FC Dallas all-time regular-season number crunching

I have a spreadsheet with the all-time FC Dallas regular-season numbers in it and I just added the 2020 numbers. I always enjoy looking at this kind of big picture stats, so here are some fun stats and notes.

Add deeper meaning if you wish.

All-Time PPG: 1.42

With shootouts left as wins and loses.

Averages Per Season

Finish3.96 (~4th)
Wins13.08
Loses11.72
Ties6.64
Points44.68
Goals For46.48
Goals Against44.64
Goal Differential1.84

That equals – by average and rounding up/down – an average record of 13-12-7 with 45 points, 46 goals for, 45 goals against, and a +2 goal differential.

Finishes by Conference Position

1st Place3 times
2nd3 times
3rd6 times
4th4 times
5th3 times
6th2 times
7th3 times
8th1 time
9th0 times
10th0 times
11th0 times
12th0 times

Playoffs

FC Dallas has made the playoffs in 18 of their 25 seasons and has only missed 7 times. In my mind, that’s an impressive achievement and should be commended.

The Misses
2003 & 2004 – Southlake and its aftermath
2008 & 2009 – Steve Morrow fired and Schellas Hyndman rebuild
2012 & 2013 – Hyndman loses the plot and is fired
2017 – The bizarro Oscar Pareja post-CCL run epic collapse

Last Place

FCD has finished Last in their conference twice… 2003 Southlake when Jeffries was fired and 2004 as Clarke started to rebuild in the aftermath.

Both were 5th out of 5 teams.

FC Dallas Seasons – Top vs Bottom Half

Top Half: 11 times
Bottom Half: 14 times.

Half (7) of all the Bottom Half finishes came in the first 9 years of the club’s history when there were only 4, 5, or 6 teams in each Conf. Prior to the Hunt take over – officially in 2003 – FCD was in the Bottom Half 5 of 7 years. And they also finished in the Bottom Half the next two years due to the Southlake mess they created.

But since then, some credit should go to the Hunts as FC Dallas has only finished in the Bottom Half seven times in the 16 seasons since. That’s slightly better than half the seasons since the Southlake recovery in the Top half.

All-Time MLS Points Per Game

By MLS Referee Stats. Adjusted shootouts to ties.

FC Dallas. Better than you think.

It takes a good consistent model, in my opinion, to finish in the Top Half more often than not and to make the playoffs with such frequency with a budget-minded team. 6th all-time in PPG (adjusted).

Everyone in MLS is always fighting to be better, this isn’t easy.

Unfortunately, it’s been a Bottom Half finish 3 of the last 4 years – if just barely into the Bottom Half – so it might be time for some soul searching as to the results over recent seasons. Are they headed in the first direction?

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