Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
With all of the attacking firepower on display from both the Sounders and Toronto FC, and with how both teams made it to MLS Cup, no one would have been remiss to expect the game itself to be a classic. The game was the exact opposite of that, with the Sounders becoming the first team ever to not record a shot on goal in MLS Cup history, and yet, much like how they were able to go on their run to win the trophy they now have, MLS offers up surprises like no other league on the planet.
Both teams had plenty of attacking bullets to shoot, but both teams, especially Seattle, fired blanks for most of the match. Toronto FC being at home held most of the attacking impetus but couldn’t do much thanks to Ozzie Alonso, Chad Marshall and especially Roman Torres in front of Stefan Frei. Maybe the Sounders aren’t a team normally built to contain, like the team they beat in the Conference Finals, but Brian Schmetzer’s team put on a masterclass in how to defend, which is almost as hard to do as putting on the attacking displays both teams are capable of. Toronto FC had plenty of pressure, but not many clear cut opportunities all night, because the great centerback combination held both Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco in check, which is something almost no team in this league was able to do when both were on the field at the same time.
The star of the show had to be Stefan Frei, not just because of his past history with the club but also because his team needed him to be a star. And with his save against Jozy Altidore in extra time, he has become a star. Jozy wasn’t quite the same beast he had been up until this match, but all any good striker needs is one chance, and if Frei doesn’t become superman and scoop out that header, Toronto FC wins the Cup. Of course Frei saw the worst of Toronto FC through countless different managers, players and plans for success as well as a broken leg. Long time TFC supporters will know that there is always a former player that does them in in a crazy way, and that held true again in MLS Cup.
Seattle was dead in the water when Sigi Schmid was sacked at the end of July. They had such a poor first half, and after being dumped out of CONCACAF Champions League by Club America in March, it had been a hellish year. But on the same day as Schmid was let go, Nicolas Lodeirocame in, and as I have written countless times in my space here, Lodeiro changed the Sounders and the league since he came in. He didn’t have to be a star tonight because his team didn’t set up for him to be one, but his star shone brightest as the Sounders climbed out of a historic hole just to make the playoffs, and then to get to where they are now.
Toronto FC’s accomplishment will be occluded in the crushing disappointment of how they lost MLS Cup, but their season was equally as impressive. They started with eight straight away from home as BMO Field was undergoing renovation, then dealt with injuries to Giovinco, Altidore and other key pieces as they built momentum heading through the season. Expectations were always high in Toronto and they still are, but to overcome their regular season and playoff demons and to do it with the attack they built is plenty impressive. They will be right back in consideration for the Cup next season because of the team they had built, which only got better with their late season additions. On another night, they would have been champions.
The best way to respond to your bitter rivals winning a title is by winning one yourself. Lazio spent big to win Serie A in 2000, and Roma responded with a scudetto of their own in 2001. While Portland-Seattle isn’t quite as big as that, Portland won last year, and Seattle won this year. The rivalry that has defined this league now has the last two champs, which means the rivalry is only going to grow from here.
Seattle were the nearly men of MLS, having won multiple US Open Cups and the Supporter’s Shield but never able to get over the hump in the playoffs, until now. Toronto FC will get there someday, because they’re too good not to, and now that they’ve come so close, they will only be spurred on to get over this hump too.
MLS is always defined by the comeback stories midseason; teams that look dead that somehow catch fire and become the teams that define the business end of the campaign. These Sounders are the epitome of that spirit, and while some vehemently dislike it, that is what MLS is all about, and it’s what makes this league so different and unique.
Seattle and its Sounders have earned this title, and so ends another fascinating year in one of the world’s most fascinating soccer leagues. But MLS never sleeps. With two expansion franchises joining the fold next year, and a big club moves into a new stadium, this league will have even more stories to tell next year.
And next year has already started.
