Founding Futbol
Extra Time: The Analytical Mind of Ravi Ramineni
Published: 6 March 2025 at 16:21 Europe/London
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Episode notes
The rapid evolution of soccer analytics was both influenced and driven by a group of Americans. From the emergence of sabermetrics in baseball, and it's popularization in the book "Moneyball," to the growth of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the application of mathematical models to various sports has been a passion of many in the United States. Soccer falls into that category as well. While the discipline started in England, many of the most influential minds in the space have been based in the US. Ravi Ramineni is one such individual. The one-time Microsoft employee was both a computer engineer and soccer fan, who hoped to turn his passion into a profession.
He started by created a fan blog. But, a series of events directed him to soccer analytics and helped him turn it into a career. Ramineni spent nine years with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer building best practices for the team and league's approach to harvesting data and using it for player analysis -- first focusing on development and then later recruiting.
Ramineni joined Founding Futbol to share his path to working in soccer. From meeting his wide, fellow soccer analytics pioneer Sarah Rudd, to attending Sloan, to connecting with the Sounder, he walks through key moments in his career.
Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer's emerging popularity in America.
Visit our website for more information: FoundingFutbol.com. Email us at kent@foundingfutbol.com
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Host: Kent Malmros
Guest: Ravi Ramineni (Former VP of Soccer Analytics and Research, Seattle Sounders)
