Soccer

Goals per 90, expected goals, pass completion, league points, and tournament scenarios from the matches students already watch.

About sports math

Sports math applies real formulas to the games students follow: batting average and ERA in baseball, shooting percentages in basketball, passer rating in football, xG and group-stage points for soccer, plus golf and volleyball stats and the physics of speed, distance, and projectile motion.

Each sport pairs a plain-language formula with a calculator and links to the Formula Library, turning stats and game situations into approachable practice for ratios, percentages, and algebra.

Sports Math

Soccer

Goals per 90, expected goals, pass completion, league points, and tournament scenarios from the matches students already watch.

11 formulas

Stats

Goals Per 90 Minutes

G/90 = \frac{G \times 90}{\text{Min}}

Normalize scoring to a full 90-minute match so a Premier League super-sub is not unfairly compared to a 90-minute MLS starter.

Stats

Expected Goals (xG), Simplified

xG \approx 0.32 \cdot SoT + 0.06 \cdot (S - SoT)

A teaching xG model for match broadcasts: shots on target carry more threat than off-target attempts (not a full GPS tracking model).

Stats

Pass Completion Percentage

\text{Pass \%} = \frac{C}{A} \times 100

Share of pass attempts that reached a teammate, shown on every World Cup and Premier League broadcast.

Stats

League Points Per Game (3-1-0)

PPG = \frac{3W + D}{G}

MLS, Premier League, and World Cup group tables all use 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss; PPG averages that total.

Stats

Goal Difference

GD = GF - GA

Goals scored minus goals conceded, the first tiebreaker in most World Cup groups and league tables after points.

Stats

Shots On Target Percentage

SoT\% = \frac{SoT}{S} \times 100

Share of all shots that tested the keeper or would have gone in without a block.

Stats

Penalty Kick Success Rate

PK\% = \frac{M}{A} \times 100

Share of penalty kicks converted, in regulation and in World Cup knockout shootouts.

Stats

Clean Sheet Rate

CS\% = \frac{CS}{G} \times 100

Share of matches where the team (and keeper) allowed zero goals.

Stats

Group Stage Points Target

\text{Need} = \max(0, T - P),\quad \text{PPG req.} = \frac{\text{Need}}{R}

How many points a team still needs to hit a World Cup group-stage target and the per-game pace required.

Stats

Possession-Adjusted Rate

Adj = R \times \frac{50}{\text{Poss\%}}

Scale a per-90 rate to a 50% possession baseline so a counterattacking World Cup side compares fairly to a possession team.

Angles & distance

Pitch Diagonal

d = \sqrt{L^2 + W^2}

Longest straight-line sprint across a rectangular pitch; World Cup venues often use up to 105 m × 68 m.

About sports math

Each sport pairs a plain-language formula with a calculator and links to the Formula Library, turning stats and game situations into approachable practice for ratios, percentages, and algebra.

11 formulas

Stats

Goals Per 90 Minutes

G/90 = \frac{G \times 90}{\text{Min}}

Normalize scoring to a full 90-minute match so a Premier League super-sub is not unfairly compared to a 90-minute MLS starter.

Stats

Expected Goals (xG), Simplified

xG \approx 0.32 \cdot SoT + 0.06 \cdot (S - SoT)

A teaching xG model for match broadcasts: shots on target carry more threat than off-target attempts (not a full GPS tracking model).

Stats

Pass Completion Percentage

\text{Pass \%} = \frac{C}{A} \times 100

Share of pass attempts that reached a teammate, shown on every World Cup and Premier League broadcast.

Stats

League Points Per Game (3-1-0)

PPG = \frac{3W + D}{G}

MLS, Premier League, and World Cup group tables all use 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss; PPG averages that total.

Stats

Goal Difference

GD = GF - GA

Goals scored minus goals conceded, the first tiebreaker in most World Cup groups and league tables after points.

Stats

Shots On Target Percentage

SoT\% = \frac{SoT}{S} \times 100

Share of all shots that tested the keeper or would have gone in without a block.

Stats

Penalty Kick Success Rate

PK\% = \frac{M}{A} \times 100

Share of penalty kicks converted, in regulation and in World Cup knockout shootouts.

Stats

Clean Sheet Rate

CS\% = \frac{CS}{G} \times 100

Share of matches where the team (and keeper) allowed zero goals.

Stats

Group Stage Points Target

\text{Need} = \max(0, T - P),\quad \text{PPG req.} = \frac{\text{Need}}{R}

How many points a team still needs to hit a World Cup group-stage target and the per-game pace required.

Stats

Possession-Adjusted Rate

Adj = R \times \frac{50}{\text{Poss\%}}

Scale a per-90 rate to a 50% possession baseline so a counterattacking World Cup side compares fairly to a possession team.

Angles & distance

Pitch Diagonal

d = \sqrt{L^2 + W^2}

Longest straight-line sprint across a rectangular pitch; World Cup venues often use up to 105 m × 68 m.