Scoreless for 267 minutes of MLS Cup play, Sounders erupt for 3 goals in one half
It took Seattle Sounders FC three MLS Cup appearances spanning four seasons and 267 minutes to score a goal.
But, almost as soon as they scored one goal Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field, they scored three, securing their second league championship in four seasons with a 3-1 win over Toronto FC.
“We finally got one in the final,” Sounders midfielder Jordan Morris said. “A (few) of those in the final. It was nice.”
Three years ago in the 2016 final, following a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime, the Sounders edged Toronto in a penalty shootout to claim their first championship. A year later in the 2017 final, Toronto shut them out.
For more than 50 minutes Sunday, it seemed a similar scenario might play out again. The Sounders, hosting the MLS Cup for the first time in their history, were locked in another scoreless tie with Toronto with little offensive momentum. Toronto seemed very much in control, perhaps headed for an upset on the road.
“I think there were some nerves there in the first half,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. “I think there were some plays where guys needed to be a little bit more composed. As the game kind of grew, and especially in the second half, I think they settled down a little bit.”
Then, finally, in the 57th minute, during one of the few chances Seattle had early on, Kelvin Leerdam dribbled around Nicolas Benezet, attempted to cross the ball, and it ricocheted off Justin Morrow’s knee and into the goal.
“It was a bit of a sigh of relief when we scored that first goal,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said. “We felt that we didn’t play well, and to go up 1-0, we were able to play a little bit more free.”
The floodgates opened after that.
Victor Rodriguez, who was named the game’s MVP, nailed the eventual game-winner not long after in the 76th minute.
Both Leerdam and Rodriguez’s goals were their first of the playoffs. Raul Ruidiaz tallied an assist on Leerdam’s strike, and Nico Lodeiro, who made a precise tap pass to set up the goal, and Gustav Svensson were credited for assists on Rodriguez’s strike.
Ruidiaz added another in the 90th minute on a long pass from Svensson, which initially appeared to be a clearance, and gave the Sounders a 3-0 lead.
After 267 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Sounders delivered a hat trick in just 33.
Schmetzer credited his players for adapting to Toronto’s heavy pressure in the second half. Seattle still ended up possessing the ball for just 35 percent of the game, but capitalized on its chances, landing four of its six second-half shots on goal, compared to just two on target of eight attempts in the first half.
“This team has found different ways to win,” Schmetzer said. “Our coaching style is certainly giving the players the tools to be successful because our sport is fluid. There’s always things you can draw up on a chalkboard or a blackboard and then it changes. It changes because of your opponent. It changes because of the way you’re playing.
“There’s so many variables in our sport. If the players are good individual sound, tactic thinkers, those types of players that I like to have. They’re able to adapt and overcome in tough situations.”
RUIDIAZ STRIKES AGAIN
The Sounders already appeared to have the match locked up in the closing minutes, with a commanding two-goal lead, and a raucous crowd already beginning to celebrate.
But, that didn’t stop Ruidiaz from adding some flair.
In the 90th minute, Seattle’s trusty striker outran his defender on a long pass up the center of the field, and buried the Sounders’ third goal in the back of the net.
“You don’t see him. You don’t talk about him. And then all the sudden he gets an assist, he gets a goal,” Roldan said. “He’s one of the guys that should have deserved man of the match.
“He’s a guy that has influenced the team in a lot of different ways. That competitive nature, that one chance that he’s going to bury, that relentlessness. He deserves this win more than anybody. He’s worked so hard on his craft. You see it in training. All he needs is one shot to score a goal.”
The goal was Ruidiaz’s fourth of the playoffs. He had the opening goal for the Sounders in the overtime win over Dallas, and two more in last week’s Western Conference Final upset over LAFC.
His four goals were more than any MLS player in the playoffs this season, edging Morris, who finished with three.
ALTIDORE DELIVERS LATE GOAL
Whether or not Toronto forward Jozy Altidore would play in Sunday’s contest was one of the lingering questions throughout the week.
Due to injury, Altidore had not appeared in any of Toronto’s first three playoff games, and didn’t start against Seattle.
He subbed on in the 68th minute, replacing Nicolas Benezet when Seattle was leading 1-0, but couldn’t deliver until the game was well out of reach.
Altidore scored Toronto’s only goal in stoppage time, heading in a cross from Alejandro Pozuelo. But, Seattle already had a 3-0 lead by that point, and the match ended moments later.
MORE FESTIVITIES PLANNED
Sunday’s celebration of this historic event — the 69,247 at CenturyLink provided the largest crowd the stadium has ever had for a sporting event, and the largest crowd for a soccer event in state history — started long before the match on the streets of downtown Seattle.
Sounders supporters gathered by the thousands as local rapper Macklemore, now a minority owner of the team, headlined festivities in Occidental Park before beginning their traditional march to the stadium. They cheered as blue and green smoke flooded the roadways, sang and twirled their scarves in pageantry.
They piled into their seats in droves, and unveiled an impressive tifo display as the match began, checkering the full stadium in blue and green and unrolling a large flag featuring prominent players in the south end zone.
The atmosphere was electric and the celebrations continued throughout the match, and after the score went final, as the Sounders hoisted the MLS Cup trophy from a stage at midfield.
“It’s incredible,” goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. “It’s a dream come true. I got a little teary-eyed, not so much for winning the trophy, but for winning it at home with our fans, and having that positivity in a joyous moment that you can share with everybody.
“Yes, we’re always well supported. We had such an amazing time in Toronto when we won in 2016, but to be able to do it at home, and let them enjoy it, I think is probably the biggest gift we can give them, and they so deserve it.”
The festivities haven’t ended yet.
The Sounders will host their victory parade Tuesday afternoon in Seattle. It will begin at noon at Westlake Park and is expected to travel along a similar route as the 2016 victory parade.
This story was originally published November 10, 2019 at 8:29 PM.
