ClapThe MLS Cup Final is finally upon us after a long and arduous season of Major League Soccer action, and while the two teams competing in the final are of a high quality, it certainly isn’t the final that many were anticipating.
Some of the very best sides in the league have fallen in the lead-up to the last hurdle, with Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC coming out on the other side as the leading contenders for the crown. As reported by MLS Soccer and Pro Soccer USA, they’re both ready to put it all out on the line in the name of being called champions once again.
The big one
They’ve both been on one hell of a journey to get to this point, in what will serve as the third showdown of their trilogy when it comes to MLS Cup Finals. They previously met in back to back years in 2016 and 2017, with Seattle coming out on top in the inaugural meeting as they secured a 5-4 triumph on penalties.
Just twelve months later they were back at TMO Field, as Toronto attempted to avoid the same fate. This time around they were able to put Seattle to the sword, winning 2-0 and claiming the title.
Two years later we’ll finally get the rubber match, and what a match it’ll be. Toronto have overcome the odds after only finishing down in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Seattle Sounders, on the other hand, finished in second place in the Western Conference with only runaway leaders LAFC being ahead of them.
Who will step up?
In their playoff adventure this year they both had to overcome some adversity, with both being on the verge of not even getting through the first round. Toronto were pushed into extra time against DC United, but when they got into extra time, they made their pressure count as they ran out 5-1 winners.
Seattle also had to deal with some extra time drama, eventually edging their way past an incredibly game FC Dallas side.
The upsets started pouring in during the conference semi-finals, with Toronto managing to knock first seed New York City out with a stunning performance. Seattle took on Real Salt Lake who were viewed as the big dark horses, and calmly progressed with a 2-0 win.
When we got to the conference finals it felt as if the most attractive MLS Cup Final possible would be Atlanta Untied, the former champions, facing LAFC, the most dominant side in the league. Toronto and Seattle had other plans, pushing through to the final with two fantastic performances respectively.
If we had to stick our neck out on the line and put down an official prediction for this one, we’d say that it’s going to be the Sounders who get the job done. They’re going to have that lively home crowd behind them, and we just think they’ve got a little bit more quality throughout the core of their squad.
It’ll be tight, but you can bet it’ll be entertaining.
