Seattle Sounders defeat TFC, 3-1, in MLS Cup final
SEATTLE — Kelvin Leerdam, Victor Rodriguez and Raul Ruidiaz scored second-half goals to lift the Seattle Sounders to a 3-1 victory over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup final Sunday.
It was an opportunistic performance for the Sounders, who lived off scraps, but got the goal they needed and then came on strong. Toronto’s consolation goal, by Jozy Altidore, came in stoppage time.
The game was a Major League Soccer championship rubber match with Seattle winning the 2016 final via penalty shootout (5-4) and Toronto lifting the trophy with a 2-0 victory in 2017.
While Toronto dominated possession for most of the game Sunday, it looked vulnerable to the counterattack. The visitors kept up the pressure to open the second half with Alejandro Pozuelo dancing around defenders with the ball on a string. But he lacked help up front, with Jozy Altidore on the bench.
The Seattle breakthrough came in the 57th minute when Ruidiaz found Leerdam in the penalty box. Leerdam lost Nicolas Benezet and his shot, through the legs of Chris Mavinga, deflected in off Justin Morrow for the Dutch fullback’s first playoff goal.
The Peruvian wheeled away and whipped off his jersey, swinging it around his head in joy. He got a yellow card for the show and then was subbed off to a standing ovation.
It was Seattle’s first MLS Cup goal from open play in 267 minutes — and another unhappy championship game memory for Morrow. The Toronto fullback hammered his spot kick off the crossbar in the penalty shootout loss in the 2016 Cup final.
Rodriguez, who had come on the field 15 minutes earlier, then capped off a nifty passing sequence with Nicolas Lodeiro and Gustav Svensson, with a wonderful shot from the edge of the penalty box that eluded goalkeeper Quentin Westberg in the 76th minute. Svensson started the play by winning the ball back in the Toronto end. Rodriguez was named MLS Cup most valuable player.
With Toronto throwing everything forward in search of a goal, Ruidiaz outmuscled Mavinga to the ball and scored in the 90th minute to complete the victory. It was his fourth of the playoffs.
The sellout crowd of 69,274 at CenturyLink Field, a record for a sporting event at the stadium, erupted as the Sounders celebrated en masse by the corner flag.
Altidore, with an assist from Pozuelo, scored in the 93rd minute after coming on as a late substitute.
Seattle joins the Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes with two Cup wins. The Los Angeles Galaxy lead with five, followed by D.C. United at four. Seven other franchises have one championship.
Toronto coach Greg Vanney, wearing his lucky playoff scarf, returned centre back Omar Gonzalez (hamstring) to the starting 11 with Laurent Ciman reverting to the substitutes. Altidore, who had not played since the Oct. 6 regular-season finale due to a quad strain, started on the bench. Altidore came on in the 68th minute.