The Missing Half of Performance: Why Modern Soccer Gets Evaluation Wrong Presented by Gradient Sports

We are in the midst of a unique moment in time for soccer - the Men’s World Cup, Women’s World Cup, and Olympics will energize the hemisphere for three consecutive years. This is the perfect time to advance how we consume and evaluate the game - especially on the women’s side, which has long been overlooked.

Modern soccer evaluation is incomplete, focusing on outcomes like goals, assists, and expected goals (xG). These fail to systematically measure execution quality, creating a "black box" that obscures a player's true, repeatable value.

Gradient's Player Grades solves this problem by formalizing and scaling the evaluation of execution across every player and action. While data science supports this direction, it has also been challenged and validated by one of the top coaches / technical directors in the women’s game.

Not only does Gradient’s approach create a more complete picture of each player, but it also acts as a common language to talk about the game - from clubs to media to fans and back to clubs again, spanning the entire global ecosystem.