Several years ago, I became fascinated by the idea of using the "title match" format for a soccer trophy. Basically, a "title match" format is the format that they typically use in boxing. If you beat the current champion, you become the new champion. In that fascination, I started tracking this in a spreadsheet, and made occasional posts here with updates: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/title-match-style-championship-multiple-r.1997129/ I've decided to start a new thread over here in N&A to maybe get some more eyes on it, and convince me to update more regularly. Here are the rules I came up with for how to handle it in MLS. Rules: You must win in order to take control of the trophy. This means if you currently hold it, then a draw is enough to retain it. If a game featured extra time, the result at the end of that is what counts. If a game featured a penalty shootout, but the individual game hadn't been a tie, the penalty shootout is ignored. If the individual game had been tied just before the penalty shootout, the penalty shootout counts. This matters much more historically than currently, since playoffs are all single elimination. If a team folds while holding the trophy, the most recent champion still playing gets it. If a team relocates, the trophy relocates with them. All US & Canadian Leagues I started off with including all MLS regular season and playoff games, as well as games in the US Open Cup and Canadian Championship. I also decided that if a lower league team won it, then their league matches would count. As I was iterating through this one, I ran into an issue where New England held the trophy in 2000 when they lost to a PDL team in the US Open Cup. This made things very difficult because there was basically no way to dig up all of the PDL league match results that far back. Because of this, I decided to give New England a break, and made a ruling that, at that time, the trophy would only be able to be won by professional clubs. The issue never arose again. The final result of this is that Sporting Kansas City currently holds the trophy. Because the trophy will go to the winner of the 2nd leg Eastern Conference Champion, it will then go to the MLS Cup, and go to that champion at the end of the year. As of this posting, I maintain a "main" version of this, and a "provisional" one. The "main" version stayed with Jacksonville Armada when the NASL died a few years ago (there was some discussion about whether their pre-existing NPSL team was the same team, and we eventually went with that it was, but after stuff started moving). I also created a "provisional" one where it reverted to the last team that unambiguously still existed. I'll continue to track the "provisional" one until they meet back up (which typically happens fairly quickly, but hasn't in this case). All MLS official games My next investigation was to keep it wholly within the MLS, and exclude games from the US Open Cup and Canadian Championship entirely. MLS regular season games only My final investigation was to limit it only to regular season games. The playoffs tended to force the trophy to the MLS Cup holder at the end of the season, so I wondered how different things would be if the playoff games were ignored. Reverse title match trophy Finally, I got the idea of creating a wooden spoon type trophy which is basically the opposite of a title match trophy. The rules were the same, except for #1: You must win to force the trophy onto another poor sap. This means that if you currently hold it, a draw will force you to keep it. I only included regular season games. I excluded the US Open Cup, because if you didn't, it would quickly be sent down into the amateur levels, and never be seen again. I also excluded the playoffs, mostly just because. Personally, I really like the idea of using this last one as an actual trophy. In discussing it with a friend, we came up with the idea of using a beat up old tin cup as the "trophy". When "awarding" it to a different team's supporters, we figured that it should be filled with some really crappy beer, so they can start drowning their sorrows. Obviously, though, the logistics of moving the trophy around between teams make it unlikely that it will ever really be a thing, but the idea amuses me. Current holders and some statistics to follow in a day or two.
By a result of 3-1, the winners of this contest and not just NEW #MLSTitleBelt Champions but MLS Cup Champions, @SoundersFC! They will keep the Belt through the winter until the next MLS season.— MLS Title Belt (@MLSTitleBelt) November 10, 2019 How is this different then this twitter account?
Probably not very different. However I do track multiple belts, ones which include playoffs, ones which don't, one which includes uSOC and Canadian championship, and the ever fun reverse one which you "win" by losing
Regular Season only Current Holders Toronto (4 game streak) Never Won FC Cincinnati (2 chances) Inter Miami (0 chances) Nashville SC (0 chances) Top 3 All Time Sporting Kansas City (95 times) LA Galaxy (64 times) New York Red Bulls (56 times) Playoffs & Playoffs Combined Current Holders Seattle (1 game streak) Never Won FC Cincinnati (2 chances) Inter Miami (0 chances) Nashville SC (0 chances) Top 3 All Time Playoffs LA Galaxy (103 times) DC United (77 times) New York Red Bulls (76 times) Sporting Kansas City (76 times) Top 3 All Time Playoffs Combined LA Galaxy (105 times) DC United (78 times) New York Red Bulls (73 times) All Leagues Current Holders Seattle (3 game streak) Never Won Atlanta United (1 chance) FC Cincinnati (2 chances) Inter Miami (0 chances) Nashville SC (0 chances) Top 3 All Time LA Galaxy (90 times) Sporting Kansas City (62 times) FC Dallas (60 times) All Leagues (Provisional) Current Holders Real Monarchs (USL, 2 game streak) Never Won Atlanta United (1 chance) LAFC (0 chances) Inter Miami (0 chances) Top 3 All Time LA Galaxy (90 times) Sporting Kansas City (62 times) FC Dallas (61 times) Reverse Current Holders New York Red Bulls (1 game streak) Never Won LAFC (4 chances) Inter Miami (0 chances) Nashville SC (0 chances) Top 3 All Time New England Revolution (63 times) Colorado Rapids (60 times) San Jose Earthquakes (58 times) The top 3 all time leaders of every trophy are always one of the original 10 teams. However, it is important to note that though San Jose is an original team, they haven't played in every season, so their position in the leaderboard for the reverse trophy is particularly onerous.
I appreciate the passion here, but since this is about what amounts to a fantasy soccer format, I think it’s more appropriate for the General forum.
First update of the year. Like MLS is doing, I'm treating MLS is Back knockouts as playoffs, and the group stages as regular season. Regular Season only Toronto holds it a bunch: 2/29 - San Jose 3/7 - New York City 7/13 - DC 7/16 - Montreal 7/21 - New England 8/18 - Vancouver 8/21 - Vancouver 8/28 - Montreal On 9/1, Montreal wins it from Toronto. On 9/9, Toronto wins it back 9/19 - DC 9/23 - New York City Toronto ended up building up to their now record streak of 12. These teams have yet to win these trophies: FC Cincinnati (2 chances), Inter Miami (0 chances), Nashville (0 chances) Playoffs, Playoffs Combined, & All Leagues These wandered around a ton. Seattle holds it against Chicago, Columbus, and San Jose on 3/1, 3/7 and 7/10. Chicago wins it on 7/14 San Jose wins it on 7/19, then holds it against RSL on 7/27. Minnesota wins it on 8/1. Orlando wins it on 8/6. Portland wins it on 8/11. Seattle wins it on 8/23, then holds it on 8/30 and 9/2 against LAFC and RSL. Portland wins it on 9/6. LAFC wins it on 9/13. Seattle wins it on 9/18. Portland wins it on 9/23. Seattle tied their longest streak of 4 in the playoffs versions, carried over from last year. These teams have yet to win the MLS trophies: FC Cincinnati (2 chances), Inter Miami (0 chances), Nashville (0 chances) All Leagues (Provisional) (Starts in USL) San Antonio wins it on 3/7 from the Real Monarchs, then holds it a bunch: 7/19 - Rio Grande Valley 7/25 - Rio Grande Valley 8/1 - Austin 8/8 - Oklahoma City 8/12 - Tulsa 8/15 - Austin 8/19 - Oklahoma City 8/22 - Tulsa 8/28 - Rio Grande Valley 9/5 - Rio Grande Valley El Paso wins it on 9/12, then holds it on 9/16 and 9/19 against Colorado Springs and Real Monarchs. Reverse Cincinnati wins it from New York Red Bulls on 3/1, then holds it on 3/7 and 7/11 against Atlanta and Columbus. Atlanta takes it on 7/16 and holds it on 7/21 against Columbus. Nashville takes it for their first time ever on 8/22, then holds it on 8/26 against Orlando. Inter Miami takes it for their first time ever on 8/30, then holds it on 9/2 and 9/6 against Atlanta and Nashville. Atlanta takes it on 9/9, then holds it on 9/12 and 9/19 against Nashville and Miami. Dallas takes it on 9/23. These teams have yet to win this trophy: LAFC (4 chances) As mentioned earlier, I'm maintaining two versions of the all leagues version for the time being. I would still appreciate input from people about which they think is most appropriate. Since Dallas couldn't hold it in USOC play, I just kept it going in USL, and we'll see how it fares next year in USOC play, because it's fun and why the hell not? Likely I'll keep it going until it makes it back into MLS then drop it, but who knows what my whims will be.