Major League Soccer has extended its relationship with California based Match Analysis to utilise the K2 Panoramic Video system, player tracking, and tactical analysis tools.
With this move, MLS has become the first major professional sports league in the United States and Canada to track and analyse the movement of all its players and officials in every match.
Match Analysis recently completed camera installation and testing in all 18 venues, making MLS the first professional sports league in the US and Canada to track the physical location of its players for every minute of every match – with the ability to search and manipulate the corresponding data and video.
The long term deal augments the relationship Match Analysis maintains with the majority of MLS clubs, delivering video and statistical analysis tools and data. For more than a decade, Match Analysis has provided touch-by-touch analysis to MLS clubs.
With the addition of the most technologically advanced set of tools available for analyzing soccer, the new partnership equips all MLS teams with greatly enhanced capabilities.
"Our goal at MLS is not just to repeat what is already available but to continually push the boundaries of technology and performance analysis," MLS executive VP of competition, technical and game operations, Nelson Rodríguez said. "In conjunction with our existing relationships, this new agreement with Match Analysis is a major step toward making MLS one of the most technologically advanced leagues in the world."
MLS and North America continue to lead the way in performance analysis with Match Analysis proving to be a key innovator in the field. The latest Match Analysis technologies support the entire MLS organisation from coaches and technical staffs to players, referees, and the League office.
"MLS’s commitment to incorporating the most advanced products is another example of how the clubs in North America are charting new territory," Match Analysis president Mark Brunkhart said. "MLS coaches have taken huge strides embracing technology and applying it for a competitive advantage. We are excited to give MLS clubs access to innovations that are not yet widely available internationally."
K2 Panoramic Video and Match Analysis’s unique TruView Visualization system presents an interactive experience for MLS teams. The K2 system features three small, high-end cameras that seamlessly stitch video into a single, full-field view. The resulting high resolution video covers the entire field and ensures that no action, event, or off-the-ball movement goes unseen.
Match Analysis tracks all 22 players and the referees at its new data collection facility delivering data for fitness reporting and more in depth video analysis and statistics including TruView Visualizations which allow coaches the ability to draw dynamic graphics within the video itself instantly and interactively.