Toronto FC beats Seattle Sounders to lift first MLS Cup in franchise history

It was a historic and satisfying day for Toronto FC, not only becoming the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup final by beating the Seattle Sounders 2-0, but avenging last season’s Cup final loss to Seattle. That winning goal from Jozy Altidore also made Toronto the first domestic treble winners in MLS after winning the Canadian Championship and the Supporters’ Shield earlier this season.

The match started with a much higher end-to-end pace than we saw for much of last season’s MLS Cup final, with the Sounders coming out strong in the starting minutes, but with Toronto quickly turning the tide and absolutely dominating the attacking run of play for much of the first half. The Sounders could barely get anything going in the final third after the first few minutes of the match, and Toronto applied constant pressure, forcing ex-Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei to make six huge saves in the first half.

The second half saw the Sounders get more into the game, but Toronto were still clearly on top, especially when they got going on the counter-attack, including creating a pair of attacks that ended in penalty shouts that Toronto fans felt aggrieved not to get. One of those counters came up big in the 67th minute, when Altidore got free against the Sounders’ back line, catching Chad Marshall way out of position before darting past Joevin Jones and Roman Torres to lance a gorgeous finish past Frei to give Toronto a massively important lead.

The Sounders would fight back hard, getting some of their best attacking chances after going down, but Toronto’s defense kept them smothered when it counted to maintain their lead. In the end, the Sounders just couldn’t find a way to score despite having blitzed their way past so many other good defenses in the MLS Cup playoffs, and Toronto were able to run out the clock not just with their lead intact, but with a two-goal win thanks to a stoppage time counter attack that saw Frei save Armando Cooper’s initial shot, but not in any position to save the followup from Victor Vazquez.

It was a huge moment for Toronto, exorcising their demons from last year’s MLS Cup loss to the Sounders and earning a massively historic moment for themselves in the process. They’re the first team in MLS history to win the MLS Cup, Supporters Shield, and their domestic cup championship treble in the same season. They’re the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup final. They’ve been building up to this moment for years, and now it’s finally here. The 2017 team from Toronto FC will go down as one of the best teams in MLS history because of it.

Toronto FC: Alexander Bono; Steven Beitashour, Drew Moor, Chris Mavinga, Justin Morrow; Marco Delgado (Benoit Cheyrou 90’+3), Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio (Armando Cooper 85’); Victor Vazquez; Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore (Nick Hagglund 86’)

Goals: Altidore (67’), Vazquez (90’+4)

Seattle Sounders: Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones (Nouhou Tolo 90’+1); Cristian Roldan, Gustav Svensson; Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez (Jordan Morris 71’); Will Bruin

Goals: None

Three things we learned

Stefan Frei is heroic

The Sounders didn’t really get to enjoy the first half of the match, struggling to hold onto the ball and struggling to convert what possession they had into truly dangerous attacks. But one Sounder was absolutely standing on his head during his team’s struggles, and that was goalkeeper, Frei.

The Swiss goalkeeper came up with six huge saves in the first half, including several that were of jaw-dropping difficulty. He was absolutely dead set on not allowing a goal to the team that cut him loose despite his quality several years ago, and he had one of the best performances of his life to do it, including setting the record for saves made in an MLS Cup final with his eighth of the game in the 64th minute. Sadly, he was finally beaten by Altidore just moments later, but he still deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Sounders in the match singlehandedly for as long as he did.

Toronto dominated the midfield

The Sounders struggled to get anything going in attack because of just how good Toronto’s midfield was. Many expected Seattle’s combination of robust and trickily technical midfielders to control much of the match, but Toronto switching to a 4-4-2 diamond of sorts seemed to catch the Sounders off guard, and the tight midfield trio of Bradley, Osorio, and Delgado forced a number of turnovers and miscues from Seattle’s midfielders.

Delgado and Vazquez also gave the Sounders a lot of trouble going forward, with Delgado in particular giving Roldan a lot of problems. It was an impressive overall performance from the Reds’ midfield group, and the game played out very differently than many thought it would beforehand because of it.

Chad Marshall isn’t a top MLS defender any more

For a long, long time, Chad Marshall has been one of the absolute best defenders in MLS. Even this season, when it’s been clear that he’s lost a step, he’s been a good centerpiece for Seattle’s defense, including during the long scoreless streak the Sounders had going into this match.

But on Saturday night, it was clear that Marshall just isn’t quite the defender he used to be, and that cost the Sounders against Toronto. The Canadian team’s blend of fast and athletic attackers gave him immense problems all day long with his inability to keep up with the pace of the game leaving Marshall constantly out of position, putting a lot more stress on the rest of the Sounders’ defense than they were already taking. It’s a shame to see age take away one of the best American defenders the league as seen, but the years come for us all eventually.