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McBride, Reyna net winning goals in English Premier League.
Convey's two strikes spark Reading's 5-0 rout of Millwall.
McBride scores, but Fulham falls to Rovers, Friedel.
Convey contributes to three goals to lead Reading past North End 3-0.
O'Brien to make Den Haag debut at secret location.
Convey gets starting nod for Reading in loss to Plymouth.
Keller, 'Gladbach are routed by Bayern Munich in Bundesliga opener.
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Americans Abroad Reyna rated best player in English Premier League.
SoccerTimes (Monday, September 5, 2005) -- United States midfielder Claudio Reyna is the top rated player in the English Premier League through the first four matches of the new season. Reyna, who plays for Manchester City, sits on top of the Actim Index, the official EPL rating system introduced last year. Reyna's Actim rating is 1.07 ahead of both Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Darren Bent (Charlton Athletic), who are rated at 1.05. They are the only other players above a 1.0 rating. Manchester City is off to a terrific start with a 3-0-1 record for 10 points, two points behind league-leading Chelsea and one point ahead of arch-rival Manchester United. When asked by SoccerTimes about this achievement -- an American sitting atop the ratings index -- Reyna was incredulous. "You're kidding, I didn't know," he said. Then Reyna talked about the start of the season. "It's usually the case that when a team does well an individual gets noticed," he said. "The team's had a great start. It's not only me, but we've had a lot of good performances. I don't how they come up with (the Actim index), but I've been pleased with my start. I had a good preseason and that's helped. "I'm so excited. We play Man. U. on Saturday I don't need to tell you how big a game that is in Manchester. We have 10 points after four games and we're looking forward, the whole club. We have a 12-game (unbeaten) streak. It's nice to be a part of that. I'm really enjoying it now." The Actim Index is the official rating system of the EPL and second-division English League Championship. It was devised last season by statisticians at the University of Salford in partnership with PA Sport, a news and information service. The ratings are based on complex mathematical formulas which determines the value of each player's contribution, match by match. The formula: Calculation 1 -- Assesses a player's contribution to a winning team, based on points won by the team when he appeared. Calculation 2 -- Assesses a player's performance in each game by allocating points for actions that positively contribute to a winning performance such as shots, tackles, clearances and saves. It also takes points away from players for negative actions such as yellow and red cards, and shots off target. Calculation 3 -- Allocates points based on time of the field. Calculation 4 -- Allocates points for goals scored. With the U.S. having qualified for the World Cup with Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, Reyna returned to Manchester rather than go to Guatemala for the Americans' Wednesday night's qualifier. This pleases City manager Stuart Pearce. "He's coming back today and he'll be with us on the training field tomorrow, which is a big bonus for us," Pearce was quoted on the Manchester City web site. "It benefits us. We're happy for him to go away, but we know that at times it has been to the detriment of this club. We know full well that the (U.S. Soccer) Federation over there are looking after him well and he's a great professional, and he'll look after himself as best he can. "It's a great spur for him to have a good season with us and go to the World Cup next summer." Pearce admitted the World Cup qualifying experience has been valuable to Reyna. "He's been around the block and done everything in football," he said."Now he knows exactly where he is in the pecking order of things and he's enjoying his football, and that's showing in his performances."
Robert Wagman is a SoccerTimes senior correspondent. E-mail Robert Wagman. |
