Bret Myers, PhD
Professor of the Practice, Management & Operations | Villanova School of Business Villanova University
- Villanova PA
Bret Myers, PhD, utilizes analytics to improve decision processes for sports businesses on the field and in the management of operations.
Media
Social
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Dr. Myers is active in publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals, attending and presenting at sports analytics-related conferences and consulting with professional organizations. In the past, he has held consulting roles with the Philadelphia Union (2013), Toronto FC (2014–2019) and the Columbus Crew (2019–2024). He is now in an active role with FairWhistle, a sports assessment platform aimed at creating healthier sporting communities through data-driven solutions.
Education
Drexel University
PhD
University of Virginia
MS
University of Richmond
BS
Select Media Appearances
Down at Halftime in a Soccer Game? Use Your Subs.
FiveThirtyEight
2019-09-18
In 2012, Bret Myers, a professor at Villanova University as a professor who also works as an analytics consultant for the Columbus Crew of the MLS, published a paper based on an analysis of the top-tier leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and the U.S. along with the 2010 World Cup. Myers found that if a team was losing, a manager should make the first substitution before the 58th minute, the second before the 73rd and the third before the 79th minute. The position of the substitutes didn't matter. Additionally, if a team was ahead, the timing of its substitutes seemed to make little difference.
Analytics on Offer for World Cup Teams With FIFA Providing Stats Tablets
The Canadian Press
2018-06-14
The advance in technology at the World Cup is evident in more than use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee). The 32 teams will have stats tablets to see in-game positional data on players and the ball... "It's natural. Analytics is so tied in with technology," said Bret Myers, a Villanova professor who is an analytics consultant with MLS champion Toronto FC. "Why we have that term analytics is because of the data that technology can generate. In sports, in competition, you want any kind of edge that you can get."
The Beautiful Game Discovers That Algorithms Can Be Beautiful, Too
The Washington Post
2018-03-01
Bret Myers' fascination with soccer analytics took hold some 15 years ago through a frustrating first-hand experience: He was a benchwarmer... "All that time on the bench, wondering when I was going to go in," laughed Myers, an analytics consultant for the past four years for MLS Cup champion Toronto FC. "It led me to think, 'What is going through [the coach's] head when he is trying to decide? Is it a reactive strategy to see how the game unfolds? Or does he have a plan going in?'"
Peyton Closes in on the 59th Most Impressive Record in Sports
The Wall Street Journal
2015-11-09
Peyton Manning could break Brett Favre's NFL record for most career passing yards if he throws for at least 284 yards against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. But in the universe of sports' greatest feats, is this record really that impressive? A study published in October in the "Journal of Sports Analytics" suggests otherwise. The study, by Villanova professors Matthew Liberatore, Bret Myers and Robert Nydick and Temple professor Howard Weiss, attempts to quantify and rank the best MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL records of all time.
Toronto FC Expands Analytics Department, Looks to Invest in Research
The Canadian Press
2015-02-19
The team hired Villanova professor Bret Myers as a consultant last year but decided it needed a full-time staffer to help establish its analytics framework.
The Science of Soccer Substitutions
The Wall Street Journal
2015-12-02
The pace and flow of soccer generally make it difficult for managers to affect the outcome of a match once it begins. Since soccer has almost no stoppages for coaches to draw on clipboards or strategize with their players, a manager's most critical in-game decision may be choosing when to utilize his three substitutions. That's where Bret Myers, a professor of management and operations at the Villanova School of Business, comes in. A lifelong soccer player and fan, he sought to help coaches make their subs at exactly the right moment and discovered what he calls the "Decision Rule."
Select Academic Articles
On the Relationship Between Attacking Third Passes and Success in the English Premier League
The Sports JournalMyers, B.R. & Coughlin, B.Q.
2016
Revisiting the Ranking of Outstanding Professional Sports Records
Journal of Sports AnalyticsLiberatore, M.J., Myers, B.R., Nydick, R.L. & Weiss, H.J.
2016
A Proposed Decision Rule for the Timing of Soccer Substitutions
Journal of Quantitative Analysis in SportsMyers, B.R.
2012
A Simulation-Optimization Approach to the Inventory Management of Two Perishable and Substitutable Items
Academy of Business Disciplines JournalMyers, B.R. & Banerjee, A.
2012
