SSL MacGuffin - S21

[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
S13
S14
S15
S16
S17
S18
S19
S20

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

All Time Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 89
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 61
3) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 34 
T-4) Hollywood FC  - 29 
T-4) CA Buenos Aires  - 29 
6) CF Catalunya  - 26
7)  Schwarzwalder FV  - 23
T-8) Inter London  - 19 
T-8) A.C. Romana  - 19 
10) Cairo City  - 15
11)  Athenai F.C.  - 14
12) Seoul MFC  - 12
13) North Shore United  - 10
14) Montreal United  - 7
T-15) AS Paris  - 4
T-15) F.C. Kaapstad  - 4
T-17) CD Tenochtitlan  - 0
T-17) Shanghai Dragons FC   - 0
T-17) Rapid Magyar SC  - 0
T-17) Krung Thep FC  - 0

Our four newcomers failed to score a point in year one, but that's likely going to be the case more often than not at this point when new teams join. We finally have enough teams that anyone coming out of the gate is probably going to be a bit behind the leaders, enough so that it would take a massive stroke of luck to steal the MacGuffin away. Now that they're all a little more established, let's see if they can improve their fortunes in their second seasons. Of course, even if they start scoring points soon, they've got a long way to go to catch the leaders. Reykjavik United and Tokyo S.C. continue to dominate the all time rankings with multiple seasons of cushion buffering them from any real competition. Uniao Sao Paulo in particular has some momentum built up over the last few seasons to take a crack at it, but at the moment all they can realistically hope to do is cut down on the lead. Just how much can they cut into that gap? Will anyone else join them in their efforts? Will the four new teams make some headway in year two? Let's dive in and find out!

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S21

Season Start: Uniao Sao Paulo (sorry, no logos this week as apparently there is a limit to the number allowed in a single post)
Total Games Held: 5
Next Loss: 2-3 @ Reykjavik United

New Title Holder: Reykjavik United  
Total Games Held: 10
Next Loss: 1-2 @ Schwarzwalder FV

New Title Holder: Schwarzwalder FV 
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 1-2 vs Uniao Sao Paulo

New Title Holder: Uniao Sao Paulo 
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 0-2 vs Reykjavik United

New Title Holder: Reykjavik United 
Total Games Held: 4
Next Loss: 2-4 vs Hollywood FC

New Title Holder: Hollywood FC 
Total Games Held: 4
Next Loss: 1-3 vs Uniao Sao Paulo

New Title Holder: Uniao Sao Paulo 
Total Games Held: 0
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 14
2) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 7
3) Hollywood FC  - 4
4) Schwarzwalder FV  - 1

Orrrr we can just keep doing what we've been doing. For the second season in a row, Reykjavik United dominates the season standings with Uniao Sao Paulo putting in a solid effort en route to ending the season in possession of the MacGuffin. Schwarzwalder once again makes it on the board, however minimally it may be. The only difference between S20 and S21 is that the fourth team this season is the long dormant Hollywood FC squad. They had been a dominant force early on in the league, but haven't scored so much as a point in what feels like eons. Time will tell if this is the start of something new or just a one off season for them.

All Time Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 103
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 61
3) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 41
4) Hollywood FC  - 33
5) CA Buenos Aires  - 29 -1
6) CF Catalunya  - 26
7)  Schwarzwalder FV  - 24
T-8) Inter London  - 19 
T-8) A.C. Romana  - 19 
10) Cairo City  - 15
11)  Athenai F.C.  - 14
12) Seoul MFC  - 12
13) North Shore United  - 10
14) Montreal United  - 7
T-15) AS Paris  - 4
T-15) F.C. Kaapstad  - 4
T-17) CD Tenochtitlan  - 0
T-17) Shanghai Dragons FC   - 0
T-17) Rapid Magyar SC  - 0
T-17) Krung Thep FC  - 0

Congratulations to Reykjavik United for being the first team to eclipse 100 MacGuffin points! And just to highlight how absolutely absurd their performance has been, I'd like to also extend a congratulations to Hollywood FC for being just the fourth team to eclipse 30 all time points. The only actual movement in the all time standings this season is Hollywood FC breaking their tie with CA Buenos Aires to take back sole possession of fourth place, but the main highlight is just how far ahead Reykjavik is from everyone else. That lead over second place Tokyo S.C. has now been extended to an insane 42 points! Let's put that total into perspective. The season now has 18 game weeks along with up to seven Cup games, assuming a team wins them all. That's an absolute maximum of 25 points in a given season assuming you start with the MacGuffin in the first place instead of having to wait to play the current title holder. It would take Tokyo going undefeated for the next two seasons to close that gap. Current title holder Uniao Sao Paulo would take three. It is literally impossible to unseat Reykjavik United until S23 at the absolute earliest even if everything else lines up perfectly. Will anyone finally get on track to taking Reykjavik down? Will the SSL learn the meaning of the word "parity"? Will the players in my Twilight Imperium game take their turns in time for this game to end before New Years? Tune in next week to find out!