Part III: Seattle and Toronto meet for title

SEATTLE >> When Jordan Morris takes the field in his hometown Sunday it will be a scene he could only imagine as a kid when the Sounders were in their infancy.

The team that helped changed the scope of Major League Soccer when it arrived a decade ago will host the MLS Cup final for the first time, facing Toronto FC. It’s the third meeting between the clubs in the past four years for the league title. The venue has changed from those previous two title games — both in Toronto, each club winning once.

The Sounders weren’t supposed to be here and will be buoyed by what’s expected to be the second-largest crowd for an MLS Cup final, in excess of 69,000. They are the clear favorites despite Toronto already knocking out New York City FC and Atlanta United on the road to the final.

“We got one before and that was super special,” Morris said. “But to win one here in front of our fans — they deserve it, and this city deserves it.”

Morris was the MLS comeback player of the year after returning from a major knee injury that cost him all of last season. While he’s a critical piece for Seattle, it’s the spine of the lineup that drives the Sounders.

It starts in the back with goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who was the star of Seattle’s championship victory in 2016. Cristian Roldan has become a premier twoway player in the midfielder, able to push into the attack and cover defensively. Nicolas Lodeiro is Seattle’s playmaking wiz and he’s often trying to set up striker Raul Ruidiaz, who had two goals in the upset of LAFC in the conference finals.

“They’re playing at home in front of their fans,” Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio said. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to want to bring that energy and want to be in control of the game and try and bring the fans into it especially from the beginning and keep their fans into it.”