MLS Set Piece State of Play: Joveljić Leads, Data Warns

Dejan Joveljić sits at 85.7% from the spot across seven attempts — the only MLS taker in this dataset clearing the elite 85% threshold. That is a meaningful signal, not noise. Seven penalties is a workable sample, and Sporting KC's hierarchy looks confirmed.

Penalty Watch

Beyond Joveljić, the picture thins quickly. Rafael Navarro (Colorado) converts at 60% from five attempts — below league average and well below elite. Felipe Mora (Portland) sits at 75% from four, which is average. Neither warrants confidence as a designated taker until the sample grows. Denis Bouanga leads LAFC in penalty volume by reputation and context; at 7/8 across broader tracking, that hierarchy appears confirmed despite no breakdown here.

Austin's taker position is genuinely unsettled following Driussi's departure. Brandon Vázquez's single conversion tells us nothing. Treat Austin penalties as unresolved until a second attempt clarifies the hierarchy.

Free Kicks and Corners

Every free kick and corner conversion figure in this dataset reads 0%. That is not a league-wide crisis — it reflects how MLS tracks set piece delivery rather than direct scoring. Kai Wagner leads both free kicks (190) and corners (210) for Philadelphia, confirming his role as the Union's primary dead-ball operator. Brandan Craig at 212 free kicks for Montréal and Santiago Moreno at 173 corners for Portland show similarly confirmed taker status by volume.

The liability flags generated by 0% conversion on delivery-based set pieces are a data artefact, not analytical signal. Ignore them for corners and free kicks unless direct scoring attempts are isolated separately.

Watch for: whether Colorado rotate away from Navarro to a higher-conversion option if another penalty arrives before matchday 10; and whether Austin's spot-kick hierarchy clarifies with Vázquez or shifts to a new DP signing. Those are the two live questions this data cannot yet answer.

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