw-in is the second most common on-the-ball event in soccer, closely followed by the more traditional pass via the foot. Yet it's unsurprising that throw-ins are analyzed considerably less than the more rare set plays like free kicks and corner kicks.
Throw-ins aren't glamorous – but they are undoubtedly important. And the Houston Dynamo seem to have picked this low-hanging fruit.
Houston, almost certainly, take their throw-ins very seriously. They complete nearly 90 percent, well above the league-wide average of around 80 percent. At first glance, this doesn't seem like a huge difference, but when the average team attempts around 23 throw-ins per game, Houston can expect to complete 21 of them instead of 18. 3 extra completions – and the three extra resulting possessions – add up over the course of the season.
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While Houston lead the league in throw-in completion rate – they also seem to be rather efficient immediately after completing a throw-in. The league-wide average number of passes during possessions resulting from a completed throw-in is 2.0. Houston lead the league by a significant margin at 2.7 passes. That's about 25 percent better than the league average and 15 percent better than the New York Red Bulls, their next closest competition.
Team |
Throw-In Completion Percentage |
Pass per possession |
Houston Dynamo |
0.908 |
2.71 |
Real Salt Lake |
0.896 |
2.10 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
0.889 |
2.16 |
New York Red Bulls |
0.889 |
2.36 |
Chivas USA |
0.867 |
2.22 |
Montreal Impact |
0.854 |
2.01 |
Colorado Rapids |
0.831 |
2.23 |
Philadelphia Union |
0.803 |
1.80 |
LA Galaxy |
0.792 |
2.03 |
Columbus Crew |
0.784 |
1.83 |
FC Dallas |
0.782 |
1.82 |
Portland Timbers |
0.772 |
2.12 |
D.C. United |
0.770 |
1.87 |
Seattle Sounders |
0.758 |
1.83 |
Toronto FC |
0.757 |
1.78 |
New England Revolution |
0.751 |
1.87 |
Sporting Kansas City |
0.745 |
1.92 |
Chicago Fire |
0.724 |
1.84 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
0.683 |
1.86 |
Perhaps what's most impressive is that Houston have scored five goals from possessions initiated by throw-ins. The San Jose Earthquakes have four, while no other team has scored more than two. And, of the 19 teams in MLS, nine of them have not scored from a throw-in initiated possession at all.
By my count, Houston score a goal from a throw-in initiated possession about 0.9 percent of the time. With the average of 23 throw-ins per game suggested above, that's about one goal every six games. Aside from San Jose, no other team in MLS is even half this efficient.
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It's a long stretch, statistically speaking, to conclude that Houston are earning cheap goals by taking throw-ins with particular efficiently. But, in their defense, every avenue I turn looking at throw-ins, they're dominating the competition. So, no matter if the Dynamo's efficiency is either trained or simply a nice side effect resulting from their style of play, they may be worth emulating.