MLS Cup 2017

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MLS Cup 2017
2015 MLS Cup Logo.svg
Event MLS Cup
Toronto FC Seattle Sounders FC
2 0
Date December 9, 2017 (2017-12-09)
Venue BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Most Valuable Player Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Referee Allen Chapman[1]
Attendance 30,584
Weather Cloudy and 1 °C (34 °F)
← 2016
2018 →

MLS Cup 2017 was the 22nd edition of MLS Cup, the championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), contested between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC. The match was hosted at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the second consecutive year and third time overall. Both teams made their second appearance in the MLS Cup, in a rematch of the 2016 edition. Toronto defeated Seattle 2–0, becoming the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup and first team to complete a domestic treble.

Road to the final

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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 2017 season was the 22nd in MLS history, and was contested by 22 teams in two conferences. Each club played 34 matches during the regular season from March to October, facing each team in the same conference at least twice and teams in the other conference at least once.[2][3] The playoffs, running from October to December, were contested between the top six clubs in each conference and included four rounds: a one-match knockout round for the lowest-seeded teams, two rounds of home-and-away series, and the one-match final.[4]

The two finalists, Toronto and Seattle, faced each other in the 2016 cup, which was won by Seattle in a penalty shootout.[5] The 2017 cup was be the third rematch in league history, the previous two being the 2006 and 2007 wins by Houston Dynamo and the 2011 and 2012 wins by LA Galaxy.[6] The 2017 cup was also the first to feature two higher-seeded sides since the introduction of home-and-away Conference finals in 2012.[7] The two teams played a single regular season match, hosted by Seattle in May, which Toronto won 1–0.[8]

Toronto FC

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Further information: 2017 Toronto FC season

After their MLS Cup loss, Toronto FC looked to return to the cup as well as compete for the Supporters' Shield and Canadian Championship.[9][10] In addition to their 2016 roster, the team acquired French leftback Chris Mavinga and Spanish midfielder Víctor Vázquez to fill depth roles;[11] manager Greg Vanney placed a strong emphasis on an organized defense, one of the team's strengths during the 2016 season.[12] The team entered the season as a favorite to win the cup,[13] as well as a key challenger for the Supporters' Shield.[14] Toronto immediately jumped into a run of good form, with only three losses in the first half of the season, and remained near level with Chicago Fire at the top of the league.[15] Despite two consecutive losses in September, Toronto finished the season as Supporters' Shield champion, breaking the record for most points (69) and tying the record for most wins (20).[16][17]

Toronto faced the New York Red Bulls in the conference semifinals and took a 2–1 lead away in New Jersey. The team returned home and lost 1–0, but advanced on the away goals rule with the 2–2 aggregate draw.[18] The home fixture was marred by a halftime brawl between the teams that saw Jozy Altidore sent off and Sebastian Giovinco suspended for yellow card accumulation.[19] In the conference finals, Toronto traveled to play Columbus Crew SC, earning a 0–0 draw on the road and a 1–0 win at home, qualifying them for the MLS Cup.[20]

Seattle Sounders FC

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Further information: 2017 Seattle Sounders FC season
File:Osvaldo Alonso lifting the MLS Cup at Sounders Rally.jpg
Sounders players celebrating their 2016 cup victory

The Sounders entered the season as defending MLS Cup champions, their first title after years of early playoff exits.[21] Head coach Brian Schmetzer, promoted from his interim role, made offseason roster changes to replace older veteran players with younger talent that align with general manager Garth Lagerwey's vision for the club.[22][23] Among the additions were MLS veteran Will Bruin, homegrown player Henry Wingo, academy graduate Nouhou Tolo, and veteran defenders Gustav Svensson and Kelvin Leerdam, adding to the team's depth positions.[24][25] Seattle started the season slowly, with only five wins in the first 17 matches, due to injury troubles and inconsistent lineups.[26] From late June to early September, the team welcomed back injured players and went on a 13-match unbeaten streak that put them in playoff contention.[27] The streak ended with a series of draws and losses,[28] but the Sounders recovered with three wins in late September and October to clinch a second-place finish in the Western Conference.[29]

Seattle faced their Canadian rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps, in the conference semifinals. After a scoreless draw in Vancouver, the Sounders returned home and won 2–0 on a pair of goals scored by Clint Dempsey.[30] In the conference finals, the Sounders played Houston Dynamo and earned a 2–0 win in the away leg after a Dynamo player was sent off early in the match.[31] Heading into the home leg with an advantage on away goals, Seattle went for an aggressive 3–0 win to give them a 5–0 aggregate win that was capped by home-and-away goals by former Dynamo forward Will Bruin.[32] The Sounders maintained a shutout streak that carried over from the 2016 Western Conference Final, reaching 647 minutes after the win over Houston.[33]

Summary of results

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Toronto FC Round Seattle Sounders FC
1st place in Eastern Conference

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 Regular season 2nd place in Western Conference

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Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg MLS Cup Playoffs Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
New York Red Bulls 2–2 (a) 2–1 (A) 0–1 (H) Conference Semifinals Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–0 0–0 (A) 2–0 (H)
Columbus Crew SC 1–0 0–0 (A) 1–0 (H) Conference Finals Houston Dynamo 5–0 2–0 (A) 3–0 (H)

Venue

BMO Field was confirmed as the host of MLS Cup 2017 after Toronto FC won the Eastern Conference Championship on November 29, 2017, leaving them as the highest remaining seed.[34] The stadium was renovated and expanded prior to the 2016 season and hosted MLS Cup 2016.[35][36] Capacity for the 2017 cup was reduced to 30,000 seats, as the 2016 cup had reused temporary seats installed for the Grey Cup and NHL Winter Classic.[citation needed]

Broadcasting

The MLS Cup final was broadcast in English by ESPN in the United States and TSN in Canada. UniMás carried the Spanish broadcast in the United States, while TVA Sports carried the French broadcast in Canada.[37] ESPN's broadcast, headlined by Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman, included a 30-minute pregame show and post-game broadcast.[38]

Match

Details

December 9, 2017 (2017-12-09)
4:00 PM EST
Toronto FC 2–0 Seattle Sounders FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-12-09-toronto-fc-vs-seattle-sounders-fc/boxscore
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 30,584
Referee: Allen Chapman
Toronto FC
Seattle Sounders FC
GK 25 United States Alex Bono
RB 33 Iran Steven Beitashour
CB 3 United States Drew Moor
CB 23 Democratic Republic of the Congo Chris Mavinga
LB 2 United States Justin Morrow
DM 4 United States Michael Bradley (c)
CM 18 United States Marco Delgado Substituted off 90+3'
CM 21 Canada Jonathan Osorio Substituted off 85'
AM 7 Spain Víctor Vázquez Booked 90+5'
CF 10 Italy Sebastian Giovinco
CF 17 United States Jozy Altidore Substituted off 86'
Substitutes:
GK 1 United States Clint Irwin
DF 6 United States Nick Hagglund Substituted in 86'
DF 15 United States Eriq Zavaleta
DF 26 Liechtenstein Nicolas Hasler
MF 8 France Benoît Cheyrou Substituted in 90+3'
MF 31 Panama Armando Cooper Substituted in 85'
FW 87 Canada Tosaint Ricketts
Manager:
United States Greg Vanney
300px
GK 24 Switzerland Stefan Frei
RB 18 Netherlands Kelvin Leerdam
CB 29 Panama Román Torres
CB 14 United States Chad Marshall
LB 33 Trinidad and Tobago Joevin Jones Substituted off 90+1'
CM 7 United States Cristian Roldan
CM 4 Sweden Gustav Svensson
RW 10 Uruguay Nicolás Lodeiro (c)
AM 2 United States Clint Dempsey
LW 8 Spain Víctor Rodríguez Substituted off 71'
CF 17 United States Will Bruin
Substitutes:
GK 1 United States Tyler Miller
DF 5 Cameroon Nouhou Tolo Substituted in 90+1'
DF 15 Mexico Tony Alfaro
MF 19 United States Harry Shipp
MF 21 Martinique Jordy Delem
FW 13 United States Jordan Morris Substituted in 71'
FW 27 United States Lamar Neagle
Manager:
United States Brian Schmetzer

MLS Cup MVP
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)

Assistant referees:
Adam Wienckowski
Jeremy Hanson
Fourth official:
Kevin Stott
Fifth official:
Danny Thornberry
Video assistant referee:
David Gantar (Canada)

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions, with a fourth allowed in extra time.

Post-match

Toronto FC became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup, and the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble, after winning the Canadian Championship and Supporters' Shield earlier in the year.[39]

Due to Toronto's win, the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League berth reserved for the MLS Cup champions will instead go to the US based team (excluding other qualifiers) that finishes with the highest aggregate regular season points in 2017 and 2018.[40] Toronto was ineligible to qualify through the berth, as it belongs to the United States Soccer Federation, but will participate in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League after winning the Canadian Championship.[41][42]

Toronto FC will celebrate their first MLS Cup with a parade in Toronto on December 11 from Maple Leaf Square to Nathan Phillips Square.[43]

References

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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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