SSL MacGuffin - S22

[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
S21

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  - 103
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 61
3) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 41
4) Hollywood FC  - 33
5) CA Buenos Aires  - 29
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

Well, Reykjavik has kinda redefined what it means to own a dynasty. They have a minimum of two seasons worth of cushion over second place Tokyo S.C., and three seasons over current MacGuffin holder Uniao Sao Paulo. In fact, they have more points than Tokyo and Sao Paulo combined. But I think we talked that to death last time. Let's focus on something new... like new teams! That's right, we once again have new expansion teams to add to the mix. Just two seasons after our last set of four, we're adding four additional new teams going into S22: Liffeyside Celtic FC, Xelaju Cosmico FC, AF Masques Sacres, and CS Rova Mpanjaka. Will these four fare better than the previous four, who still haven't scored a single MacGuffin point combined? Will anyone start to make a serious run at Reykjavik's lead? Let's dive in and find out!

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S22

Season Start: Uniao Sao Paulo 
Total Games Held: 22
Next Loss: 1-2 @ Schwarzwalder FV

New Title Holder: Schwarzwalder FV
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
1) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 22
2) Schwarzwalder FV  - 3

How's it feel to witness history? Remember when I said it would take three seasons of perfect play for Uniao Sao Paulo to close the gap with all time leader Reykjavik United? It may not have been perfect, but damn did Sao Paulo give it their best shot. They just scored more MacGuffin points in a single season than 17 franchises have in their entire existence! Granted, eight of those teams have three seasons or less of experience, but it's still an impressive feat. Did they skirt by with a few ties? Sure. That's bound to happen during a 22 game title defense. They also only allowed two opponents to score more than two goals during that stretch. Heck, they only allowed 7 out of 22 opponents score more than one goal. Meanwhile, Sao Paulo averaged nearly 3.5 goals per game. Reykjavik might be the team to beat overall, but Uniao Sao Paulo just displayed a level of dominance never seen before in the history of the league. Oh, yeah, and Schwarzwalder FV got their annual token handful of points in the mix at the end. Death, taxes, and Schwarzwalder somehow squeezing out a few points each season. Or something like that.

All Time Standings:
1) Reykjavik United  - 103
2) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 63 +1
3) Tokyo S.C.  - 61 -1
4) Hollywood FC  - 33
5) CA Buenos Aires  - 29
6)  Schwarzwalder FV  - 27 +1
7) CF Catalunya  - 26 -1
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
T-17) Liffeyside Celtic FC  - 0
T-17) Xelaju Cosmico FC  - 0
T-17) AF Masques Sacres  - 0
T-17) CS Rova Mpanjaka  - 0

Well, Tokyo S.C. had a moat. Uniao Sao Paulo just evaporated it in a single season. There's a new number two in the all time rankings, and they've got their sights set on a Reykjavik franchise that was just shut out for the first time since S16. Granted, it's not like Reykjavik's lead really shrank by much. Uniao Sao Paulo's historic run only gave them a two point lead over Tokyo, which subsequently cut Reykjavik's lead from 42 down to 40. Still, Sao Paulo brought momentum into this season and massively capitalized on it. They won't be able to catch Reykjavik next season no matter what, but maybe Reykjavik should be a little scared for two seasons down the line. Of course, with all the attention on Sao Paulo's legendary run, we can't forget about Schwarzwalder FV. Their rise has been much more workmanlike - no big runs or blow up seasons for them - but they've been chipping away little by little every season and have slowly worked their way up into the secondary pack. Their three points this season aren't amazing, but it was enough to move them past CF Catalunya for 6th place all time. 4th place is within reach if they keep this going. Will Schwarzwalder be the next big mover following in Uniao Sao Paulo's footsteps? Will Sao Paulo catch Reykjavik United before the latter regains their footing? Which of the eight new(-ish) teams will score a MacGuffin point first? Will I write the next chapter in this media series at work tomorrow? Tune in next time to find out!