The 2020 Table: Random Numbers, Tragic Numbers, and a Big Effing Headache

If there's anything that will get @Knave to start the 2021 thread, its the possibility of toasting TFC.

 

Crew are diving down the standings pretty quickly. That will warm Knave's heart too.

 

We also can't discount Knave's love for the Sounders and his desire to mark their rise back to the top of the Supporter's Shield race. (Okay, not really, NER is in the driver's seat and I'm not sure I see them faltering barring a ton of injuries).

 

My two year olds favorite food is toast.

this warms my cold dead heart just enough to feel kind of alive.

 

15 points out with 12 games left makes Toronto toast now, right?

 

Yeah, there are some teams who look like toast already. Toast Jesus why have you forsaken Austin, TFC, and FCC?

 

I think Houston can be added to that list, too.

 

Yep, they are so out of it I forgot about them.

 

538 has its own toast predictor.

Chances of making the playoffs:



https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/mls/

 

I really like this 538 thing. Has five teams with less than 20 % chance of making the playoffs and the Rapids at over 99!

 

That is a good site, but I fear it is sacrilegious to the toast gods.

I am a believer in Toast!

 

Indeed, one must always be wary of the insidious allurements of false prophets.

 

and @Knave is one lazy prophet of the Toast

 

Knave is impacted by the Caldor fire and, as a result, has more important things to worry about than creating this season's Toast thread...

 

Damn, that sucks. Hope things turn out ok for you @Knave

 

I bet he'd be more motivated if not for the SRFC debacle ...

Not nearly as much as many people, but - yes - I've been affected.

My house is not in danger, so - like I said - affected by it but not nearly as much as many others. But the state of anxiety throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains is extremely high right now, especially since we're just entering peak fire season. Everyone is just doom scrolling the #CaldorFire. We're getting a couple day's reprieve from the smoke, but that's apparently going to end soon. There's been a general exodus from the entire region. No tourists, which is usually nice. But even the locals are fleeing. Businesses are shutting down, hopefully just temporarily, for lack of any customers. The only people entering town are evacuees from south of here. All the national forests are closed. Daily life is just eerie and anxious.

 

I wanted to make that joke but not knowing how bad it was for Knave I figured it was in bad taste. He's since posted he's ok, so kudos for taking the opportunity.

 

Just stating the obvious:
NER is on course to win the SS this season, finally...

 

Just do it bro, haha.

 

I believe New England and Colorado are the only two teams that "control their own destiny" for the Shield. Everyone else needs help. Since Colorado has two games in hand they can get to within 2 points of New England, and the two teams play each other in late October. So if either one wins out they win the Shield. Seattle controls their ability to win the West but has no way to control catching New England.

 

I hate this years Shield competition. The most unbalanced schedule outside of 2020. I understand the COVID restrictions and all, but the shield competition has devolved to no one controlling their own destiny out of the gates for anything except the conference title. And so little inter-conference play makes the award obsolete. I think even using overall MLS standing to decide the location of the MLS Cup Final is fatally flawed.

 

Generally I roll my eyes at the "Shield is meaningless because the schedule isn't balanced" argument we've been hearing for literally decades now, but this year there's some legitimacy to that. Its one thing to not play every team an equal number of times, or even to play only 90% of teams. Its another when you miss almost half the league.