November 13, 2019

On Sunday, November 10, the Seattle Sounders FC (Football Club) defeated Toronto FC 3-1 to win the MLS (Major League Soccer) Cup final at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. The 2019 MLS title was the second for the Sounders, who had previously faced Toronto in the MLS Cup final in 2016 (a win) and 2017 (a loss). After a scoreless first half, Seattle thrilled the hometown crowd of 69,724 fans with goals from Kelvin Leerdam, Víctor Rodríguez, and Raúl Ruidíaz. Rodríguez, who entered the game as a substitute in the 61st minute, was named the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP).

On Nov. 10, 2019, members of the Seattle Sounders celebrate the go-ahead goal scored by Kelvin Leerdam (in the center of the group hug) in the 57th minute of the MLS Cup final at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. Seattle beat Toronto FC 3-1 to win the MLS title. Credit: © Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Toronto—their bright red kits contrasting sharply against Seattle’s “rave green” uniforms—controlled the tempo in the first half and appeared the stronger of the two clubs. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei proved stingy in the net, however, ruining Toronto’s best scoring opportunities, including a strong hand save in the 36th minute. Seattle missed out on early scoring chances too, but the team finally broke through in the 57th minute when Leerdam’s shot ricocheted off two Toronto defenders and into the net. Rodríguez then entered the game, scoring in the 76th minute. Ruidíaz iced the game with a third Sounders goal before the clock ticked 90:00. Forward Jozy Altidore headed in a late consolation goal for Toronto in stoppage time.

Seattle’s MLS Cup victory capped an exciting season in which the team finished second to Los Angeles FC (LAFC) in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Sounders knocked off FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake before shocking LAFC in the conference final, 3-1. Los Angeles had won the Supporters’ Shield as the MLS team with the best regular season record (an outstanding 21-4-9). Toronto finished fourth in the bruising Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the club beat D.C. United, top-seeded New York City FC, and the defending champion Atlanta United FC in the conference final.

December 13, 2017

Last Saturday, on December 9, Toronto FC (Football Club) defeated Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 to win the MLS (Major League Soccer) Cup championship. It was the first title for Toronto—also known as TFC or the Reds—which had lost to Seattle in the 2016 MLS Cup final. Forward Jozy Altidore put TFC up 1-0 with a goal in the game’s 67th minute, and midfielder Víctor Vázquez tapped in a last-minute rebound to further elate the crowd of 30,584 fans crammed into BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. Altidore was named the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP).

TFC team captain Michael Bradley grips the MLS championship trophy amidst jubilant teammates after Toronto’s 2-0 MLS Cup victory over the Seattle Sounders on Dec. 9, 2017, at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. Credit: © Vaughn Ridley, Getty Images

Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei—last year’s MLS Cup MVP—made save after save before allowing Altidore’s difference maker in the second half. Of TFC’s 22 shots, 11 were on target. Team captain Michael Bradley helped the Reds dominate the center of the field, as did 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco, who took seven shots and assisted on Altidore’s goal. Seattle managed just seven shots as a team, leaving Toronto goalkeeper Alexander Bono with little to do but cheer on his teammates.

Toronto’s dominant MLS Cup victory capped one of the greatest seasons in league history. TFC went 20-9-5 during the regular season, easily winning the Supporters’ Shield as the MLS team with the best record. Tough playoff wins over the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew SC preceded TFC’s capture of the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy in the MLS Cup final. The team also won its sixth Canadian Championship, that country’s top professional tournament, in 2017. Seattle finished the regular season 14-9-11, good enough for second in the Western Conference. The Sounders enjoyed playoffs wins over Vancouver and Houston on their way to the MLS Cup final.

December 15, 2016

On Saturday, December 10, Seattle Sounders FC (Football Club) won its first Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup, defeating Toronto FC 5-4 on penalty kicks after the game ended in a scoreless tie. It was the first championship for the Sounders, who won despite being the first team in history to finish an MLS Cup final with zero shots on target. The Sounders managed three shots total (the fewest in MLS Cup history), but it was their cool and luck in the penalty shootout that brought the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy home to Seattle for the first time.

At BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Román Torres hoists the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy shortly after his penalty kick won the MLS Cup for Seattle Sounders FC on Dec. 10, 2016. Credit: © Dan Poss, Seattle Sounders FC Communications

The Sounders’ victory disappointed most of the 36,045 fans crammed into BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario—a buzzing scene all season that saw the hometown Reds finish third in the Eastern Conference. Toronto forward Jozy Altidore led the Reds’ romp through the playoffs, scoring in every match until being shutout in the final by Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei—a worthy recipient of the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player award. Altidore and Toronto star Sebastian Giovinco pressed the Reds’ attack, taking 10 of their team’s 19 shots.

Seattle finished fourth in the Western Conference before taking down the top two teams in the west—FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids—during a dominant playoff run. The Sounders’ offense sputtered in the final, however, and the championship fell on the strong shoulders of Panamanian defender Román Torres during the fourth penalty shootout in MLS Cup history. After the high tension of back-and-forth hitting, saving, and missing, the entire season came down to a penalty kick by Torres—delivered deftly up and to the right of Toronto goalie Clint Irwin, hitting the back of the net to win the title for Seattle.