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MLS Cup 2019

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MLS Cup 2019
CenturyLink Field in Seattle will host the match
EventMLS Cup
Seattle Sounders FC Toronto FC
DateNovember 10, 2019 (2019-11-10)
VenueCenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington, US
← 2018
2020 →

MLS Cup 2019 will be the 24th edition of MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and is scheduled to take place on November 10, 2019. The match will be contested by Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington, United States. The match will determine the champion of the 2019 season and will be a rematch of the 2016 and 2017 editions of the MLS Cup, which were won by Seattle and Toronto, respectively. This will be the third final for both teams and the first to be hosted by the Sounders, as both of the previous Seattle–Toronto finals were held at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The match will mark the conclusion of the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, which was contested by fourteen teams under a new single-elimination format that replaced the former two-legged ties. As a result, this will be the earliest calendar date for the MLS Cup showdown since 2002.

The defending MLS Cup champions are Atlanta United FC, who won the title against the Portland Timbers. They were eliminated in the Conference Finals by Toronto FC. The winners of MLS Cup 2019 will qualify for the 2020 Campeones Cup.

Road to the final

Further information: 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs

The MLS Cup is the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), a professional club soccer league in the United States and Canada. The 2019 season was the 24th in MLS history, and was contested by 24 teams in two conferences—the east and west. Each club played 34 matches during the regular season from March to October, facing each team in the same conference twice and teams in the other conference once.[1] The playoffs, running from October to early November, were contested between the top seven clubs in each conference through four rounds. Each round had a single-elimination match hosted by the higher-seeded team, a change from the two-legged ties used in previous seasons; the top team in each conference was also given a bye to the Conference Semifinals.[2][3] The shortened playoff schedule has moved the date of the final to November 10, its earliest staging since 2002.[4]

The finalists, Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC, will contest the MLS Cup final for the third time in four years, having played each other in the 2016 and 2017 finals.[5] Both matches were hosted in Toronto, with the 2016 cup won by Seattle in a penalty shootout and the 2017 cup won by Toronto in regulation.[5] The two teams have met 14 times in regular season play, with Seattle winning nine times.[6] Seattle and Toronto played each other once in the 2019 regular season, ending in a 3–2 win for the Sounders at home in April.[7]

Seattle Sounders FC

Main article: 2019 Seattle Sounders FC season

Seattle Sounders FC will play in their third MLS Cup final in four seasons, having won in their first appearance in 2016 under manager Brian Schmetzer. The team has qualified for the playoffs in all of their eleven MLS seasons and finished as MLS Cup runner-up in 2017.[8][9] In 2018, the team finished second in the Western Conference through a late-season winning streak, but were knocked out by the Portland Timbers in the Conference Semifinals.[10][11] During the 2019 offseason, the Sounders lost defensive midfielder and captain Osvaldo Alonso, who was released into free agency and signed by Minnesota United FC.[12]

The Sounders made few offseason moves, signing several homegrown players for use by their affiliate team, and went winless in preseason matches.[13] The team lost once in their opening 13 matches of the season, including a six-match unbeaten streak,[14] but lost veteran center-back Chad Marshall when he retired in late May.[15] Earlier in the month, the Sounders had signed center-back Xavier Arreaga to a Designated Player contract and left-back Joevin Jones upon his return to the team from the Bundesliga.[16]

The team lost several players to injuries and international call-ups in June and went on a three-match losing streak before recovering to win four matches in late June and early July.[17] The Sounders then lost defender Román Torres in early August to a ten-match suspension for performance-enhancing substances and were winless in four matches before defeating the Portland Timbers.[18][19] Seattle won four of their last seven matches to clinch a playoff berth and finish second in the Western Conference behind Los Angeles FC.[8]

In the first round of the playoffs, Seattle hosted FC Dallas and struck first through Raúl Ruidíaz and Jordan Morris to take a 2–0 lead in the first half, but conceded a goal before halftime. Dallas's Matt Hedges tied the match in the 64th minute, but Morris briefly restored the Sounders' lead before the match was tied 3–3 by the end of regulation time. In extra time, Morris completed his first career hat-trick with a goal in the 113th minute to complete a 4–3 victory.[20] The Sounders hosted Real Salt Lake in the Conference Semifinals and won 2–0 with second-half goals from Gustav Svensson and Nicolás Lodeiro.[21] The team extended their home winning streak in the playoffs to eleven matches.[22]

The Sounders were hosted by Supporters' Shield winners Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference Final. LAFC took an early lead through a free kick by Eduard Atuesta, but the Sounders scored twice within nine minutes with goals by Ruidíaz and Lodeiro in the first half;[9] Ruidíaz added a second goal for himself in the second half to complete a 3–1 upset victory for the Sounders to return the team to the MLS Cup final.[23]

Toronto FC

Main article: 2019 Toronto FC season

Toronto FC won the MLS Cup in 2017, which completed the first domestic treble in MLS history after the team also won the Supporters' Shield and Canadian Championship.[24] Head Coach Greg Vanney will be leading the club to their third MLS final since taking over in 2014. Toronto FC will be heading into the match on a 13-game unbeaten streak in MLS competitions.[25]

During the off-season, the club saw the departure of key players Sebastian Giovinco and Víctor Vázquez, and terminated the contract of Gregory van der Wiel after an altercation with Greg Vanney.[26] The club signed Alejandro Pozuelo from Genk,[27] Nick DeLeon from the 2018 MLS Re-Entry Draft[28] and Laurent Ciman[29] and during the season, they picked up defender Omar Gonzalez[30] and Nicolas Benezet on loan.[31]

Toronto FC started the season in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, where they lost 5–1 on aggregate to Club Independiente of Panama in the Round of 16.[32] In MLS play, the club started with three wins before going 2-7-4 in their next 13 games, which also included a eight-match winless streak.[33] They finished the season strong by going ten games unbeaten and finishing fourth place in the Eastern Conference.[34]

In the first round of the playoffs, they met D.C. United and defeated them 5–1 after scoring four goals in the first half of extra time.[35] They advanced to the Conference Semifinals, where they played away to Eastern top seed New York City FC. They went on to win 2–1 after Pozuelo scored a Panenka penalty in the final minute of play.[36] In the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced the defending champions Atlanta United FC.[37] After Atlanta scored early in the game, Benezet and DeLeon scored and Westburg made a key penalty save to clinch a return to the final for Toronto FC.[38]

Summary of results

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Seattle Sounders FC Round Toronto FC
2nd place in Western Conference
2019 MLS Western Conference standings
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 Los Angeles FC (P, S) 34 72
2 Seattle Sounders FC (P, C) 34 56
3 Real Salt Lake (P, L) 34 53
4 Minnesota United FC (P, L) 34 53
5 LA Galaxy (P, L) 34 51
6 Portland Timbers (P, L) 34 49
7 FC Dallas (P) 34 48
Source: MLS
(C) Champions; (L) Leagues Cup berth; (P) Playoffs berth; (S) Supporters' Shield winner
 Regular season 4th place in Eastern Conference
2019 MLS Eastern Conference standings
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 New York City FC (P) 34 64
2 Atlanta United FC (P, U) 34 58
3 Philadelphia Union (P, L) 34 55
4 Toronto FC (P, L) 34 50
5 D.C. United (P, L) 34 50
6 New York Red Bulls (P, L) 34 48
7 New England Revolution (P) 34 45
Source: MLS
(L) Leagues Cup berth; (P) Playoffs berth; (U) U.S. Open Cup winners
Opponent Score MLS Cup Playoffs Opponent Score
FC Dallas 4–3 (a.e.t.) (H) First round D.C. United 5–1 (a.e.t.) (H)
Real Salt Lake 2–0 (H) Conference Semifinals New York City FC 2–1 (A)
Los Angeles FC 3–1 (A) Conference Finals Atlanta United FC 2–1 (A)

Venue

MLS Cup 2019 will be hosted by the Sounders at their home stadium, CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. It was previously known as Qwest Field and hosted the 2009 edition of the cup as a neutral-site venue.[39] The 69,000-seat stadium opened in 2002 as a shared venue for the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks and soccer, with the Sounders entering MLS seven years later.[40][41] Tickets were distributed to season ticket holders after the Eastern Conference Final, selling 50,000 seats, and were released for public sale beginning November 1.[42] All 69,000 tickets were sold out within hours of the public release, including 3,000 allotted to away fans by Major League Soccer.[43]

Broadcasting

The match will be carried in the United States on ABC in English, for the first time since 2008, and Univision in Spanish. In Canada, coverage will be provided by TSN in English and TVA Sports in French.[44][45][46] On ABC, ESPN's Jon Champion will provide play-by-play commentary alongside color analyst Taylor Twellman.[47]

Match

Details

Seattle Sounders FCvToronto FC

References

  1. ^ "MLS releases 2019 regular-season schedule" (Press release). Major League Soccer. January 7, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. ^ Tansey, Joe (December 17, 2018). "MLS announces new playoff format for 2019 season". Pro Soccer USA. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Mather, Victor (October 19, 2019). "In New M.L.S. Playoff Format, Every Game Is a Must-Win". The New York Times. p. B9. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  4. ^ Peterson, Annie M. (October 17, 2019). "Ibrahimovic makes playoff debut as chase for MLS Cup begins". SFGate. Associated Press. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Creditor, Avi (October 31, 2019). "Seattle vs. Toronto III: A First Look at a Third MLS Cup Showdown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  6. ^ "2019 MLS Cup: Seattle Sounders vs Toronto FC – How to watch and stream". MLSsoccer.com. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Evans, Jayda (October 30, 2019). "MLS Cup coming to Seattle! Toronto upsets Atlanta FC, putting the Nov. 10 game at CenturyLink". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (September 25, 2019). "Sounders back into playoffs, clinching record 11th MLS berth". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Galluzzo, Steve (October 29, 2019). "Behind Raul Ruidiaz, Sounders roll into MLS Cup final with victory at LAFC". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  10. ^ Baker, Geoff (October 28, 2018). "Decision Day drama rockets Sounders into MLS playoff bye, win over San Jose". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Baker, Geoff (November 8, 2018). "Cascadia classic: Sounders' season ends on penalty kicks in wild loss to Timbers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 10, 2019). "Sounders captain and original 2009 member Osvaldo Alonso signs with Minnesota United FC". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  13. ^ Harvey, Andrew (March 1, 2019). "Seattle season preview: Sounders look for quick start in 2019". Pro Soccer USA. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  14. ^ "Seattle Sounders remain No. 2 in latest Major League Soccer Power Rankings". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. May 28, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  15. ^ Evans, Jayda (May 22, 2019). "Sounders defender Chad Marshall announces retirement, ending 16-year MLS career". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  16. ^ Calkins, Matt (May 9, 2019). "Sounders not wasting any time powering up a team that already looks among the best in MLS". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Mondello, Joseph (October 9, 2019). "Up and down 2019 season has Seattle Sounders built for a run in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  18. ^ Kennedy, Paul (August 24, 2019). "Seattle Sounders stun Portland Timbers after fans stage silent 'Iron Front' protest". Soccer America. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  19. ^ Evans, Jayda (August 2, 2019). "Sounders defender Roman Torres suspended 10 games for violating MLS substance-abuse policy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  20. ^ Evans, Jayda (October 19, 2019). "Jordan Morris' hat trick lifts Sounders over Dallas in first round of MLS Cup playoffs". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  21. ^ Evans, Jayda (October 23, 2019). "Sounders beat Salt Lake 2-0, have shot at another MLS Western Conference championship". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  22. ^ Quillen, Ian (October 24, 2019). "Seattle Sounders near MLS record with 11th consecutive home MLS Cup Playoff win". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Calkins, Matt (October 29, 2019). "Unshakable Sounders stun everybody but themselves". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  24. ^ "Toronto beats Seattle to win MLS Cup". BBC Sport. December 9, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  25. ^ "Late strike by DeLeon sends Toronto FC past Atlanta into MLS Cup". CBC Sports.
  26. ^ "Gregory van der Wiel set to depart Toronto FC after falling-out with Vanney | MLSsoccer.com".
  27. ^ "Spanish midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo set to join Toronto FC in mid-March | The Star". thestar.com.
  28. ^ "Nick DeLeon selected by Toronto FC in Stage 1 of 2018 Re-Entry Draft | MLSsoccer.com".
  29. ^ "Toronto FC shores up defence with ex-Montreal Impact star Ciman | Toronto Sun". December 28, 2018.
  30. ^ "Toronto FC signs U.S. international defender Omar Gonzalez | Toronto FC".
  31. ^ "Toronto FC signs winger Nicolas Benezet from French club Guingamp - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca.
  32. ^ "Recap: Toronto FC vs. Independiente La Chorrera 02/27/2019 | Matchcenter".
  33. ^ "Toronto FC winless in eight games after road loss to FC Dallas". Sportsnet. June 22, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  34. ^ "Toronto FC beats Columbus, earn home game in first round of MLS playoffs". TSN. October 6, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  35. ^ Press, The Canadian (October 19, 2019). "Four goals in extra time help TFC move past DC United; advance to conference semifinals - TSN.ca". TSN.
  36. ^ Quillen, Ian (October 23, 2019). "Alejandro Pozuelo's panenka sends Toronto FC through, New York City FC home". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  37. ^ Nesci, Gianluca. "TFC stun reigning champion Atlanta to reach MLS Cup final again". theScore.com.
  38. ^ "Toronto FC advances to MLS Cup final after win over Atlanta United FC - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca.
  39. ^ Baker, Geoff (October 27, 2019). "MLS Cup in Seattle? Sounders know it's possible, but they must overcome a major obstacle first". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  40. ^ Evans, Jayda (October 31, 2019). "Sounders fans will get extra seating for MLS Cup as CenturyLink will open upper deck". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  41. ^ Carpenter, Les (January 14, 2015). "How soccer saved the Seattle Seahawks". The Guardian. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  42. ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (October 31, 2019). "2019 MLS Cup tickets general sale taking place on Friday". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  43. ^ Evans, Jayda (November 1, 2019). "'I'm really fired up about this': Sounders announce MLS Cup is sold out". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  44. ^ "2019 MLS Cup to Air live on ABC and Univision" (Press release). Major League Soccer. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  45. ^ "MLS on TSN Unveils Exclusive 2019 Broadcast Schedule, Kicking Off March 2" (Press release). TSN. February 28, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  46. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (August 28, 2019). "MLS Cup to be broadcast live on ABC and Univision networks in 2019". The Oregonian.
  47. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 28, 2019). "Major League Soccer's MLS Cup To Air This Year On ABC". Deadline. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  48. ^ "2019 MLS Cup crew announced".
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