For those of us who have followed MLS, we've come to recognize a phenomenon that seems singularly unique to our league – teams that start their seasons well frequently end them prematurely and teams that flounder at the beginning of the season often walk away with the MLS Cup (Exhibit A – Seattle Sounders).
There are many theories as to the cause of the fade, but there is one certainty which all would agree upon: winning the Cup is a case of the “tortoise and the hare”, so to speak. A fast start can cause a team to burn out too quickly, peaking before the grind of the playoffs.