David Accam Third in Debut of Audi MLS Player Index

David Accam’s influence on the Chicago Fire’s first match of the year was apparent to any casual observer. But thanks to MLS, there’s a handy new tool to quantify his performance.

Earlier this year, the league introduced plans to roll out the Audi MLS Player Index for the 2016 season, and the first round of results are in following the season-opening #SoccerSunday extravaganza.

Via MLS, the Index is calculated by rating nearly every action on the field according to the amount of positive or negative impact on the team's success, the position of the player and and key tasks and the place on the field where the action takes place. There is no ceiling for how many points a player can score per game. However, previous match play experience has demonstrated that the scores of the best player vary in a range between 500 and 1600 points (the highest score received to date was for Robert Lewandowski [3330 points] by scoring 5 goals in one game).

Click the video above for more details on how the Audi Player Index manages to track and analyze player performance across the league. 

A threat to the opposition throughout the match Sunday, Accam created Chicago's second goal when he dispossessed NYCFC's Frédéric Brillant and fed Kennedy Igboananike in the 49th minute. He later scored from the penalty spot for the Men In Red, giving him 11 goals and three assists in 25 career appearances (22 starts) for the Chicago Fire. 

Below are the top-5 individual player ratings from MLS Opening Day:

At the end of the MLS regular season, the Audi Index Player Award will be presented to the player with the highest average Audi Index rating over the course of the year. For more on Week 1 Player Ratings, visit MLSsoccer.com.