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Toronto FC: 3 reasons why 2017 team is MLS’ best

By Andrew Dowdeswell

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: Alex Bono #25 of Toronto FC lifts the Championship Trophy after winning the 2017 MLS Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field on December 9, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: Alex Bono #25 of Toronto FC lifts the Championship Trophy after winning the 2017 MLS Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field on December 9, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Tosaint Ricketts #87 of Toronto FC celebrates his goal during the Los Angeles Galaxy’s MLS match against Toronto FC at the StubHub Center on September 16, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Tosaint Ricketts #87 of Toronto FC celebrates his goal during the Los Angeles Galaxy’s MLS match against Toronto FC at the StubHub Center on September 16, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images) /

2. The regular season matters

While winning is important, and I recognise that what I am about to say in the following two slides will almost entirely undermine what I have previously written, I tend to veer more towards performances and the underlying statistics to determine who is the best. Oftentimes, the best team does not actually win, especially when it comes to knockout competitions like the MLS Playoffs.

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But while Toronto FC did win the cup competitions they were a part of, what separates themselves from others that achieved the same feat is their consistent dominance throughout the entire season. They won when it mattered, yes, but they also set records across a much larger sample size, which is a more convincing argument for their being the best.

TFC averaged 2.02 points per game in the regular season. No team that has won the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup can match that. Only four teams have ever bettered that tally, and two are from the last two seasons and one came during the no-draw period in the first four years of the league. None won MLS Cup.

Toronto FC matched the record for most wins in a season, excluding the no-draw period, they had a goal difference of +37, which was an MLS record excluding the no-draw period, and have now been bettered by only the 1998 LA Galaxy and 2019 LAFC teams in goals scored. Toronto FC were the best team when it mattered most, but they were also the best throughout the entire season.

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