Most forms of entertainment have an open end. A movie, a song, a painting, or a book can all be interpreted a hundred different ways. It’s nearly impossible to declare any novel as definitively good or bad.
Sports, too, have a similar artistic component.
They spark an energy inside the audience, and each person responds differently; what inspires one may bore another. Sports, however, have an added level of complexity. They have a defined endgame. They have a preset measurement for success. Winning is better than losing.
I wonder, then, how good can one be if he or she hasn’t ultimately fulfilled the point of the game – winning? Can one be considered the best if he or she hasn’t achieved the thing all players set out to accomplish? It's the question that still lingers in conversations about countless sporting legends like Dan Marino (NFL), Barry Bonds (MLB), Alex Ovechkin (NHL), Charles Barkley and Karl Malone (NBA).
When it comes to Sebastian Giovinco, who leads Toronto FC into Saturday’s 2017 MLS Cup final (4 pm ET on ESPN, UniMás, TSN, TVAS), his place in MLS history is set.
There have been a lot high-profile signings in MLS, but two really changed the makeup of the league. When David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007, it brought a new level of credibility and attention to American soccer. He lifted MLS to the next step. After a few years of growth, though, MLS was ready for a new phase again.
In came Sebastian Giovinco in 2015. He didn’t have the instant name recognition that Beckham provided. He couldn’t sell out 80,000-person stadiums by simply putting his face on a poster like previous imports could. But Giovinco did something much more powerful. He left one of the best teams in the world, a European power perpetually competing in the UEFA Champions League, and caught a plane to Toronto.
Giovinco decided MLS was good enough for an elite international player in his prime. He showed the world that MLS isn’t just a place for aging stars or young prodigies, but a worthwhile destination for international stars during the best years of their career hoping to push themselves at a new challenge.
Since Giovinco’s arrival, more have followed. Giovinco changed the paradigm of MLS. He altered the course of history. It may have inevitably happened at some point, but someone needed to be the first through the wall. And when a person creates a new paradigm, it’s impossible to suggest he hasn’t made a lasting, worthwhile impact.
But it’s certainly not the impact Giovinco really cares about. The 30-year-old Italian has a chance to not only be a pioneer, but also go down as the best player in league history.
His stat sheet in MLS resembles a video game with 55 goals and 37 assists in 86 matches. He’s created more jaw-dropping moments than we could list on a page. It doesn’t take much subjective scrutiny to notice he’s as talented as any player who’s ever graced Major League Soccer’s fields. But similar to the Jim Kellys in the other leagues, he hasn't yet come up in a big spot to cement his status.
Giovinco singlehandedly clinched Toronto FC's first-ever playoff spot by taking over a 2015 regular-season game vs. the NY Red Bulls in memorable fashion (watch below). But he was also noticeably invisible during that subsequent 2015 Knockout Round blanking vs. rival Montreal and he was quiet during the heartbreaking loss in the 2016 MLS Cup. Also, the club's 2016 Canadian Championship final triumph saw Giovinco's teammate, Will Johnson, emerge as the stoppage-time hero as Toronto were seconds away from defeat.
Fellowship of the rings
It’s not a new question in American sports. It seems like every time you turn on the TV to a sports show they are talking about LeBron vs. MJ or Crosby vs. Gretzky. Because it’s too difficult to distinguish between skillsets and eras, the conversation immediately shifts to championship rings. It’s a debate that’s always irked me, but never failed to draw me in.
Logically, I hate that we equate championships to greatness. Championships are largely dependent on chance and/or other actors. Lionel Messi’s legacy with Argentina turned on Gonzalo Higuain’s inability to score a breakaway.
When we give championships extra emphasis, we boil a sample size of thousands down to a few. When you boil years down to single nights, you allow random chance to have an oversized impact. Sometimes the wrong bounces go the wrong way. And if it happens at the wrong time, it changes a player’s name forever.
At the same time, I don’t know how to ignore the need to win, the essence of the game. I’m not sure what we are doing if we aren’t trying to win.
In that sense, Giovinco needs MLS hardware. Landon Donovan has five MLS Cups and his name is on the MVP trophy that Giovinco won in 2015. Robbie Keane, who is often mentioned as one of the best signings in league history, has three MLS Cups. Dwayne De Rosario, Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope, Piotr Nowak, Marco Etcheverry, Preki and Beckham all won MLS Cups and also came up clutch in the final.
It’s difficult – or depending on your tastes, impossible – to find a player in the "Best Ever" discussion who hasn’t won an MLS Cup. Right now, it’s only Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa (below) and they've been chasing that elusive trophy for three years running.
Is it possible for Giovinco to surpass those other names, despite all the breathtaking moments, if he never lifts a trophy?
I’ll always work my hardest to put winning in perspective. I will always do my best to take everything into context and factor in all of the variables. Yet, I also know there’s a beautiful clarity to sports. Unlike most parts of life, there’s a final statement. At some point, it becomes zero sum. Despite the unpredictable nature of soccer, wins can extinguish any doubt. We didn’t sign up to write ballads or star in movies. We are tasked to win games.
Giovinco’s already laid claim to being one of the most important players in MLS history. The history books will note his unprecedented impact. He deserves a prominent place in the archives. It’s still unclear, however, how far his name will rise. While the other players of his echelon were amazing, Giovinco has provided moments we’ve never witessed. Does he need a championship to back it up? How important is the objective versus the subjective?
In truth, I’m not sure. I want to believe someone can be the best without a ring on his hand. You know special when you see it. But it never hurts to have some cold, hard facts to back it up.
Bobby Warshaw is a former professional player who played in MLS (2011-2013) and in Scandinavia after an accomplished college career at Stanford. A columnist and podcast host for Howler magazine, Warshaw is a published author and has also appeared on ExtraTime Live and ExtraTime Radio.
