Road to the MLS Cup: Chilly forecast for big game doesn’t worry TFC
Snow had fallen and hand warmers were doled out to media by the time Michael Bradley was asked about the forecast for Saturday’s MLS Cup final.
Toronto FC had kicked around a neon orange ball, Major League Soccer’s designated “snow ball” because of its visibility, earlier in the day but Bradley wasn’t concerned about a few flurries or the cold that comes with it. “It’s going to be cold,” he said. “It’s Toronto, right? It’s Toronto in December. Nobody thought any different. We’ve not spent a whole lot of time talking about it or worrying about it because ultimately it’s one of those things that gets filed away under things that we have no control over.”
The forecast for Saturday MLS Cup final rematch between Bradley’s Reds and the Seattle Sounders is a daytime temperature of zero. There is a 70 per cent chance of precipitation, with two to four centimetres of snow expected to fall over 24 hours.
Temperature-wise, that would be an improvement on last year; according to the league, game-time temperature at field level in 2016 was -2 C, the second-coldest reading for an MLS Cup final since the league starting recording in 2003. That could be helped by an earlier start time; Saturday afternoon’s 4 p.m. ET kickoff is four hours earlier than the first whistle last year.
SOUND BITE: If coach Greg Vanney’s comments earlier this week about the possibility of Seattle lacking intensity after cruising through the Western Conference during these playoffs — during which they played up a man for almost a full match in arguably the easier conference — run irked the Sounders, they’re not showing it. “Greg’s a great guy, a great coach,” Schmetzer said. “No issues there. These guys don’t need the motivation. Anybody that thinks we need bulletin board information for a final doesn’t know these guys. Simple as that.”
MAY PLAY: Seattle striker Jordan Morris, who led the Sounders’ attack for 108 minutes of last year’s final, has played just 14 minutes since early September after injuring his hamstring. He came on in the second leg of the Western Conference final against the Houston Dynamo last month and while Schmetzer called Morris “100-per-cent healthy” earlier this week, he wouldn’t guarantee the 23-year-old playing time on Saturday. “Jordan’s participation in the match will be dictated by what happens in the game,” Schmetzer said.