Who won the most duels in the 2021 MLS regular season?

You've probably heard coaches talk about "getting stuck in," "winning 50-50 balls" and so on. Perhaps you've used that jargon yourself. But who is actually best at emerging with possession when the ball is there to win?

Now that the 2021 MLS regular season is over, let's sift through the Opta duels data. And New York Red Bulls fullback Kyle Duncan tops the list, followed closely by Minnesota United FC playmaker Emanuel Reynoso.

What does that signify? A duel is any 50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides in the match. For every duel won there is a corresponding duel lost depending on the outcome of the contest.

However, we rank duel winners by overall quantity rather than win percentage for a couple of reasons.

Not all duels are true 50-50 splits in terms of the possibility of winning the ball. Part of this depends on the position on the field where a player is trying to win the ball. Forwards typically have low duel win rates because they're trying not only to win the ball in the moment but keep possession. Defenders have high duel win rates because often it's good enough just to clear the danger. A team's style of play also matters. A high pressing team like Duncan's RBNY will engage in more duels over the course of their average match.

And while the win rate is a meaningful statistic, engaging in a duel is a choice. Some players show more willingness than others for a variety of reasons.

Here's the list of the top 30 duel winners in MLS this season, ranked by total duels won.