Starting "Top Worst" List

Two of the latest MLS teams to enter the league lined up against each other last night on UniMas. "On paper," this Orlando vs. NYCFC matchup comes across as a good one for the league. Big names, new cities in the league and most importantly - new branding!

Last year this game was the 3rd largest TV draw of the season, behind the MLS Cup Final and an August LA Galaxy / Seattle game. 

1. MLS Cup Final, ESPN - 668k

2. LA Galaxy vs. Seattle, ESPN - 549k

3. Orlando vs. NYCFC, ESPN 2 - 539k

UniMas ratings have been doing well comparatively to 2015, but strip out all the hoopla around expansion and all you are left with is the match itself. And it was terrible.

Terrible defending, wide open shots from in the box missing by yards (NY had 5 off target from inside the box), loads of lazy tackles, passes and a bad surface / pitch size on which it all went down.

The idea of a worst matches list gets thrown about this site a bit, but a list is never started. That changes this morning.

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1. Colorado Rapids vs. Toronto FC, May 4th, 2013. This is the worst MLS game ever witnessed. I wrote about it over at Massive Report. I'll never forget it. The Brian Mullan "open field tackle" sticks out, but it'll forever be remembered because the play by play man wrote an apology letter to fans on the team site the next day.

2. NYCFC vs Orlando City, March 18, 2016. Highly energetic masterpiece of bad soccer.