Looking back at the 2016 Major League Soccer season, I still get that familiar rush of excitement mixed with frustration. As someone who's followed MLS since its early days, I have to say the 2016 season was particularly memorable not just for the spectacular goals and dramatic finishes, but for how certain controversial moments shaped the entire championship race. I remember sitting in the stands during that crucial NYCFC vs Toronto FC match in September, watching what should have been a straightforward game turn into something completely different because of some questionable officiating.
The quote about bad calls costing teams 6-8 points in close games really resonates with me when I think about that season. I've always believed that in soccer, momentum is everything - it's that invisible force that can make or break a team's championship aspirations. During that 2016 MLS season, we saw this play out in real time across multiple matches. Take the Western Conference race, for instance. FC Dallas finished with 60 points that year, but I'm convinced they left at least 6-8 points on the table due to some truly baffling refereeing decisions in games they should have won. I still remember their match against Colorado Rapids in July where two clear penalty shouts were waved away - that single game alone probably cost them 3 points right there.
What made the 2016 MLS season particularly fascinating was how these moments didn't just affect individual games but actually reshaped the entire playoff picture. The difference between finishing first and dropping to fourth in the conference standings was often just 4-5 points, making those lost points from bad calls absolutely crucial. I've always maintained that if just two of those controversial decisions had gone differently, we might have seen completely different teams making deep playoff runs. The Supporters' Shield race between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids came down to a mere 2-point difference - that's the margin created by exactly the kind of bad calls the quote references.
From my perspective as a longtime analyst, the psychological impact of these moments often outweighed the actual point deductions. Teams that suffered from multiple bad calls early in the season seemed to carry that frustration for months, affecting their performance in subsequent matches. The 2016 season taught me that morale and momentum are just as important as tactical formations and player fitness. I recall speaking with several players after the season ended, and many of them mentioned how a single controversial call could linger in the locker room for weeks, affecting training intensity and player confidence in ways that statistics simply can't capture.
The Eastern Conference provided its own drama that year, with Toronto FC's journey to the MLS Cup final being punctuated by several games where officiating became the main storyline. Their 3-2 loss to Montreal Impact in the playoffs featured at least two decisions that had analysts like me scratching our heads for days afterward. Having watched countless seasons unfold, I've developed a theory that teams need to build what I call "controversy resilience" - the ability to overcome not just the tactical challenges posed by opponents, but the unpredictable nature of officiating as well.
What stands out most about the 2016 MLS season scores and highlights, in my opinion, is how they demonstrated that soccer isn't just about what happens between the players. The human element of refereeing created storylines that were sometimes more compelling than the actual gameplay. I'll always remember that season as a perfect case study in how external factors can influence championship outcomes in ways we rarely acknowledge when analyzing team performance. The final standings showed Toronto FC lifting the MLS Cup with 53 points during the regular season, but I'm convinced their path to victory was shaped as much by calls that went their way as by their talented roster.
Reflecting on all the data from that year - the 544 total regular season goals, the average of 2.83 goals per game, the 61% home win percentage - what sticks with me most are those moments where the whistle blew and everyone in the stadium knew something significant had just happened. The 2016 season taught me to appreciate soccer not just as a game of skill and strategy, but as a complex drama where a single decision can ripple through an entire championship race. Even now, when I look back at the 2016 Major League Soccer season highlights, I find myself wondering how different things might have been if just a few of those controversial moments had unfolded differently.
