When teams like the Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Philadelphia Union were coming into Major League Soccer, expectations of expansion franchises were relatively low. Though Seattle Sounders FC had pierced the playoffs in their first MLS season, memories of Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA, and Toronto FC still dominated expansion narratives. The reborn San Jose Earthquakes didn’t compete from day one, while endeavors like the Montreal Impact's climb from the NASL proved new teams’ first years were supposed to be hard.
Somewhere along the line, though, expectations have changed, whether teams’ results have lived up to those expectations or not.