Lists

The MLS Cup Playoffs have never been set in stone. In the league’s 27 seasons, no fewer than four playoff formats have been used to varying degrees of success. The current system, which features a single elimination format with seven teams from each conference, is easy to understand and follow but could definitely use some improvement, at least according to MLS. 

When Jarrod Bowen stepped up to take a penalty kick in the 45th minute of West Ham's match against Liverpool on Wednesday, he was already at a disadvantage. While the odds of converting a penalty are between 75 and 80 percent, just 58 percent of penalties faced by Liverpool keeper Alisson in the EPL had found the back of the net.

Despite a solid 75 percent conversion rate in his professional career, the English winger's spot kick was saved by the man in black in the Liverpool goal as the Brazilian preserved a 1-0 advantage for the Reds.

How does one define an underrated player? Is it their performance in relation to their transfer value or their expectations from the fans? How do statistical expectations and statistical overperformance come into play?

Whatever metric you want to use, it comes down to this: underrated players don't get the credit they deserve. In the modern Premier League, where getting good value from players is paramount, these players are of the utmost importance.

Here's our list of Premier League players who've consistently been the most overlooked.

There’s an old cliché in football that the table doesn’t lie. In MLS — where the Supporters’ Shield is a nice accolade but pales significantly to lifting MLS Cup — that couldn’t be further from the truth.