s26 Rookie of the Season Projection

s26 Rookie of the Season Projection - Printable Version

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s26 Rookie of the Season Projection - AustinP0027 - 2026-07-27

Season 26 Rookie of the Season

Keeping up with my draft class, we’re headed towards the end of the season. And so, with the data at my fingertips, it had me wondering, who is mostly likely to end up named the Rookie of the Season?

Here’s the fast/quick/ugly view.

Name	Club	Position	Minutes Played	Average Rating
Saba Kvekvetsia	AS Paris	M ( R), AM (RL)	504	7.4945
Jack Pow	CS Rova Mpanjaka	AM (RL), ST ( C)	990	7.45
Sadie Black	AF Masques Sacrés	D/WB/AM ( R)	990	7.41
Alex Peña	North Shore United	D ( R), WB (RL)	990	7.4
Saphira Brightscales	AF Masques Sacrés	D (LC), WB (L)	990	7.36
THRAXXii La’Mort	AF Masques Sacrés	M/AM ( C), ST ( C)	180	7.305
Reece Munro	Montréal United	AM (RLC)	990	7.09
Dennis van Huntelrooy	Seoul MFC	M/AM ( C), ST ( C)	990	7.01
Blaise N'Kufo	Krung Thep FC	AM (RC), ST ( C)	990	6.98

If you just look at the FM produced “Average Rating”, that is your Top 10.

But, come on now, you know me. I’m not content with just taking a single stat. There must be multiple, and they must have weights.

The Data
As I have before, I pulled the entire season to date’s stats. And then, as before, I converted them into per-90 metrics. A little bit of that is selfish, as my own players is only a half time player, so just using raw metrics, I would be at the bottom of the list. But also, because it’s better for math or something.

Now that per-90 stats were all created, there was a second challenge. There is no good way of knowing what position someone actually played. So, to solve this, I decided that each rookie gets graded for EVERY position they can play.

That means:

a player listed as AM (LC), ST ( C) is evaluated as both an AM and a ST
a player listed as D ( C), WB ( R), DM is evaluated as a defender, wingback, and defensive midfielder
goalkeepers are evaluated only as goalkeepers

The idea here is if I can score someone at every possible position they could play, I can avoid the issue of guessing what someone was playing and giving them the wrong weighted stats because of it.

Z Scoring
I then decided on using z-scoring on each metric as the means of rating player performance. That scoring was done based on the position group that was being assessed.

Z-Score formula is:
Z = (player stat - position group mean for that stat)/position group standard deviation

The intent of this is to avoid trying to compare players against the entire rookie class, and instead only compare them against their position group. When you’re thinking of the role assignment above where I said players would have multiple groups, the easiest way to envision it is thinking of a google sheet where a player has two rows. One rows with their scores and the position like ST, the other row with their scores and the position AM. The scores will be different per stat because the comparisons are different.

Example of z-score:
Goals p90 z = 1.8
xG p90 z = 1.1
Assists p90 z = 0.4
Key Passes p90 z = -0.2
Average Rating z = 0.9

The Weights
My favorite part. You’ll notice this doesn’t match my Top 10 articles. Mostly, because I wanted to do actual position groups instead of the category groups from that, but also because…I like to see what data looks like if you tweak things, so sue me!

The weights are broken into positions.

Strikers (ST) are driven mainly by attacking output:

goals p90: 6
xG p90: 4
shots on target p90: 3
assists p90: 2
xA p90: 2
key passes p90: 2
average rating: 5

Attacking midfielders (AM) emphasize creation and final-third production:

assists p90: 5
xA p90: 5
key passes p90: 4
chances created p90: 4
goals p90: 3
xG p90: 2
successful passes p90: 2
pass%: 3
average rating: 5

Central midfielders (M) are judged more on control and distribution:

successful passes p90: 4
pass%: 4
key passes p90: 2
xA p90: 2
interceptions p90: 3
tackles won p90: 3
successful presses p90: 3
average rating: 5

Defensive midfielders (DM) are built around ball-winning and defensive work:

tackles won p90: 5
interceptions p90: 5
successful presses p90: 4
successful passes p90: 3
pass%: 3
clearances p90: 2
average rating: 5
mistakes leading to goals p90: -10

Defenders (D) are weighted toward stopping attacks and limiting errors:

tackles won p90: 5
interceptions p90: 5
clearances p90: 4
blocks p90: 4
successful headers p90: 3
header%: 2
pass%: 2
average rating: 5
mistakes leading to goals p90: -10

Wingbacks (WB) are balanced between defending and chance creation:

assists p90: 4
key passes p90: 4
successful crosses p90: 4
cross%: 3
tackles won p90: 3
interceptions p90: 3
successful presses p90: 3
average rating: 5

Goalkeepers (GK) use a separate keeper-specific model:

clean sheets p90: 5
conceded p90: -5
xG prevented p90: 5
xsave%: 4
save%: 5
saves parried p90: 2
saves held p90: 2
saves tipped p90: 2
penalties saved p90: 2
average rating: 5
player of the match p90: 1

Role Score
To get the final score, the z-score of each relevant stat is multiplied by the weighting.

Example using Striker weights:
Role Score =
6 × (Goals p90 z)
+ 4 × (xG p90 z)
+ 3 × (Assists p90 z)
+ 2 × (xA p90 z)
+ 2 × (Shots on Target p90 z)
+ 2 × (Key Passes p90 z)
+ 5 × (Average Rating z)

This gives me a per player-per position scoring system that can be used to pull out the top contenders to choose a single player for Rookie of the Season.

The Top 5s

Striker

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Goals p90	xG p90	Assists p90	xA p90	Shots p90	Shots on Target p90	Key Passes p90	Average Rating
1	Owen Goal	AS Paris	26	ST	24.635	0.741	0.298	0	0.333	2.963	1.481	2.778	6.9691
2	Jack Pow	CS Rova Mpanjaka	26	ST	24.444	0.455	0.396	0.545	0.273	1.818	0.909	1.273	7.45
3	Dennis van Huntelrooy	Seoul MFC	26	ST	12.85	0.455	0.329	0.182	0.083	2.727	1.545	0.818	7.01
4	THRAXXii La’Mort	AF Masques Sacrés	26	ST	11.308	0	0.065	1.5	0.545	0.5	0.5	4	7.305
5	Blaise N'Kufo	Krung Thep FC	26	ST	6.811	0.182	0.392	0.182	0.222	2.091	1.182	1	6.98

The striker race was one of the closest across all positions, with Owen Goal narrowly edging Jack Pow by less than 0.2 Role Z Score points. Owen's exceptional scoring rate ultimately proved to be the deciding factor, while Jack combined high-end finishing with the strongest assist production among the top five. Dennis van Huntelrooy claimed third through an impressive blend of shot volume and efficiency, consistently putting efforts on target throughout the season. THRAXXii La'Mort delivered one of the most eye-catching performances despite playing only 180 minutes, producing elite per-90 creative numbers that allowed the limited sample to compete with full-season campaigns. Blaise N'Kufo rounded out the group with a balanced attacking profile built around strong expected goals, consistent shooting, and solid overall production.

Attacking Midfielder

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Goals p90	Assists p90	xG p90	xA p90	Key Passes p90	Chances Created p90	Successful Passes p90	Pass %	Average Rating
1	Saba Kvekvetsia	AS Paris	26	AM	58.185	0.536	0.714	0.298	0.795	3.214	1.607	26.25	85.9649	7.4945
2	THRAXXii La’Mort	AF Masques Sacrés	26	AM	49.725	0	1.5	0.065	0.545	4	1	42.5	86.7347	7.305
3	Sadie Black	AF Masques Sacrés	26	AM	39.152	0.182	0.545	0.201	0.475	4.273	1.455	37.818	82.2134	7.41
4	Jack Pow	CS Rova Mpanjaka	26	AM	25.261	0.455	0.545	0.396	0.273	1.273	0.909	23.636	84.4156	7.45
5	Owen Goal	AS Paris	26	AM	20.404	0.741	0	0.298	0.333	2.778	1.111	24.259	85.0649	6.9691

Saba Kvekvetsia comfortably led the attacking midfielder rankings with the highest Role Z Score of any outfield player in the rookie class. Strong goal contributions were complemented by elite creativity, chance creation, and passing quality, resulting in a well-rounded attacking season. THRAXXii La'Mort followed in second, with remarkable assist and key pass production carrying a limited-minute campaign into the upper tier of the rankings. Sadie Black's third-place finish showcased outstanding versatility, pairing excellent creative output with defensive performances that also placed among the league's best. Jack Pow and Owen Goal completed the top five, demonstrating that both players were capable of creating chances as well as finishing them.

Midfielder

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Successful Passes p90	Attempted Passes p90	Pass %	Key Passes p90	xA p90	Interceptions p90	Tackles Won p90	Successful Presses p90	Average Rating
1	THRAXXii La’Mort	AF Masques Sacrés	26	M	35.373	42.5	49	86.7347	4	0.545	2.5	3	4	7.305
2	Saba Kvekvetsia	AS Paris	26	M	22.891	26.25	30.536	85.9649	3.214	0.795	1.786	2.321	3.75	7.4945
3	Joshua Homme III Esquire Limited	F.C. Kaapstad	26	M	12.923	30.909	36.273	85.213	2	0.299	2.182	2.909	3.909	6.96
4	Nick Kasak	F.C. Kaapstad	26	M	9.07	37.545	43	87.315	4.091	0.329	2.364	1.364	2.455	6.84
5	Gold Ship	Athênai F.C.	26	M	0.467	23.5	29.5	79.661	1.5	0.285	3	3.25	4	6.58

The midfield rankings highlighted a different style of excellence, rewarding complete all-around play rather than purely attacking production. THRAXXii La'Mort finished first thanks to outstanding passing numbers, creativity, pressing, and efficiency in possession. Saba Kvekvetsia continued an exceptional rookie season with another podium finish, while Joshua Homme III Esquire Limited and Nick Kasak earned high marks through a combination of distribution, defensive work, and ball progression. Gold Ship rounded out the top five by producing solid defensive numbers alongside effective passing despite playing considerably fewer minutes than most of the competition.

Defensive Midfielder

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Tackles Won p90	Interceptions p90	Successful Presses p90	Successful Passes p90	Pass %	Clearances p90	Average Rating
1	Scorp E. Unshark	Cairo City	26	DM	25.724	3.182	2.727	3.091	27.273	81.7439	1.909	6.76
2	Nick Kasak	F.C. Kaapstad	26	DM	18.016	1.364	2.364	2.455	37.545	87.315	3	6.84
3	Felix Pedro	F.C. Kaapstad	26	DM	8.025	1.455	2.091	1.818	32.273	81.9861	2	6.91
4	Josh Harper	Rapid Magyar SC	26	DM	6.463	2.545	1.364	4.364	26	80.112	2.818	6.65
5	S Sei	Rapid Magyar SC	26	DM	5.634	1.636	2	3.182	34.727	84.3267	2	6.65

Scorp E. Unshark established themself as the premier defensive midfielder through an excellent balance of tackling, interceptions, pressing, and reliable ball distribution. Rather than dominating one category, the performance stood out because of consistently strong numbers across nearly every defensive metric. Nick Kasak finished second thanks to outstanding passing ability without sacrificing defensive effectiveness, while Felix Pedro, Josh Harper, and S Sei formed a tightly packed chasing group. Across the position, consistency in defensive contribution proved more valuable than excelling in a single statistical category.

Defender

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Tackles Won p90	Interceptions p90	Clearances p90	Blocks p90	Successful Headers p90	Header %	Pass %	Average Rating	Mistakes Leading to Goals p90
1	Sadie Black	AF Masques Sacrés	26	D	28.102	2.273	2.909	1.909	0.273	6	90.411	82.2134	7.41	0
2	Joe Mormor	Rapid Magyar SC	26	D	25.548	3.909	2.545	2.636	1.091	1.818	36.3636	85.7909	6.95	0
3	Saphira Brightscales	AF Masques Sacrés	26	D	24.491	2.273	3.182	1.364	0.909	2.909	64	83.9552	7.36	0
4	STAR SCREAM	Seoul MFC	26	D	15.4	3.182	2.909	2.636	1.182	3.455	59.375	77.0026	6.92	0.091
5	Alex Peña	North Shore United	26	D	9.643	2.364	1.909	1.455	1.273	0.636	15.5556	82.5974	7.4	0

Sadie Black claimed the top defender ranking with an outstanding all-around defensive season. Elite aerial ability, strong tackling and interception numbers created clear separation from the rest of the field. Joe Mormor and Saphira Brightscales followed closely behind, each combining dependable defending with meaningful contributions in possession. STAR SCREAM's excellent block and interception numbers earned fourth place, while Alex Peña completed the top five through a balanced defensive campaign that translated equally well into wide defensive roles.

Wing Back

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Assists p90	Key Passes p90	Successful Crosses p90	Cross %	Tackles Won p90	Interceptions p90	Successful Presses p90	Average Rating
1	Sadie Black	AF Masques Sacrés	26	WB	32.151	0.545	4.273	3.455	37.2549	2.273	2.909	2.364	7.41
2	Alex Peña	North Shore United	26	WB	28.59	0.909	2.909	2.364	36.6197	2.364	1.909	3.909	7.4
3	Saphira Brightscales	AF Masques Sacrés	26	WB	16.319	0.455	2.182	1.273	24.1379	2.273	3.182	3.273	7.36
4	Joshua Homme III Esquire Limited	F.C. Kaapstad	26	WB	8.548	0.364	2	1.364	23.0769	2.909	2.182	3.909	6.96
5	Gold Ship	Athênai F.C.	26	WB	-4.765	0.25	1.5	0	0	3.25	3	4	6.58

Sadie Black added another first-place finish by topping the wingback rankings, demonstrating just how valuable the combination of attacking and defensive contributions can be from wide areas. Strong crossing, chance creation, pressing, and defensive work produced the highest overall score at the position. Alex Peña finished a strong second by pairing excellent crossing numbers with consistent defensive output, while Saphira Brightscales continued an outstanding rookie season with another podium appearance. Joshua Homme III Esquire Limited produced perhaps the most balanced statistical profile of the remaining group, and Gold Ship's inclusion despite limited minutes highlighted the impact of efficient per-90 production, while also highlighting the drop off at the position.

Goalkeeper

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Role	Role Z Score	Clean Sheets p90	Conceded p90	Saves Parried p90	Saves Held p90	Saves Tipped p90	Save %	Penalties Faced p90	Penalties Saved p90	xSave %	xG Prevented p90	Average Rating	Player of the Match p90
1	Umaq Yupanqui	Cairo City	26	GK	40.263	0.273	2.091	2.636	1.545	1.273	72.2892	0.182	0.091	78.7636	0.282	6.95	0.182
2	Cory Stevens	Rapid Magyar SC	26	GK	13.057	0	2.545	3.182	1.909	1	70.5263	0.182	0	83.5091	-0.062	6.87	0
3	Lencho Ash	AF Masques Sacrés	26	GK	-21.493	0.091	2.364	1.364	1.091	0.818	58.0645	0	0	77.7818	-0.53	6.71	0
4	Moew enBach	Athênai F.C.	26	GK	-31.827	0	2.727	1.545	1.545	0.818	58.9041	0.091	0	81.4727	-0.834	6.52	0

Umaq Yupanqui stood out as the clear top goalkeeper, leading the position through a combination of clean sheets, shot stopping, goals prevented, and overall efficiency. Cory Stevens finished comfortably in second, posting the strongest xSave% in the rookie class while maintaining excellent save numbers throughout the season. Lencho Ash and Moew enBach rounded out the rankings, each showing flashes of strong shot-stopping ability but falling behind in the weighted metrics that most strongly influenced goalkeeper performance. Compared to the outfield positions, the goalkeeper rankings showed the largest separation between first and the rest of the field.

Notable Takeaways
One of the biggest themes of the rookie class was positional versatility. THRAXXii La'Mort appeared in the top five as a striker, attacking midfielder, and midfielder, even leading the midfield rankings despite playing significantly fewer minutes than many of the other top performers. Sadie Black delivered perhaps the most complete all-around rookie season, finishing first at both defender and wingback while also placing third among attacking midfielders. Jack Pow and Owen Goal each demonstrated their flexibility by ranking highly as both strikers and attacking midfielders, while several defensive players successfully translated their strengths across multiple roles.

Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway is that there was no single formula for success. Some rookies stood out through prolific goal scoring, others through creativity and passing, while defenders and goalkeepers earned recognition through preventing opportunities rather than creating them. Personally, I’m happy that the role-based weighted z-score model allowed each player to be evaluated against peers playing similar roles, resulting in leaderboards that rewarded excellence regardless of position.

Rookie of the Season
The whole point of this article!

The groupings above were meant to highlight the position groups so that the class could see where some of their top performers aligned.

To get to a single Rookie of the Season, I then followed this process:

Pick each player's best-performing role
Calculated the mean and standard deviation of each “best performing role” z-score.
Created a new Z-score using that new mean and std deviation
Ranked the Rookies!

2nd through 5th of the final Z Score

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Best Role	Best Role Score	Overall Z Score
2	THRAXXii La’Mort	AF Masques Sacrés	26	AM	49.725	2.31
3	Umaq Yupanqui	Cairo City	26	GK	40.263	1.802
4	Sadie Black	AF Masques Sacrés	26	AM	39.152	1.743
5	Alex Peña	North Shore United	26	WB	28.59	1.176

And your top overall Z-score and my vote for Rookie of the Season:

Rank	Name	Club	Season	Best Role	Best Role Score	Overall Z Score
1	Saba Kvekvetsia	AS Paris	26	AM	58.185	2.764

Saba Kvekvetsia's Rookie of the Season campaign was the definition of a complete attacking midfielder. While other top rookies excelled in one or two areas, Saba consistently ranked among the best across nearly every statistic that the attacking midfielder model values, resulting in the highest Role Z Score of any outfield player before ultimately finishing first in the overall rookie rankings with an Overall Z Score of 2.764.

The foundation of that success was elite creativity. Saba averaged 0.714 assists per 90, 0.795 expected assists per 90, 3.214 key passes per 90, and 1.607 chances created per 90, producing some of the strongest chance creation numbers in the rookie class. Those contributions translated directly into excellent z-scores across the attacking midfield model, particularly in expected assists, chance creation, and key passes, where Saba ranked well above the positional average.

Just as importantly, Saba paired that creativity with genuine goal threat. Averaging 0.536 goals per 90 from 0.298 xG per 90 demonstrated an ability to consistently finish chances, while the positive xG overperformance indicated clinical finishing throughout the season. Rather than relying solely on teammates to benefit from creative play, Saba was equally capable of becoming the focal point of an attack.

Possession was another area where Saba separated from the field. Completing over 26 successful passes per 90 at an 85.96% completion rate while still attempting progressive passes and creating chances showed an ability to dictate play without sacrificing efficiency. The model rewards attacking midfielders who can both progress possession and create opportunities, and Saba excelled in both categories.

Although attacking output drove the overall score, Saba also contributed defensively. Averaging 2.321 tackles won, 1.786 interceptions, and 3.750 successful presses per 90 provided meaningful defensive value, ensuring there were very few weaknesses anywhere in the statistical profile. Combined with a class-leading 7.49 average rating, Saba consistently impacted matches in every phase of play.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the season was its consistency. Saba did not lead every statistical category, but finished well above average in nearly all of the metrics that define an elite attacking midfielder. That breadth of production produced the highest attacking midfielder Role Z Score (58.185) and, after comparing every rookie's best positional season on a common scale, the highest Overall Z Score in the rookie class. In a season filled with outstanding specialist performances, Saba's ability to influence matches as a scorer, creator, passer, and defender ultimately made the difference.

Even more impressive was that Saba was capable of doing this as a half time player, playing only 504 minutes compared to the full time starters’ 990. Using my own player, Ignignokt, as a comparison of a different half time player, I only put up a best role score of 4.41 and had an overall Z score ranking of 22nd place. Saba being able to put up such huge, impactful numbers while playing the same amount of minutes as my player is truly, truly impressive.