The Seattle Sounders are taking on Toronto FC on Saturday in MLS Cup 2017, a rematch of last year’s epic final. Here is everything you need to know.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on ESPN and UniMás.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360 AM.
FINAL 2017 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 14-9-11 (53 points, 2nd West), TFC: 20-5-9 (69 points, 1st East).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Seattle: Bye in the Knockout Round, def. Vancouver 2-0 on aggregate in the Western Conference Semifinals, def. Houston 5-0 on aggregate in the Western Conference Championship. Toronto: Bye in the Knockout Round, def. New York on away goals in 2-2 aggregate Eastern Conference Semifinals, def. Columbus 1-0 on aggregate in the Eastern Conference Championship.
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 7-3-2 all time against Toronto FC, including a 4-1-1 mark on the road.
RECENT MEETINGS: Toronto defeated Seattle 1-0 at CenturyLink Field on May 6 behind a penalty kick from Jozy Altidore. That was their only meeting this season after the Sounders defeated TFC in penalty kicks in last year’s MLS Cup.
#DEFENDOURCUP: The Sounders are trying to become just the fourth team in history to repeat as MLS Cup champions, joining 1996-97 D.C. United, the 2005-06 Houston Dynamo and the 2011-12 LA Galaxy.
U.S. SOCCER SHOWDOWN: Saturday’s match features four prominent U.S. Soccer members in Seattle’s Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris and Toronto’s Altidore and Michael Bradley. U.S. Soccer nominated all four on Tuesday for 2017 Male Player of the Year.
DEMPSEY DIFFERENCE: The Sounders head into this year’s edition of MLS Cup with a vital attacking piece they lacked last year: Dempsey. The all-time great scored a team-high 12 goals this season and has added three more in the Sounders’ last three postseason matches to push Seattle to the brink of a repeat.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: The Sounders are riding a 647-minute postseason shutout streak dating back to the first leg of the 2016 Western Conference Championship, a span that includes last year’s MLS Cup. They are also on a 542-minute shutout streak this year, having not allowed a goal in their last six matches dating back to Oct. 1. Seattle has outscored its opponents 7-0 in the playoffs so far.
ALONSO OUT: Head Coach Brian Schmetzer ruled out captain Osvaldo Alonso on Thursday after he failed a fitness test. Alonso had been questionable after suffering a quad strain at the end of September. He missed the final three regular-season matches before returning as a substitute in Leg 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but he reaggrevated his injury and missed the last three postseason games.
His likely replacement will be Gustav Svensson, Schmetzer’s utility man and perhaps the Sounders’ most unsung player in their quest to repeat as champions.
MORRIS HEALTHY: After missing his services for nearly three full months, the Sounders welcomed back forward Morris to the pitch in their 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in Leg 2 of the Western Conference Championship last Thursday. Morris came on as a substitute and said he hopes he can spark the team this weekend.
JONES’ SENDOFF: Saturday will mark the final game for Sounders defender Joevin Jones, as he’s already signed a pre-contract with 2. Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt. The 26-year-old has spent the last two years in Seattle, amassing three goals and 19 assists in 73 regular-season and postseason matches heading into this weekend.
VÍCTORS VALIANT: Saturday will feature a matchup of two Víctors, Seattle’s Víctor Rodríguez and Toronto’s Víctor Vázquez. Rodríguez, 28, and Vázquez, 30, each hail from Barcelona, Spain, and each are in their first year with their respective club. Rodríguez joined the Sounders on Aug. 2 and has been a crucial addition the attack, recording three goals and three assists in 10 matches. Vázquez joined TFC last offseason and scored eight goals and had 16 assists en route to being named a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year.
BEST XI: Following their historic season, TFC had three players — forward Sebastian Giovinco, defender Justin Morrow and midfielder Vázquez — named to MLS’ Best XI.
ALTIDORE KNOCK: Altidore pulled off a gutsy performance in TFC’s 1-0 win over Columbus Crew SC in Leg 2 of the Eastern Conference Championship last week. After being taken off the field with a leg injury, Altidore fought through the pain long enough to score the game’s lone goal and game-winner to send TFC back to MLS Cup. TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney said that Altidore will “100 percent” play on Saturday afternoon. “For him, it’s not even a discussion.” Altidore scored 15 goals and added six assists in 27 matches this year.
