Not everyone in the Portland Timbers organization lives and breathes data. Coach Giovanni Savarese, for one, still relies heavily on feel when making decisions for the pitch, but he admits there’s at least some value in analytics for elevating performance. And that’s a good thing, because the Timbers have been building out a robust sports science team in search of gaining a competitive advantage.
As MLS prepares to break for its July 31 All-Star Game, the Timbers are 8-8-4 through Tuesday night and rank ninth out of the 12 teams in the Western Conference—a drop-off after last season’s appearance in the MLS Finals against Atlanta United FC.