Welcome to another edition of "Discuss," in which MLSsoccer.com editors debate the topics of the moment in MLS. Our question this time: What more do Toronto FC need to do to be considered the best team in MLS history? Do they need to win MLS Cup? Or will a historic regular season, Supporters’ Shield and deep playoff run do it for you?
Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle, Senior Editors Nicholas Rosano, Ben Couch, Arielle Castillo and Andrew Wiebe, New Media Editor Benjamin Baer, and Contributors Alicia Rodriguez and Charles Boehm give their takes.
Doyle: It's not (entirely) about the trophies
If they go for 70+ points and +35 goal differential or better, then they'll have an argument (I'll make it for them) no matter what happens. But we all know that "Ringz, Erneh!" is often the final word in these sorts of discussions.
Boehm: TFC already pass the eye test
Shield + any significant number of historical milestones + run to the MLS Cup final would do it for me. I say this based off both the eye test – this team is an absolute behemoth – and the regularity with which old-timers point to D.C. United 98 as the MLS GOAT despite them losing to Chicago in the MLS Cup final. As the eminently forgettable 2010 Rapids illustrate, aesthetics matter.
Rodriguez: Treble or bust
While MLS superfans will likely properly weigh this TFC team with a double and a good playoff run, I think for immortality they need a treble. It would also be fitting, since no MLS team has yet accomplished the Shield/MLS Cup/domestic cup sweep. Hey, if you want to be the best, you have to do something never done, right?
Wiebe: Players should help make the call
Best in MLS history requires a critical eye, and nobody’s is going to be more exacting than Michael Bradley. If, come December 10, Toronto FC have a 65-plus regular season points, a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in the bag, giving them the ever-elusive treble, I expect even Bradley will be comfortable with the title of best ever. I certainly will be.
Couch: MLS Cup is essential
You want the accolades, you need the trophies. Specifically the trophy. In a league with playoffs, it’s MLS Cup or bust for historical bests. Otherwise you end up in the tier of “Best regular-season teams.” Stomp the footnote and leave shoes to fill.
Castillo: Break the records
It's tough to compare teams from the current state of MLS to those from the very beginning, but it's hard to disagree with thinking that Toronto might be the best example of how far the league has come. They've already proven they're one of the deepest teams, full stop. To prove they're the best, I think breaking all of the records here would pretty much do it. MLS Cup would be extra, but, as we all know, some of that comes down to luck in the playoffs – and even in the final.
Baer: Lift the Cup
We do still bring up the 1998 Galaxy in this discussion, despite them having not won the Cup, but I don’t think that would be the case for this Toronto team. The 2014 Seattle team would be in this conversation had they win the Cup, but of course they did not and now they are never mentioned (though I would put the 2014 Galaxy in this discussion). Want to be the best ever? Lift the Cup.
Rosano: Win it all, for better or worse
As a lifelong Bay Area sports fan, it pains me to bring up the obvious analogy of the 2016 Golden State Warriors. But it's true – even though we may never see any team like that again, they will never be considered by the masses to be one of the best NBA teams ever because they did not win the title. Our league's playoff system makes deciding a champion a little bit more of a crapshoot than in the NBA, but you can't help but feel that without an MLS Cup win, this Toronto FC team's legacy would be flawed.
