Throughout the years, we have seen patters emerge that tell us which USL teams make successful title runs and which teams are left in the dust. The following are the totally real reasons why Sacramento has not only set themselves up for a good title run, but have in fact already won the 2016 USL Championship. Don't believe me? Let the numbers speak for themselves.

No MLS 2 team has ever won the USL Championship. This eliminates New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Portland, Montreal, Real Monarchs, Toronto, Swope Park Rangers, Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, Bethlehem Steel and Orlando City B from contention. (17 teams remain) No team that missed the playoffs in one season has gone on to win the USL Championship in the following season. This means Harrisburg, Tulsa, Charlotte, Arizona, St Louis and Wilmington are eliminated. (11 teams remain) No team that has won a playoff game in one season has gone on to win the USL Championship the following season. This eliminates Louisville, Colorado Springs, Oklahoma City, Charleston and Rochester. (6 teams remain) Since the USL-MLS partnership created affiliation in 2013, an affiliated team has won the USL Championship each year. This eliminates San Antonio and Cincinnati. (4 teams remain) No team with a stadium capacity of less than 5,000 has won the USL Championship. This eliminates Orange County and Pittsburgh. (2 teams remain) No coach who failed to win a championship within three years of coaching a USL team has ever won a championship, eliminating Richmond and head coach Cowlishaw. (1 team remains) As Sacramento is the only remaining USL team, by the numbers they have already won the 2016 USL Championship.

So there you have it. Cut, wrap and print the 2016 season and crown Sacramento Republic your champions. Good luck to everyone else in 2017. You are going to need it.