Toronto FC vs Seattle Sounders
BMO Field – Saturday 9th November 2017 – 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT)
The Audi 2017 MLS Cup final is nearly upon us, featuring a rematch of last year’s final. Given the home-advantage, Toronto will be wanting to make a better show than they did in the final last year where they ended up losing out on penalties. After their 5th place overall finish in the MLS last year that led up to their first ever MLS Cup appearance, they’ll be wanting to make better work of their finishing this year after failing to do anything with their dominating performance last year. The Sounders are also making their second appearance in the final, having only made it as far as the Conference Finals twice before. As defending champions, this 2000 mile away trip will bring the additional pressure that presents itself when you have something to prove.
This has been a record-setting journey for Toronto, setting the record for Points in a Single Season with a total of 69 points (topping the record set by LA Galaxy in 1998 of 68 points). Obviously winning both the Eastern Conference and the Supporters’ Shield in the process, Toronto received a bye into the Conference Semi-finals. The New York Red Bulls were who they would face, and they just narrowly edged them 2-2 on aggregate across two legs thanks to the away-goals rule. They then faced Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Final. The first leg was a laboured draw in Columbus that saw both Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco miss out due to red cards in the second leg against the Red Bulls. The second leg in Toronto saw the home team secure a competitive 1-0 win to progress to the point where they are today, eagerly awaiting their chance to win the Audi 2017 MLS Cup.
For the Seattle Sounders, this has been a decent season. Finishing second in the Western Conference after ending the season level on points with Portland Timbers with 53 points, but losing out on the title due to have one less win. They placed 7th in the Supporters’ Shield for the second-straight year. The second-placed finish in conference earned then a bye into the Western Conference Semi-finals, where they faced Vancouver Whitecaps and won 2-0 on aggregate across the two-legged clash. This saw them progress to the Conference Final against Portland Timbers, who they would soundly defeat with a 5-0 aggregate score. Now in another MLS Cup Final, Seattle will be looking for their chance to defend the Cup and become back-to-back champions.
