Plenty on the line in MLS Cup
Toronto tries to cap league’s best-ever season while Seattle goes for title repeat
TORONTO — One more chance. Or one more championship.
For Toronto FC, Saturday’s MLS Cup final is an opportunity for redemption and to punctuate a record-breaking season with an unprecedented treble, adding the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy to the Supporters’ Shield symbolic of the best regular-season record — in this case the league’s best regular season ever — and the Voyageurs Cup as Canadian champion.
It’s also a chance to erase the sour memory of last year’s penalty shootout loss to Seattle in a scoreless BMO Field final that saw Toronto one kick from hoisting the trophy.
For the Sounders, it’s a chance to build their own dynasty. Only three MLS teams have ever repeated as champions (D.C. United in 199697, Houston Dynamo in 2006-07, and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 201112).
Best team ever in MLS (Toronto) or back-to-back champions (Seattle)? There is plenty on the line Saturday.
The forecast for kickoff at 4 p.m. local time calls for temperatures around zero with a little snow. The underground heating should take care of any white stuff but the sellout crowd should probably add a layer or two.
The pressure may be on Toronto which laid waste to the opposition during a 20-win, 69-point season. But the playoffs have been far more of a grind. Failing to take advantage of a second straight championship game at home would doubtless scar the big-spending franchise.
“It’s a must-win, because we set it as our primary goal at the start of the year,” said Toronto defender Drew Moor. “We want to bring a championship here to this club and for ourselves and for the fans and for the city.
“It’s been an amazing season so far. To cap it off with (the) MLS Cup would mean the world to us.”
Teammate Eriq Zavaleta, who was drafted by Seattle, believes Toronto has shown this season it can handle any kind of game.
“We’ve shown and proven that we can win ugly, we can win pretty, we can win 1-0, we can win 5-0, we can win 5-3. It doesn’t matter,” said the defender.
“And so for us, it’s been about advancing, advancing, advancing and giving ourselves the chance to lift a trophy. To do that, you’ve just got to make it the final. And we like our chances at home.”
Coach Greg Vanney’s ability to change tactics on the fly has been a big plus for Toronto.
Both sides moved to improve their lineup this season.
Defenders Kelvin Leerdam and Nouhou Tolo, midfielders Victor Rodriguez, Gustav Svensson and Harry Shipp and forward Will Bruin have all added to the Sounders’ toolbox.
Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer gets centre back — and penalty shootout hero — Roman Torres back from suspension for the final. Torres lines up beside Chad Marshall in a robust defence that boasts both experience and physicality.
With injured captain Osvaldo Alonso still unavailable, Schmetzer will likely return Svensson to a holding midfielder role. He has also played Nicolas Lodeiro in that role, deploying the talented Uruguayan further back.
Toronto has also made changes this season. Spanish playmaker Victor Vazquez has added creativity and flair while French-born Congolese international Chris Mavinga has solidified the backline. New No. 1 goalkeeper Alex Bono is an athletic shot-stopper.
Toronto has fewer personnel questions, with striker Jozy Altidore insisting he will play despite a rolled ankle suffered in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final Nov. 29.
A healthy Altidore has been a beast of late, with seven goals since Aug. 24.
Steven Beitashour, with his superior defensive skills, is likely to retain his right wingback position over Nicolas Hasler. While Vanney opted for Jonathan Osorio over Marky Delgado to start last time out, Delgado’s ability to move the ball may well get him back in the starting 11.
Who scores first will have a huge upper hand, especially if it is the home side. Toronto led the league during the regular season with a .909 winning percentage (19-1-2) when scoring first. That’s primarily because opponents, when down a goal, have to press which leaves space and opportunity for Toronto to counter-attack.
With captain Michael Bradley, Vazquez and Delgado in midfield, Toronto can move the ball quickly. And Altidore and strike partner Sebastian Giovinco can cause havoc on the move.
Seattle ranked fifth when scoring first (.806, 12-1-5).
While Giovinco continues to be a free kick threat from anywhere around the box, injuries and suspension have seemingly robbed the elusive Italian of momentum in recent weeks.
Suffering cramps, he had to be subbed off in the 103rd minute of last year’s final. But Toronto all but wrapped him in cotton wool in the final days of the regular season to prepare him for the playoffs.
Toronto will look for Giovinco to return to top form, tormenting defenders and threatening every time he touches the ball. And teams that chop him down near the penalty box run the risk of some free kick magic from the mercurial Italian.
While Van ney correctly noted that TFC had a more challenging playoff road in the East than Seattle had in the West, the Sounders defence has been formidable of late.
Including its four previous playoff games, Seattle has not allowed a goal in six straight matches, a 542-minute stretch that dates back to a 2-0 loss in Philadelphia on Oct. 1.
The Sounders, who started the season with a poor 2-5-4 run, have not lost since Oct. 1 (5-0-1) and have been beaten just twice since June 28 (12-2-6).
Toronto has outscored its opposition 3-2 in its four tightly contested playoff games, posting two shutouts along the way. It has not conceded in 216 minutes.
Clubs with a chance to repeat as MLS Cup champions are 3-1 in the final. Losing finalists who get back to the championship game the next season are 2-3, with three straight losses.
Toronto (20-5-9) finished 16 points ahead of Seattle (14-9-11) in the regular season and beat the Sounders 1-0 in Seattle in May in their lone regular-season meeting. Altidore’s penalty kick won the day for Toronto which left Giovinco, Vazquez, Zavaleta and Beitashour at home.
The two teams will wear their primary home uniforms — all-red for Toronto and green shirts with blue shorts for Seattle.
Allen Chapman, named referee of the year in 2017, takes charge of his first MLS Cup final.