Well, congrats to Seattle. They pulled it out of the bag, even though they were rubbish on the night. A generally tedious final, but Seattle won’t care. They’ve made history.
Thanks for reading. Goodnight.
They’ve done it! The Sounders are in a bundle on the field. They’ve won their first ever MLS Cup – and they did it in a game in which they didn’t have a shot. Torres slotted the penalty in really calm fashion – straight down the middle.
Commiserations to Toronto: they were the better side tonight. They just couldn’t do it in the shootout.
Seattle Sounders win the MLS Cup!
Torres scores! Toronto 4-5 Seattle
Seattle have done it!
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Morrow misses! Toronto 4-4 Seattle
Off the crossbar!
Lodeiro scores! Toronto 4-4 Seattle
Whew. Decisive. Great power.
Moor scores! Toronto 4-3 Seattle
In the corner. Seattle must score now.
Jones scores! Toronto 3-3 Seattle
Top corner! What a penalty!
Johnson scores! Toronto 3-2 Seattle
And Frei goes the wrong way!
Fernandez misses! Toronto 2-2 Seattle
And Irwin saves to his left! Another poor penalty, though.
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Cheyrou scores! Toronto 2-2 Seattle
Right in the corner. Top penalty.
Ivanschitz scores! Toronto 1-2 Seattle
And the Austrian sends Irwin the wrong way. Seattle lead in the shootout!
Bradley misses! Toronto 1-1 Seattle
Frei saves! No conviction from the skipper.
Evans scores! Toronto 1-1 Seattle
Sends Irwin the wrong way.
Penalty shootout
Altidore scores! Toronto 1-0 Seattle
Decisive. Low to Frei’s right.
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So here we go. Tension! TFC to kick first.
Well, that was dreadful, by and large, but at least we’ll have some drama with the shootout. Frei’s save from Altidore was genuinely magnificent, but that was about the sole highlight in what was, I’m afraid to say, a very poor final.
Full-time, extra time: Toronto FC 0-0 Seattle Sounders
We’re going to penalties.
120 min A minute left. Seattle still haven’t had a shot on target.
118 min Ricketts goes clear past Marshall, but the angle is tight, and he can’t get the power. Frei saves easily.
117 min Both teams look shattered, understandably.
115 min Everybody’s got cramp. They’re all on the floor. Let’s just go to penalties, ref.
114 min Corner No10 for TFC. Nothing doing, though.
112 min Does that count as a shot on target for Seattle? Beitashour completely missed it in the six-yard box, but it took Torres by surprise and bobbled off his knee and into Irwin’s arms.
111 min Ivanschitz is nearly hit by a can of beer at the corner flag. We’ve seen this before at sports games in Toronto. Stupid.
109 min What a save that was. Brilliant from Frei. So athletic.
108 min What a magnificent save from Stefan Frei! Finally, we have some action! Ricketts did so well on the right side, hung up a cross, and Altidore’s header looked to be looping in, but Frei got fingertips and clawed it away from the net! Brilliant work from the Seattle goalie. I thought that was in.
107 min Oh, Ricketts! Seattle couldn’t clear, and Ricketts hit one on the volley. He didn’t quite catch it right, and it sliced off his boot and just trickled past the post! Frei was beaten. Morris can’t continue and Brad Evans is on for Seattle.
106 min Under way in the second half of extra time. Morris goes clear on the left, but Hagglund does well to clear the danger.
Half-time, extra time: Toronto FC 0-0 Seattle Sounders
Still searching for that goal.
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105 min Ricketts is nearly through but Jones does well to mop up.
103 min And Sebastian Giovinco’s night is done. Tosaint Ricketts is on.
102 min Giovinco really looks like he’s struggling. He might not be able to continue.
101 min Moor heads clear. Quelle surprise.
100 min Get this: in 100 minutes of football, Seattle haven’t had a shot on target. Headed behind by Cheyrou, and it’s a corner.
99 min Giovinco is moving gingerly, and Ivanschitz has just gone down. Lodeiro wins a cheap free kick from Cheyrou’s foul, and Seattle have a chance to get the ball in the box.
98 min Seattle haven’t attacked in this first period of extra time. TFC playing in Seattle’s half.
96 min Altidore does well to win a corner off Joevin Jones. Bradley takes, and it’s crap.
94 min As disappointing finals go, it’s not quite up there with Portugal-France this summer or every World Cup since 1990, but it’s lacked excitement, for sure. Cheyrou finds a pocket of space but his shot is weak.
92 min Altidore and Giovinco haven’t really clicked tonight, and Altidore is penalised for a foul on Chad Marshall.
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91 min We’re back at it, and immediately Cheyrou hits a shot that’s deflected wide. Frei wouldn’t have got there. Bradley’s corner is cleared. The corners have been rubbish tonight.
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Well, we’ve got 30 minutes more of this, but it’s fair to say it hasn’t been a classic. In fact, it’s been pretty disappointing. But who knows? Maybe it’ll liven up.
Full-time: Toronto FC 0-0 Seattle Sounders
And that’s it. We go into extra-time.
90 min +2 Bradley is cautioned for a late challenge on Roldan.
90 min +1 TFC corner. And Altidore nearly nicks a winner! It was headed on, and Altidore was inches from getting the vital touch.
90 min Three minutes of stoppage time. Who’s going to be the hero?!
88 min I don’t think Clint Irwin has had to make a save, but Seattle are still in this. It’s anyone’s to win!
86 min It comes to nothing, predictably. And then TFC had a two on one, but Cheyrou couldn’t get the pass right. Not good enough, unfortunately.
85 min Five minutes to go. Both sides are trying their best, but there’s just a lack of quality in attack. Morris wins a corner, Seattle’s third.
83 min Benoit Cheyrou replaces Armando Cooper, who looks thoroughly pissed to have been withdrawn.
82 min Morris is nearly on to a loose ball, but his touch is heavy, and it’s out for a goal kick. It’s been that kind of game.
81 min Mears drives inside but shoots wide. Still Seattle haven’t tested Clint Irwin.
Here’s Travis Giblin: “Tim, this game started out with such promise and excitement. Where did it all go wrong? It could seriously do with a goal, preferably from the home side.”
80 min Seattle win a free kick, and Ivanschitz plays it in, but TFC clear without much fuss.
79 min Seattle have ridden the storm, and the subs have had an influence. Seattle starting to get on the ball a bit more.
78 min Still plenty of time for a winner in regulation. Will Johnson replaces Osorio for TFC.
75 min A dumb passage of play. Alonso shot from 25 yards and Bradley got in the way, and when Giovinco picked the ball up in his own half, the Seattle defence had dropped back way inside their half! Why weren’t they at the halfway line? Giovinco streaked forward unchallenged, then got a bump, went down, and Alan Kelly said no free kick. All very messy.
73 min Panic in the Seattle defence, but they do enough. The Sounders have been focused on defending for the past 10 minutes or so.
72 min Andreas Ivanschitz replaces Nelson Valdez, who hobbles off injured. TFC have a free kick after that Jones-Beitashour tangle. It’s hustled behind for a corner after Frei flapped at the first cross.
71 min Minor flare-up by the corner flag, and Steven Beitashour goes down like a sack of potatoes after an arm from Joevin Jones. There wasn’t much in that – I think Beitashour was kidding us on.
70 min A reminder that we go to extra time if it finishes level after 90 minutes. As the MLS rulebook puts it: “If the score is tied after 90 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary.”
68 min TFC win a free kick, and it’s a good ball in from Bradley, but everyone misses it, and it’s out for a goal kick.
67 min Change for Seattle, and Alvaro Fernandez replaces Erik Fridberg.
66 min Giovinco looked for a minute like he was going to smash a left-foot volley into the top corner like Francesco Totti against Samp in 2006, but he mishit it, and it nearly turned into a perfect cross for Altidore! Good defending from Mears to get there first.
64 min A slight lull. Lodeiro has just walked over the sideline for treatment, but he’ll be OK to continue.
62 min An emotional plea to both teams: please let’s not have penalties.
59 min Terrible giveaway from Morrow, who passes it straight to Roldan from about 10 yards. The quality here hasn’t been great, to be honest.
56 min TFC are on top here, but Seattle, with Jones, Morris and Lodeiro, do look a threat on the counter-attack.
55 min Giovinco lifts it in, and Cooper hits a shot after it’s cleared. Deflected for another corner, but Seattle get rid.
54 min Alonso makes his 457th foul of the game, and TFC have a free kick in a good area.
52 min Toronto are cranking it up, and Bradley spanks one from 25 yards. It’s blocked, and Seattle break quickly, but can’t quite manufacture an opening. When each side gives up possession, there’s so much space for the other to attack.
50 min Marshall coughs it up, Giovinco wins the loose ball, and Ozzie Alonso bumps him from behind, 25 yards from goal. Alan Kelly says no foul and Greg Vanney is puce-faced on the touchline at that no-call.
48 min Oh, big chance for Giovinco! The game’s best opportunity. Altidore won it on the edge of the box, it broke loose, and Osorio fed Giovinco, who missed the target from just inside the area! That was a free shot, but he sliced across it. He certainly should have worked the keeper.
47 min Osorio is persisting with the socks-halfway-down-his-shins look, which, in this weather, is admirable. Seattle, by the way, are the best team in MLS in the second half of the season.
46 min We’re back. No changes from either side.
It started well, but it got worse, unfortunately. Lots of space, and both sides are playing with spit and vigour, but there wasn’t much for either keeper to do, to be honest. Altidore went closest early on, but other than that, it’s been relatively chance-free. Let’s hope for an improvement in the second half.
Back soon!
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Half-time: Toronto FC 0-0 Seattle Sounders
Time for a break. That’s the whistle.
45 min +2 Bradley floats in the free kick, and Moor gets free, but his header is easy for Frei.
45 min +1 Altidore is tripped, and Chad Marshall is deservedly booked. That was late.
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45 min Three minutes of added time.
43 min A rather messy past five minutes or so. Both sides guilty of conceding possession too cheaply.
41 min I must say, both defences are helping the end-to-end nature of this game by standing about 20 yards too deep when the ball’s in midfield. Strange.
39 min Into the wall again! Disappointing.
38 min Ooh, this looks promising: Giovinco wins a foul about 23 yards out, left side. Possibilities! Incidentally, Seattle’s defence were standing on the edge of their 18-yard box when TFC won that ball in midfield. Why didn’t they push up?
37 min It was a madcap first 10 minutes, but it’s settled down rather. Intriguing, let’s say, but despite plenty of attacking intent, not too many clear chances.
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34 min Nice reverse pass from Valdez, but Friberg, running in behind, just can’t quite get on the end of it. Then Tyrone Mears twice crosses poorly when well placed. Groan.
32 min Into the wall from Giovinco. What a shame.
31 min Giovinco draws a foul from Friberg in a shooting position. Chance here.
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30 min Morrow does well down the left and hangs one up for Altidore to attack, but there wasn’t much pace on the cross, and his header doesn’t test Frei. Good play from Morrow, though.
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28 min Torres is back, with a grimace. There’s a lot of space here: neither side too interested in condensing the play.
26 min Torres takes one flush in the face from a Giovinco rocket, and he’s down clutching his face. We’ll take a moment’s pause.
Here’s Graham Parker at BMO Field: “Not enough Altidore for Toronto. He’s shown willing but hasn’t been the possessed presence he was against Montreal, yet.
“Seattle will be happy enough to ride early storm, see game break up a little and look to get Morris going quickly in transitions. Valdez has been trying to flick the ball down that side of the field first time, whenever it comes near him. Sounders like the match up of Morris running at Zavaleta, and with no Johnson in beside Bradley, there’s a little more space to work with if they can quickly break Toronto’s main midfield line.”
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24 min Thrilling run from Jordan Morris down the left, surging upfield with the ball, but he meets too many red shirts. I often think Morris looks rather chunky for a footballer, but he isn’t half quick.
22 min Valdez went up with Hagglund and landed awkwardly. He’s gone over the touchline, so Seattle playing with 10 just now.
21 min Valdez, who’s already emerging as the game’s pantomime villain, goes down clutching his shoulder. The TFC fans don’t like it, but he looks in some discomfort. The trainer is on.
18 min Giovinco has been prominent already – he’s shown several lovely touches. Alonso and Cooper have a minor disagreement in centre field, but no cards shown.
Anyone got any thoughts? About anything?
17 min There’s been a pleasing ebb and flow to this match. Neither side is looking to sit back and defend: I fancy goals here tonight.
15 min Osorio forces a save from Frei! Lovely build-up from TFC, and Osorio, socks halfway down his shins – I approve – tried to beat the keeper from 10 yards, but he couldn’t get the power. Decent chance.
13 min It’s just settled down a little after a frantic start. Altidore with the best chance so far.
Here’s Richard Johnson: “I never thought I’d ever see an MBM involving TFC. Hopefully the game lives up to the occasion.”
Let’s hope so too!
10 min First look for Lodeiro, and he wins a corner. TFC can’t clear; after bossing the first eight minutes they’re now on the back foot. Finally they smash it downfield, and we can all take a breather.
9 min TFC repel the first ball, but Seattle play it back, and win a corner. It’s end-to-end stuff! This time TFC hack it clear.
8 min By gum, there’ve been some hard tackles in already. OK, maybe it’s not quite Chile v Italy in 1962, but it’s been physical. Cooper this time is called for a trip, and it’s a chance for Seattle.
7 min Moor gets his revenge by standing on the back of Valdez’s ankle as Seattle looked to break. That should have been yellow, but it wasn’t.
6 min It’s all TFC at the moment, and Giovinco nearly links up with Altidore, but Torres does well to come across and block. Now Drew Moor is down after taking a whack in the genitals from Nelson Valdez. No card, though.
4 min Drew Moor almost gets on the end of it, but it’s behind for a corner. Bradley’s ball in is good, but Frei punches clear. Early pressure from the home wide.
3 min Nothing comes of it, but it’s a positive start from TFC. Now Giovinco wins another foul, by the right touchline, level with the penalty box.
2 min First touch for Giovinco, and Roman Torres, the Panamanian, gives him a hefty whack from behind. And Altidore shoots just wide! It was lofted into the box, and Giovinco and Altidore linked up nicely, but the big man’s shot was just wide. It was deflected, though, and it’ll be a corner.
And we're off in the MLS Cup 2016!
1 min Alan Kelly peeps his whistle, and Seattle get the ball rolling. The home side all in red; the Sounders in green and blue. This game, of course, is being played in Toronto because TFC finished as the higher seed in the regular season.
And now we’re doing the anthems. All this waiting around: the players must be freezing!
Teams are out on the pitch, shaking hands with Don Garber, the MLS commissioner. About 36,000 fans in the stadium.
Some news on Deuce:
Bruce Arena told me he talked to Clint Dempsey and wants to bring him into January camp, hopefully get him fit for WCQs. #USMNT
— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_FOX) December 11, 2016
A slight amendment to the schedule: kick off looks more likely to be at about 8.15, in classic MLS fashion. Almost as though the 8pm listed time is merely a suggestion.
“Toronto’s field has good undersoil heating and looks to be holding up well across the whole surface – certainly compared to the side of the Kansas City field that was visibly frozen back in 2013 and that had onlookers wincing every time a tackle went in on it. The main effect of cold might not be surface but on fact that every time Lodeiro wants to dink a delicate little defense-splitting ball perfectly weighted for Jordan Morris to run on to, he’s going to feel like he’s kicking a rock. Don’t expect a bunch of long passes from either side today.
“An honorable exception for the beloved defensive tactic of hoofing it clear.”
We’re about 20 minutes away from kick-off, and without wishing to labour the point, it’s cold. Mid-20s. But the pitch is good for play, even if it does look a little heavy.
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The road to the final
Both sides did it the hard way. Seattle sneaked into fourth-place in the Western Conference after a late-season surge, but have shown their mettle in the postseason, beating Sporting KC before seeing off No 1 Dallas and No2 Colorado over two legs.
TFC finished third in the East, beat Philly in the play-in game, humped NYC FC in a remarkable 7-0 aggregate win, and then ousted Montreal in an extremely entertaining Eastern Conference final. They might not have topped their respective divisions, but TFC and Seattle deserve to be here.
Graham Parker is at a very chilly BMO Field:
“So far so good on snow … it’s cold, though. Not as cold as Kansas City in 2013 yet, but temperatures dropping. Am pathetically grateful that my Guardian affiliation qualifies me for an obstructed view seat inside the press box, rather than in the outdoor press tribune.”
So TFC look like three at the back, with Giovinco and Altidore the furthest forward. Four in defence for the Sounders, and Nelson Haedo Valdez will be the lone striker, ably supported by Morris, Lodeiro and Friberg.
Tonight's teams
Toronto FC: Irwin, Moor, Hagglund, Morrow, Beitashour, Zavaleta, Cooper, Bradley, Osorio, Altidore, Giovinco. Subs: Bono, Williams, Bloom, Cheyrou, Johnson, Ricketts, Endoh.
Seattle: Frei, J Jones, Marshall, Torres, Mears; Roldan, Alonso; Morris, Friberg, Lodeiro; Valdez. Subs: Miller, Scott, Fisher, Ivanschitz, Fernandez, Gomez, Evans.
Referee: Alan Kelly
Hello and welcome
Tonight a new name will be etched on the MLS championship trophy. Toronto play Seattle at BMO Field, and since neither side has ever won US soccer’s biggest prize. A chance to make history for two upwardly mobile clubs who were off the pace in the regular season, but who have peaked at just the right time.
Toronto have their Big Three ready to rock in the biggest game in TFC history: much of their play is expected to go through Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, and the well remunerated trio have the calibre to test the Sounders’ defence. Seattle have the wily Nicolas Lodeiro and the youthful Jordan Morris, and Ozzie Alonso remains a forceful presence, but Clint Dempsey, still sidelined with an irregular heartbeat, is a big miss. That said, Brian Schmetzer’s done a terrific job after taking over from Sigi Schmid midway through the season. An MLS Cup final appearance only five months into the post isn’t bad going for a who’s done some outstanding work in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Schmetzer deserves his moment.
Kick off is 8pm, and the weather is cold. Seriously cold – about -4C right now. Let’s play ball.
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Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Graham Parker’s match preview:
The key to this game well be which team gets its wide players up in support while retaining defensive shape. Steven Beitashour and Justin Morrow are part of that experienced supporting cast brought in to provide a platform for the team’s stars, but with Toronto moving to three at the back in recent weeks, they’ve also been charged with getting forward and overwhelming opponents with supply from out wide.
Seattle have their own version of that, with Joevin Jones stretching opposition defenses at times when he gets forward, and proving particularly effective in seeing off Dallas in the first leg of the Conference semi-final. If he can keep his Toronto counterpart honest, and allow Seattle to take their chances in controlling the battle for central midfield, the Sounders will hope that Lodeiro, who can pop up anywhere across the field, can find the angle and the pass to slip Morris behind the defense to where he can be deadly. Morris’s decision-making with his running has sharpened exponentially in the last few months, after an exciting but raw start to the season, but his cool in finishing is that of a born striker.
Still, you have to think that home crowd advantage, and just the variety of their attack, should favor Toronto on Saturday, which will be a novel position for them to be in. They may have only recently dared to dream of an actual MLS Cup, but they’ve waited a long, long time to be favorites for anything. And they look like they won’t be fazed by that. But they’ll need to be wary of a Seattle team thriving as underdogs. And whatever happens, one of these teams is about to permanently rewrite the myth about themselves.
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