SSL MacGuffin - S18

[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

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  - 66
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 55
3) Hollywood FC  - 29
4) CA Buenos Aires  - 27
5) CF Catalunya  - 26
6) Inter London  - 19
7) A.C. Romana  - 17
8) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 16
9) Cairo City  - 15
10)  Athenai F.C.  - 14
11) Seoul MFC  - 12
12) Schwarzwalder FV  - 11
13) North Shore United  - 10
14) Montreal United  - 7
T-15) AS Paris  - 4
T-15) F.C. Kaapstad  - 4

We enter the S18 season with Reykjavik United holding a now sizable lead on the all time standings. However, that's nothing next to the absolute gulf between second place Tokyo S.C. and third place Hollywood FC. Very much a case of "everyone fighting for third while the two juggernauts duke it out". There has been some movement in the lower ranks recently, but there's a lot of ground to make up if anyone else wants any chance at taking the all time crown. Will anyone pose any real challenge to our top competitors? Let's dive into S18 and find out!

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S18

Season Start: A.C. Romana  
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 0-2 vs Uniao Sao Paulo

New Title Holder: Uniao Sao Paulo
Total Games Held: 4
Next Loss: 0-3 @ Reykjavik United

New Title Holder: Reykjavik United
Total Games Held: 11
Next Loss: 1-2 vs CA Buenos Aires

New Title Holder: CA Buenos Aires
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 0-4 vs Schwarzwalder FV

New Title Holder: Schwarzwalder FV
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 11
2) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 4
T-3) A.C. Romana  - 2
T-3) Schwarzwalder FV  - 2
5) CA Buenos Aires  - 1

The MacGuffin was pretty stable this season, only exchanging hands four times all season. Granted, this was in no small part thanks to Reykjavik United yet again going on a massive run in the middle of the season. Seriously, that win streak was worth more MacGuffin points than four teams have in their entire time in the league! Of course, the other interesting item of note is just how many times the MacGuffin holding team lost at home this season. It happens every now and then to be sure, but usually the MacGuffin is lost when the current holders are playing away. Guess home field advantage didn't mean much this season.

All Time Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 77
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 55
3) Hollywood FC  - 29
4) CA Buenos Aires  - 28
5) CF Catalunya  - 26
6) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 20 +2
T-7) Inter London  - 19 -1
T-7) A.C. Romana  - 19
9) Cairo City  - 15
10)  Athenai F.C.  - 14
11)  Schwarzwalder FV  - 13 +1
12) Seoul MFC  - 12 -1
13) North Shore United  - 10
14) Montreal United  - 7
T-15) AS Paris  - 4
T-15) F.C. Kaapstad  - 4

Too bad there's no mercy rule for MacGuffin standings. In a season with only 14 regular season games, Reykjavik United holds a 22 point lead over second place Tokyo S.C. Yes, technically there are Cup games which add varying amounts of games to the season, but that's beside the point. The critical thing here is that Reykjavik's lead over second place is greater than the number of regular season games in a season. And that's just second place. The gap between second place Tokyo S.C. and third place Hollywood FC is even larger, standing at a ridiculous 26 points. Reykjavik has nearly triple the number of points of third place all time. They actually have more than triple the number of points of sixth place Uniao Sao Paulo (who just had a solid season, by the way, and are slowly making their way up in the rankings). Sixth place. Out of 16 teams. I, just... how? Who let Reykjavik be this good for this long? Has no one heard of parity? Everyone is content just battling for second place (or, technically, third place since Tokyo S.C. has a similarly insane lead)? Everyone has got to step up their game if this series is going to develop any real drama. Sure, we've got relatively consistent movement in the middle pack, but that's just not as exciting. Tune in next time to see what next season brings!