Has Lucas Zelarayan's at the start of the season really been that different than last season for the Crew? A few of these stats make the case.
Crew attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan continued his strong start to the season with a goal and an assist in the Crew's 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC.For the Crew to be a contender for the MLS Cup this season, there’s little questionwill have to be an MVP candidate. In the very, very early goings of the 2022 season, he has been every bit that type of player.
It’s true that Zelarayan is receiving more help through three games than he got much of last season. Etienne has already surpassed his goal total from last year and leads MLS with 7 shots on target. Even so, Zelarayan's improvement has been notable.Starting with expected goals , Zelarayan has an individual xG value of 0.28 per 90 minutes. Last season, it was 0.21 xG. He’s shooting slightly less than he did last season, but with more quality looks.
Zelarayan takes a lot of pride in his individual play, but he rarely talks about his own game. When asked after the Toronto match how determined he was after last season to begin the year strong, Zelarayan turned the topic to the team's performance.