By buckeye 
The game had just ended, and many people’s first reaction was to open their phones and search for “St. Louis City vs. Columbus Crew statistics.” I did the same. But what was the result? A bunch of websites popped up, and when I clicked on them, they were all ads like “Sign up now to get a bonus” and “Bet to win a big prize.” The information I really wanted to see, such as the number of passes and whether the shots were on target, was buried deep inside. I spent several minutes and couldn’t find a single useful number. It was a waste of time.
Next, I went to ESPN. After all, it’s a big platform, so it should have something, right? But all I saw was who scored and the score. I already knew that. What I wanted to see was: How much ball possession did St. Louis have throughout the game? Were there any chances that didn’t result in goals? How far did the players run? These details weren’t mentioned.The page looked clean, but the content was too simple, like telling you your test score without giving you the test paper.
Don’t be fooled by “free”.
Then I thought of a website that specializes in soccer data, which I heard was very professional. I clicked on it, and the page did look sophisticated, with lots of charts. But just as I was about to look at the details, a box popped up: “Sign up for a 7-day free trial of premium membership.”I closed it. I clicked on another link, and the same thing happened again. I didn’t want to leave my phone number, nor did I want to receive a “renewal reminder” three days later. Just looking at some match data is like opening a bank account. It’s too much trouble.
After trying a few sites, I remembered that the league has its own official website!The official website of Major League Soccer (MLS). Just search for “MLS official website,” go to the match schedule page, find the St. Louis City vs. Columbus Crew match, and click on it. Finally, the page opened, with no ads, no registration prompts, and a clean interface.
After clicking on the match details, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything I wanted was there:
St. Louis had 52% possession, Columbus 48%;
Shots on goal: 14 to 9, with 6 on target;
Total passes exceeded 400, with the success rate clearly marked;
Even the number of saves made by the goalkeeper, the number of corner kicks, and who received yellow cards were listed.
Now I wasn’t just seeing the result, but how the game was played.
In addition to the data, I also saw the starting lineups for both teams. It was easy to see who started and who was on the bench. There were records of who was substituted in the 60th minute and who was substituted out in the 75th minute. There were also the number of fouls, the number of offsides, and even the distance each player ran. This information is not usually provided during live broadcasts, but it is particularly useful for understanding a team’s playing style.
After going around in circles, I finally realized that the simplest method is the best. You don’t need to install an app, register an account, or worry about clicking on a gambling website. The MLS official website updates data quickly, has a clear structure, and doesn’t lag on mobile phones. Next time you want to check the details of any American professional soccer game, don’t search randomly, just go to the official website and find the game center.
Some people may think that official websites only focus on big teams. That’s not the case. St. Louis City is a new team and doesn’t get the most attention, but their match data is just as complete. The same goes for the Columbus Crew. Whether they win or lose, the data is recorded accurately. This is what it means to truly serve fans—focus on facts, not fame.
Now I get it: If you want real, complete, and free game data, go to the official website of the Major League Soccer. Don’t let search engines mislead you, and don’t fall for the “free trial” tricks. Open the official website, find the game, click on details, and all the numbers are there waiting for you. It saves time and hassle.
florida