SSL MacGuffin - S5

[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

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  - 16
T-2) Hollywood FC  - 10
T-2) Tokyo S.C.  - 10
4) Athenai F.C.  - 8
T-5) Cairo City  - 7
T-5) Montreal United  - 7
T-7) Inter London  - 6
T-7) CF Catalunya  - 6
9) Seoul MFC  - 4
10) Adowa Accra FC  - 2
T-11) CA Buenos Aires  - 1
T-11) AS Paris  - 1

S4 ended with Sydney City holding a commanding lead in the all time rankings. Their margin over second place is at least as many points as half the teams have total. However, the seasons keep getting longer as more teams are added, which is happening once again going into S5 with the debut of Uniao Sao Paulo and F.C. Kaapstad. Of course, the other thing happening this season is the debut of the Division split. Hollywood FC will open the season in possession of the MacGuffin and they have been assigned to the Majors, but will the MacGuffin stay in the upper league? Will the new teams be able to make an immediate mark? Will anyone catch Sydney City? Let's find out as we dive into S5!

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S5
Season Start: Hollywood FC
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 1-3 @ Sydney City

New Title Holder: Sydney City  
Total Games Held: 4
Next Loss: 0-2 @ CF Catalunya

New Title Holder: CF Catalunya
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 0-1 @ Cairo City

New Title Holder: Cairo City
Total Games Held: 1
Next Loss: 1-2 @ CF Catalunya

New Title Holder: CF Catalunya
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 1-2 @ Tokyo S.C.

New Title Holder: Tokyo S.C.
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 1-4 @ Cairo City

New Title Holder: Cairo City
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 2-4 @ Seoul MFC

New Title Holder: Seoul MFC
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) CF Catalunya  - 5
2) Sydney City  - 4
T-3) Cairo City  - 3
T-3) Tokyo S.C.  - 3
T-5) Hollywood FC  - 2
T-5) Seoul MFC  - 2

No one team ran away with S5 like we've seen in the last couple seasons, but the MacGuffin was passed around between a very small number of teams. The six teams with points this season are the fewest since S1, when there were only six teams in the league. This was largely driven by the small number of one and dones; Cairo City was the only team that failed to defend its MacGuffin at least once, and even they came back and succeeded on their second try. Of course, the narrower pool of point scorers this season likely tied into the same reason why our two debut teams didn't possess the MacGuffin at any point; the division split. The splitting of Majors and Minors clearly had a huge impact on MacGuffin points as only Majors teams found their way to points this season. I know there are ways for Majors and Minors teams to play each other (I'm still new to the SSL so I'm not going to pretend to understand how that all works), but clearly the Minors teams will have an uphill battle finding their way to MacGuffin points going forward.

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

The battle for second is heating up as Tokyo S.C. snatches sole possession over Hollywood FC with CF Catalunya and Cairo City hot on their heels, but Sydney City still managed to extend their lead. There was some shuffling of the middle tier pack in order to make way for the rising teams, but the bottom pack saw no movement. Most of them have the excuse of being in the Minors, which inherently puts them at a disadvantage. Of course, AS Paris sticks out like a sore thumb in that group. Hopefully they can catch up to their fellow Majors teams before relegation catches up to them (assuming I understand the relegation/promotion process at all, which is admittedly a pretty big assumption).