Schedule
Master of Ceremonies: Jen Cooper (Rice ’90)
Friday, January 31, 2025
1:00p Registration
2:00p Afternoon Session 1
2:00p Summit Welcome
2:15p Brian Greenwood and Tyler Richardett (American Soccer Analysis)
“Building an Analytics Operation: Lessons Learned through an Oral History of American Soccer Analysis” video
2:40p Alejandro Dávila (Director of Analysis, Mazatlán FC)
“Building a Data-Oriented Culture on a Budget” video
3:05p Afternoon Break
Enjoy and coffee and tea from Common Bond
3:35p Afternoon Session 2
3:35p Hayden Van Brewer and Matt Cohen (SkillCorner)
“Yes, But WHEN Do They Run? An Investigation of Off-Ball Runs and Phases of Play” video
4:00p Kushal Gupta (Rice University & src | ftbl)
“Rice Soccer Analytics: From Insights to Impact” video
4:15p Interactive Round Table Discussions
5:00p Friday Content Concludes
5:30p Networking Reception: Women in Soccer Analytics
All Summit participants are welcome. RSVP is required by January 24.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
8:00a Breakfast and Registration
Enjoy breakfast tacos from Black Walnut Cafe and coffee/tea from Common Bond
9:00a Morning Sesssion 1
9:00a Saturday Welcome
Opening Industry Keynote
9:10a Ethan Creagar and Pat Onstad (Data Scientist and General Manager, Houston Dynamo FC)
“Bridging Insights and Decisions in Soccer Operations” video
9:50a Lucas Kimball (Atlético Clube de Portugal)
“Tracking Off-Ball Runs: Analyzing a Defender’s Responsibilities and Abilities in Space” video
10:00a Arielle Dror (Director of Data & Analytics, Bay FC)
“Speedrunning an Analytics Department in 50 Days” video
10:25a Lori He (Second Spectrum)
“Evaluating the Wide Attack” video
10:35a Morning Break
Enjoy and coffee and tea from Common Bond
11:05a Morning Session 2
Academic Keynote
11:05a Stefan Szymanski (Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan)
“Soccer Analytics: Science or Alchemy” code/data video
11:45a Sebastian Bush, Theo Schmidt, Caleb Heller, Nick Rovelli (Syracuse University)
“Dual Dependency: Analyzing the Winger and Wingback Relationship” video
11:55a John Muller (Football writer, The Athletic, FiveThirtyEight, and more)
“Numbers Talk — Now Make Them Tell a Story” video
12:20p Joseph Sosa, James Zhong, Trey Hibbard (Auburn University)
“Quantifying Midfielders Efficiency” video
12:30p Lunch
Enjoy a selection of lunch options from Local Foods
1:30p Afternoon Session 1
1:30p Tianyu Guan (Assistant Professor of Statistics, York University)
“Soccer Analytics Using Event Data and Tracking Data” video
1:55p Ben Thorpe (Yale University), Adam Cohen (Duke University)
“Hold the Line: Strategic Insights into High Line Defense in Professional Women’s Soccer” video
2:05p Weining Shen (Associate Professor of Statistics, UC Irvine)
“Large Language Models in Sports Analytics”
2:30p Rob Oakley (Temple University)
“1v1 Defending Beyond Tackles and Interceptions” video
2:40p Sachin Narayanan (Doctoral Candidate, Florida State University)
“Beyond the Expected: Tailoring Analytics for Women’s Soccer” video
3:05p Afternoon Break
Enjoy coffee, tea and pastries from Common Bond
3:45p Afternoon Session 2
3:45p Lydia Jackson (Machine Learning Engineer, Teamworks/Zelus)
“Building Shiny Apps for Rapid Prototyping” video
4:10p Alvaro Botto Barilli, Jonathan Hamil (University of Texas)
“The Role of Athleticism in Defensive Transition Match-ups” video
Closing Industry Keynote
4:20p Zayne M. Thomajan (General Manager, Chicago Fire FC) video
5:00p Expected Own Goals Live Podcast
5:40p Summit Concludes
Disclaimer: Schedule is subject to change
