History has shown us that teams that get to championship games and lose, well, they tend to really struggle the year after that. Statistically speaking, Toronto FC’s season was doomed before it even began. So, how do the Reds buck the trend and make it back to MLS Cup — and win?

In North America, interest in soccer is at an all-time high. But the championship game for Major League Soccer doesn’t attract major media attention or viewership numbers. Here are some suggestions on how the league can turn around the fortunes of its marquee event...

“Two deflections that we’ve lost goals from,” head coach Martin Rennie said of Dallas’s goals. “So that’s very frustrating."

Frankly, a team that offers as little offensively as the Whitecaps doesn’t deserve points from matches. On Saturday, the Whitecaps got one shot on the FC Dallas goal. In their last game, a loss two weeks ago to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Whitecaps got no shots on goal.

On a night when TFC shone brighter than ever before, it was a five-foot-two Ecuadorean who was the power source. Joao Plata set up Danny Koevermans first-half opener, then buried FCD with two wonderful second-half strikes.

With time ticking down in the first half, a long free kick was lobbed into a giant scrum of players in the penalty area. Several went to ground. But, referee Yader Reyes signalled for a penalty kick, singling out TFC defender Adrian Cann for having a hold of George John. Daniel Hernandez, who took the initial free kick, buried the penalty.

Ferreira was hurt on what looked to be a rather innocuous play; as he charged to get to a ball deep in Whitecaps territory, defender Jonathan Leathers slid and got all ball with the challenge. No foul was called. Ferreira went over and was down for several minutes, clutching his ankle in pain. He was sent to hospital for tests to his ankle.

As the Colorado Rapids gathered on a platform placed at the centre of BMO Field, jumping up and down, surrounded by sky-blue confetti, holding the MLS Cup aloft, FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty stood on the field, staring at the celebration. The rest of his FC Dallas teammates, losers of a 2-1 decision after extra time in Toronto, had left the field. But McCarty stood and stared at the Rapids’ celebration. Wondering what could have been. Wondering what would have happened if a ball off the foot of Colorado sub Macoumba Kandji hadn’t taken a strange deflection off defender FC Dallas George John in the 108th minute and looped past the goal line. What could have happened in penalty kicks had John’s last-gasp effort at redemption, from point blank range, not been stopped by the outstretched hand of Rapids’ keeper Matt Pickens.

PHOTO: FC Dallas defender Ugo Ihemelu (3) trains with his team Saturday at Toronto’s BMO Field ahead of MLS Cup When it comes to national allegiances, Ugo Ihemelu is playing it cool. The FC Dallas defender has been to the U.S. national-team camp, played in a couple of friendlies, but he’s still hasn’t been capped in an official game that …