MLS Set Piece State of Play: Penalty Clarity, Free Kick Noise

Denis Bouanga has taken eight penalties in 2025 and scored seven. That 87.5% conversion rate from a confirmed taker at a contending club is the clearest signal MLS set piece data has produced this season.

Penalty Picture

Hugo Cuypers (3/3) and Kévin Denkey (3/3) sit at 100%, but three attempts each is a sample, not a pattern. Bouanga's eight-attempt volume earns more confidence. Christian Benteke at D.C. is 2/3 — one miss in three isn't alarming — but his taker status looks confirmed, which matters more than the conversion rate at this stage.

Wessam Abou Ali (Columbus) converted 0/1. One attempt tells you almost nothing. The more relevant question is whether Columbus has a confirmed hierarchy or whether that was opportunistic. The data doesn't resolve it.

Cincinnati's transition from Luciano Acosta to Denkey as primary taker is worth monitoring. Acosta was one of the more reliable penalty takers in the league. Denkey's 3/3 start is encouraging, but the role change itself is the variable to track, not the early conversion rate.

Free Kick Liability Flag

The free kick numbers require a structural note: MLS free kick takers routinely post 0% direct conversion because the overwhelming majority of attempts are deliveries into the box, not shots at goal. Ashley Westwood (106 attempts, Charlotte), Carles Gil (104, New England), and the rest of the high-volume names are set piece delivery operators. Flagging them as liabilities misreads the role entirely.

Riqui Puig's ACL re-injury removes a potential Galaxy set piece option before he established one. With Isaiah Parente handling corner delivery for LA, that hierarchy looks stable for now — though Puig's absence reduces their creative depth in dead-ball situations around the box.

Watch for Denkey's attempt count reaching six or more before drawing conclusions on Cincinnati's new taker order. Below that threshold, it's transition noise.

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