Toronto, Seattle go for title tonight

TORONTO — A series of small battles will likely decide the MLS Cup final tonight between Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders and which loyal legion of fans will watch their team hoist the Philip F. Anschutz trophy for the first time.

The disruptive work of captains Michael Bradley of Toronto and Osvaldo Alonso of Seattle in front of their backlines will be key. As will the battle of the fullbacks with Justin Morrow and Steven Beitashour for Toronto and Joevin Jones and Tyrone Mears for the Sounders.

Can Seattle’s robust centre-back pairing of Chad Marshall and Ramon Torres corral Toronto’s US$12-million strike force of Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco? Will Seattle playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro and the speedy Jordan Morris slice through the Toronto defence, as Montreal did five times in the two-legged Eastern Conference final?

The final is a matchup of two of the league’s best followed teams.

Seattle led MLS by averaging 42,636 fans per game. Toronto, whose stadium has been upgraded to the tune of $150 million the last two years, ranked third at 26,583.

The teams tied 1-1 in their lone meeting this season, at BMO Field on July 2.

Home-field advantage may play its part, although Seattle has proved it can win anywhere of late.

The Sounders were 4-9-4 away from the noisy confines of CenturyLink Field during the regular season, although seven of those losses came before the mid-season coaching change that saw Brian Schmetzer take over from Sigi Schmid.

Seattle is 1-1-0 on the road in the playoffs; Toronto is 3-0-0 at home in the post-season.

And perhaps most importantly, which team will handle the chilly lakefront conditions for the 8 p.m. ET kickoff at BMO Field? Seattle players looked like they had landed on Pluto when they ran out for their first practice in Toronto on Thursday. Toronto players seemed less shocked by the cold, but were still showing very little skin at training.

The frosty night (daytime high of –1C in the forecast) will likely do little to improve the entertainment value of the league’s showcase game, although underground heating and a gifted grounds crew that babies the grass have done wonders. Still, goals are expected given the two teams’ nine playoff games have produced a combined 33 goals.