Toronto is the first Canadian team to make the MLS final
The Toronto Football Club (FC) made history when they defeated the Montreal Impact on Wed, Nov. 30 in the semi-final of the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs. It was the first ever semi-final to be an all-Canadian contest.
The historic win catapulted Toronto into their first ever MLS final, making them the first Canadian team to advance this far. Toronto had a shaky start to their season, but with one of the most expensive teams in the MLS, they staged a turnaround and now face the biggest game in the club’s history.
Montreal put up a fantastic performance considering they were competing against the likes of star forward Sebastian Giovinco, whose salary is more than the entire Montreal team combined.
Toronto FC also won the right to host the prestigious competition, making them heavy favourites heading into the game on Sat, Dec. 10.Having a home crowd is enough to help any team rise to the occasion, however, as in all sports, anything can happen.
Seattle has one of the largest contingents of travelling fans in the league and have consistently been a top team in the MLS for the last several years. Despite Seattle being close to the top, this is also their first ever MLS final.
Based on regular season and playoff form and the fact that Toronto gets to host, ESPN has favoured Toronto to win with a 63 per cent chance over Seattle with a 37 per cent chance.
The last time the teams met at BMO field in Toronto they drew 1-1 with both teams missing key players due to injuries. Saturday’s game is likely to be a vastly different match.
Both teams have exciting talent which will lead to some intense match-ups. Toronto will look to Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley—who have been in impeccable form throughout the playoffs—to bring creativity to their offense.
Seattle boasts midfielder Jordan Morris and defender Román Torres who will be a menacing task for Toronto to handle. The Sounders will be without their star player, Clint Dempsey, who has been out since August with an irregular heartbeat.Despite being unable to play, 33-year-old Dempsey brings leadership to the Sounders and continues to contribute from the sidelines.
The match will have some great rivalries and friendships present as American teammates Dempsey, Altidore, and Bradley are all up for U.S. player of the year.
Toronto entered the playoffs as the number three seeded team in the East, with a 14-9-11 record (wins, losses, draws). Seattle finished in the West as the number four seed, with a 14-14-6 record. On paper, these teams are closely matched, but on game day it could go either way.
For Toronto to win, they only need to continue playing to the impressive level in which they have played every playoff game so far. If they can do that, Toronto FC will be the MLS 2016 champions.
Photo courtesy of mls_paul-bica_cc-by-2-0.