The 2024 Table :: Magic Numbers, Tragic Numbers & Toast

Boring race out in the West this year, looks like they're only playing for seeding although it looks like that can change a fair bit with all teams still in contention for the top 4 spots (for now at least).

 

Well, LAG would have to implode to not win the West. Spots 2-7 are anyone’s guess.

 

Hope? The only hope relevant here, is the hope that one’s team is toasted quickly and efficiently.

 

To put the West schedule in context, LAFC arguably has the easiest schedule to come, while Vancouver and Seattle arguably have the toughest home stretch

#1 LA plays 2 teams in the top 9 & 1 not in a playoff position

#2 LAFC plays only 1 team in the top 9 in their remaining 4 games - talk about an easy schedule with the bottom 3 in the West still to play

#3 RSL plays 2 teams in the top 9, both at home, & 1 not in a playoff position

#4 Colorado plays 2 teams in the top 9, both at home, & 1 not in a playoff position

#5 Seattle plays 3 teams in the top 9

#6 Houston plays only 1 team in the top 9, & 2 not in a playoff position

#7 Vancouver plays 4 teams in the top 9, but 3 of them at home

#8 Minnesota plays 2 teams in the top 9, both on the road, & 1 not in a playoff position

#9 Portland plays 1 team in the top 9 (at Seattle), & 2 not in a playoff position (both at home)

 

Thinking about this thread made me wonder something for no particular reason. Toasted Ravioli is a St. Louis specialty. Is CITY the only team with toasted something as a go-to food?

Asking for a friend.

 

Looks like 4 teams for 2 spots in the East, with MTL in the driver's seat and TOR needing lots of help with just one match left.

 

Supporters Shield > MLS Cup. Has anyone ever said a team was lucky to win the Supporters Shield? I rest my case.

pic.twitter.com/GdS8uy0RS7

— Sacha Kljestan (@SachaKljestan) October 3, 2024

 

Has any team stated at the start of the year their goal is the Shield and not the Cup? No, of course not, because the recognized champion is the MLS Cup winner and every team starts the year with the stated goal of winning the championship. Cup > Shield

I rest my case.

 

I don’t think I’ve heard a team was lucky to win MLS Cup.

 

There's an entire section of the MLS Cup Wikipedia page dedicated to the era of "Underdogs winning the cup". I think you have a short memory.

 

Hi, I'm a Rapids fan, nice to meet you

 

Some teams get easier inter-conference games.

 

Underdogs is not the same as using “lucky” to delegitimize a title winning team.

 

Underdogs *are* lucky if they triumph. They made it to the playoffs all the same, sure, but punching up (especially over multiple rounds) still requires luck to some degree. And that's definitely exemplified in the MLS Cup Champions during those years. RSL got into the playoffs on a tiebreak and needed two PKSOs to get their title. (Even if Rimando meant the PKSOs were less about luck than they normally are, there's still a big luck factor there.) Colorado similarly were a wildcard team that needed a PKSO and an extra-time own-goal.

When it comes down to it, you can talk about weak/strong (i.e. [un]deserving) cup winners in any cup competition - it even happens when discussing World Cup champions - and MLS Cup is no exception. But you don't get "weak" Shield winners.

 

Luck plays a part there as well. Last night’s game is different if Busquets gets a straight red for a play that looked like it deserved it. Plenty of other “lucky” moments add up throughout an entire season, if the Shield race is close those moments stand out even more.

I remain unimpressed by Kljesten’s idea.

 

No.

 

BLASPHEMER!!!!!

 

Which MLS Cup winner won it through pure luck?

90% of sports have playoffs to determine champions. I don't remember many lucky champions.

I remember the old European Cup when a team could fluke easy draws all the way to the final then get an lucky win.