SSL MacGuffin - S13

[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
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
S11
S12

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

All Time Standings:
1) Tokyo S.C.  - 48
2) Reykjavik United  - 37
3) Hollywood FC  - 26
4) CA Buenos Aires  - 22
5) CF Catalunya  - 20
6) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 15
T-7) Inter London  - 12
T-7) Cairo City  - 12
9) Athenai F.C.  - 11
10) Seoul MFC  - 10
11) Montreal United  - 7
12) A.C. Romana  - 5
13) AS Paris  - 4
T-14) Schwarzwalder FV  - 2
T-14) F.C. Kaapstad  - 2
16) Red Star Laos North Shore United - 0

Tokyo S.C. still holds a substantial lead without a doubt, but Reykjavik's strong S12 season cut a sizable chunk out of that lead. Of course, the rest of the field didn't make up much ground in the wake of Reykjavik's domination. The clear top one is now just a clear top two. The runner-up bunch is looking at a potential new competitor, though, as Uniao Sao Paulo is knocking on the door. The other interesting item of note is that we have yet another rebrand. Red Star Laos has failed to find success since their inception, standing as the only team with zero MacGuffin points. Will their rebrand to North Shore United finally bring success to the moribund franchise? Will Reykjavik United cut into Tokyo's long term domination? Will anyone join Uniao Sao Paulo to finally provide a major shakeup in the somewhat stale rankings? Let's dive in and find out!

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S13
Season Start: Hollywood FC
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 1-2 @ Reykjavik United

New Title Holder: Reykjavik United
Total Games Held: 9
Next Loss: 0-1 @ F.C. Kaapstad

New Title Holder: F.C. Kaapstad
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 0-7 @ Inter London

New Title Holder: Inter London  
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 1-4 @ Seoul MFC

New Title Holder: Seoul MFC
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 2-6 @ North Shore United

New Title Holder: North Shore United
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 3-4 @ Inter London

New Title Holder: Inter London  
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 9
T-2) Inter London  - 3
T-2) North Shore United  - 3
4) Seoul MFC  - 2
T-5) Hollywood FC  - 1
T-5) F.C. Kaapstad  - 1

Holy cow, there's a lot to unpack here. First of all, Reykjavik United dominates once again. Heck of a run they've had over the last couple seasons. More interesting, though, is Reykjavik losing their incredible 9 game win streak to F.C. Kaapstad. The loss marks the first time the MacGuffin was taken from the Majors to the Minors during the season. What's more, the Minors teams continued to hold the MacGuffin through the rest of the season, culminating in a shocking upset of Minors team Inter London winning the Cup over Majors powerhouse Reykjavik United. Several Minors teams got in on the action, though, including the newly rebranded North Shore United. Of course, the MacGuffin won't stay in the Minors as it ends the season with Inter London, who will be promoted in S14 after dominating the Minors this season. Still, this is one for the history books as far as the MacGuffin is concerned.

All Time Standings:
1) Tokyo S.C.  - 48
2) Reykjavik United  - 46
3) Hollywood FC  - 27
4) CA Buenos Aires  - 22
5) CF Catalunya  - 20
T-6) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 15
T-6) Inter London  - 15 +1
T-8) Cairo City  - 12 -1
T-8) Seoul MFC  - 12 +2
10) Athenai F.C.  - 11 -1
11) Montreal United  - 7
12) A.C. Romana  - 5
13) AS Paris  - 4
T-14) North Shore United - 3 +2
T-14) F.C. Kaapstad  - 3
16) Schwarzwalder FV   - 2 -2

After two seasons of domination by Reykjavik United, Tokyo's lead in the all time rankings has been slashed to almost nothing. There's a very real chance momentum will carry Reykjavik to the all time lead next season unless Tokyo S.C. can get their act back together. Not much action immediately behind them, but the Minors rampage this season gave several teams points that had been quiet for quite some time. This lead to a small shuffling of position throughout much of the middle and lower ranks. Perhaps most notably, North Shore United rebranded and immediately scored their first ever MacGuffin points. Clearly some clean slate mentality going on there. Of course, the Minors takeover is unlikely to last into S14. Inter London ended the season with the MacGuffin, which they'll take with them as they are promoted back to Majors play. Will the Minors teams pull off another upset? Will Tokyo S.C. finally lose their stranglehold on the all time MacGuffin points lead? Will I finally get some work done today now that I've gotten my SSL media done (priorities!)? Tune in next week to find out!