SSL MacGuffin - S6

[TubaDeus]

For those who missed the premise of this series, you can find the full background here.

The short version is that the winner of the first ever SSL game is awarded the initial MacGuffin trophy, which is then passed on whenever the current title holder loses in competition play (Friendlies don't count). I will track how many games each team starts with the MacGuffin in order to determine the true best team in SSL history (because everyone knows the MacGuffin points are the true measure of greatness).

You can see previous entries in this series here:
S1-2
S3
S4
S5

With the introductions out of the way, let's take a look at where we left off last time!

All Time Standings:
1) Sydney City  - 20
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 13
3) Hollywood FC  - 12
4) CF Catalunya  - 11
5) Cairo City  - 10
6) Athenai F.C.  - 8
7) Montreal United  - 7
T-8) Inter London  - 6
T-8) Seoul MFC  - 6
10) Adowa Accra FC  - 2
T-11) CA Buenos Aires  - 1
T-11) AS Paris  - 1
T-13) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 0
T-13) F.C. Kaapstad  - 0

S5 ended with Sydney holding a commanding lead over a hotly contested battle for second. The league's steady growth led to a division split, which is largely what drove the two new teams (Uniao Sao Paulo and F.C. Kaapstad) to zero points in their debut seasons. It's going to be a challenge for any division two team to find their way to points moving forward...but not impossible. After all, Seoul MFC held the MacGuffin at the end of S5 before getting demoted to division two. They'll take the title with them to the lower division, so maybe we'll actually see some movement in the rankings. At least there are no new teams for the first time since the SSL's inception to muddy the waters even further.

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S7
Season Start: Seoul MFC
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 0-3 @ CA Buenos Aires

New Title Holder: CA Buenos Aires
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 1-3 v Inter London

New Title Holder: Inter London  
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 0-1 @ F.C. Kaapstad

New Title Holder: F.C. Kaapstad
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 1-3 @ AS Paris

New Title Holder: AS Paris
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 0-1 @ Seoul MFC

New Title Holder: Seoul MFC
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 0-5 @ Inter London

New Title Holder: Inter London  
Total Games Held: 0
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) Seoul MFC  - 4
2) Inter London  - 3
T-3) CA Buenos Aires  - 2
T-3) F.C. Kaapstad  - 2
5) AS Paris  - 1

Somehow the MacGuffin almost entirely bypassed the Cup tournament this season, resulting in the fewest points awarded since S1. The MacGuffin was passed around a decent amount despite the low volume, but there's a limit as to just how much it can be passed around when there are only 12 points awarded. Notably, Seoul MFC very nearly pulled off the trick of starting and ending the season with the MacGuffin, but lost in the final match day of the season to Inter London, who stood as a strong second in the season standings. More impressively, the MacGuffin only had two chances all season to jump back up to the top division, and both games were Inter London against all time MacGuffin point leader leader Sydney City. Inter London held strong both times, refusing to give up the MacGuffin and keeping it within division two. Impressive showing.

All Time Standings:
1) Sydney City  - 20
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 13
3) Hollywood FC  - 12
4) CF Catalunya  - 11
T-5) Cairo City  - 10
T-5) Seoul MFC  - 10 +3
7) Inter London  - 9 +1
8) Athenai F.C.  - 8 -2
9) Montreal United  - 7 -2
10) CA Buenos Aires  - 3 +1
T-11) Adowa Accra FC  - 2 -1
T-11) AS Paris  - 2
T-11) F.C. Kaapstad  - 2 +2
14) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 0 -1

The upper ranks are entirely unchanged after S6, which makes sense since the upper all time ranks are entirely populated by upper division teams. With the MacGuffin being held by the lower division the entire season, we saw some more of the mid-tier teams climbing up into the battle for second overall. There was also some shakeup in the lower tiers, but the biggest movers were Seoul MFC and Inter London. However, Inter London swooping in the final week of the season to snatch the MacGuffin away from Seoul MFC could put a swift end to the lower division's run. Inter London won the lower division in S6, which means they'll be promoted to division one in S7. What does that mean for the lower division's MacGuffin hopes moving forward? Find out next time!