Pointing out how bad Toronto FC has been seems even more pointless than beating that notoriously dead horse. It’s more like digging a long dead horse up, beating it more, then setting it on fire.
Everyone understands. TFC is terrible.
Except sometimes it seems like fans have put up a mental block that doesn’t allow them to see how stunningly terrible they’ve been. Let’s put it bluntly, TFC is, by far, the worst team in MLS history. It isn’t all that close.
Yet, despite the fact that there is no evidence that MLS teams require long-term rebuilding plans, Toronto fans are being asked to put up with another horrendously bad year in 2013.
What do we mean that there is no evidence that teams must build over a long period?
I’ll give you three numbers: 18, 11 and 4
Since 2007, 18 times a team has improved by more than 10 points in one season.
11 have jumped more than 15 points.
And 4 have improved by 20 or more.
There are far more examples in MLS of a team making a large jump in one year than there are of teams that have made gradual improvements over several years.
There was literally no reason for TFC fans to be asked to give up 2013 before it started. None. Zero.
Unless you believe that there is something in the Toronto water that prevents TFC from doing what 13 of the 19 MLS teams have done at least one over the last 6 years that is – improve by at least 10 points.
Then again, maybe there is something in the water. Below the jump, a look at the all-time MLS standings since TFC came into the league.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
[TABLE=width: 500]
[TR]
[TD]Team[/TD]
[TD]Total points[/TD]
[TD]Ave pts per season[/TD]
[TD]High[/TD]
[TD]Low[/TD]
[TD]Points per game[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Seattle[/TD]
[TD]214[/TD]
[TD]53.5[/TD]
[TD]63[/TD]
[TD]47[/TD]
[TD]1.67[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Galaxy[/TD]
[TD]295[/TD]
[TD]49.1[/TD]
[TD]67[/TD]
[TD]33[/TD]
[TD]1.56[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Columbus[/TD]
[TD]292[/TD]
[TD]48.6[/TD]
[TD]57[/TD]
[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]1.55[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Houston[/TD]
[TD]286[/TD]
[TD]47.6[/TD]
[TD]53[/TD]
[TD]33[/TD]
[TD]1.52[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Salt Lake[/TD]
[TD]273[/TD]
[TD]45.5[/TD]
[TD]57[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]1.45[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Kansas City[/TD]
[TD]268[/TD]
[TD]44.6[/TD]
[TD]63[/TD]
[TD]33[/TD]
[TD]1.42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chicago[/TD]
[TD]267[/TD]
[TD]44.5[/TD]
[TD]57[/TD]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]1.42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dallas[/TD]
[TD]260[/TD]
[TD]43.3[/TD]
[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]1.38[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New York[/TD]
[TD]257[/TD]
[TD]42.8[/TD]
[TD]57[/TD]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]1.36[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]San Jose[/TD]
[TD]213[/TD]
[TD]42.6[/TD]
[TD]66[/TD]
[TD]30[/TD]
[TD]1.34[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DC United[/TD]
[TD]251[/TD]
[TD]41.8[/TD]
[TD]55[/TD]
[TD]22[/TD]
[TD]1.33[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Colorado[/TD]
[TD]245[/TD]
[TD]40.8[/TD]
[TD]49[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]1.30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chivas[/TD]
[TD]235[/TD]
[TD]39.1[/TD]
[TD]53[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]1.25[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Montreal[/TD]
[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]42.0[/TD]
[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]1.23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New England[/TD]
[TD]230[/TD]
[TD]38.3[/TD]
[TD]50[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]1.22[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Philly[/TD]
[TD]115[/TD]
[TD]38.3[/TD]
[TD]48[/TD]
[TD]31[/TD]
[TD]1.17[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Portland[/TD]
[TD]76[/TD]
[TD]38.0[/TD]
[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]34[/TD]
[TD]1.11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vancouver[/TD]
[TD]71[/TD]
[TD]35.3[/TD]
[TD]43[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]1.04[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Toronto[/TD]
[TD]190[/TD]
[TD]31.6[/TD]
[TD]39[/TD]
[TD]23[/TD]
[TD]1.01[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Those are the numbers at the start of this season. Since First Kick, TFC has become the first MLS team that has played more than four seasons to drop below a 1.0 points per game pace. They currently get 0.98 points per game (197 points from 200 all-time MLS games).