With the first round of the Champions League now complete, we have our first update to the elo ratings. Actually, for our Patreon contributors, it’s our 2nd update as $1/month provides access to weekly elo updates and Patreon Only articles, including a closer analysis of Champions League. If monthly elo updates aren’t enough, I highly recommend lending a dollar to help us out.
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Enough of the sales pitch. The first round of the CCL has completed and Toronto FC parked the bus in the 2nd leg of the opening round against Colorado Rapids, leaving them with an aggregate score of 2-0. This provides the Reds with an advantage starting the 2018 season at the undisputed top of these ratings. On the 1-year rankings, they begin the MLS season with an elo of 1431.848, which provides them with a 31.848 point advantage over Montreal Impact FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
In our cumulative ratings, which stretch back to the beginning of 2017, TFC continues to cement their lead. They began 2018 at 1568.695. Although their initial win temporarily gave them a boost, the draw at home resulted in a decrease to 1560.047, putting them 149.212 points ahead of Vancouver as the season begins. With Vancouver Whitecaps FC hosting Montreal this weekend, there may be an opportunity to catch up, but that depends on how the Reds do against Columbus.
Our next monthly will put us through the CCL quarterfinals. Both MLS and USL will have started play, and TFC II will have hosted Ottawa Fury FC to give us a taste of what we can expect from the 2nd division clubs.