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MLS Cup 2016
BMO FieldinTorontohosted the match.
EventMLS Cup
Toronto FC Seattle Sounders FC
0 0
Afterextra time
Seattle Sounders FC won 5–4 onpenalties
DateDecember 10, 2016
VenueBMO Field,Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Most Valuable PlayerStefan Frei
(Seattle Sounders FC)
RefereeAlan Kelly[1]
Attendance36,045
WeatherClear, −5 °C (23 °F)
←2015
2017→

MLS Cup 2016was the 21st edition of theMLS Cup,the championship match ofMajor League Soccer(MLS), played on December 10, 2016. Thesoccermatch was hosted atBMO FieldinToronto,Ontario, Canada, and contested byToronto FCandSeattle Sounders FC.It was the second final to be hosted in Toronto, after2010,and the first there since the cup transitioned away from neutral-site venues.

The 2016 final was the first to be contested between two expansion teams and became the first in league history to end in a scoreless draw. The Sounders won their first title in apenalty shoot-out.Toronto FC became the first Canadian club to play in the MLS Cup, while Seattle capped a comeback season, who replaced their manager during the middle of the season and climbed from second-to-last in the conference to a playoff spot.

Road to the final

[edit]
Further information:2016 MLS Cup Playoffs

TheMLS Cupis the post-season championship ofMajor League Soccer(MLS), a professional club soccer league in theUnited StatesandCanada.The2016 seasonwas the 21st in MLS history, and was contested by 20 teams in two conferences.[2]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. 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.[3]

The 2016 edition of the MLS Cup was the first to feature twoexpansion teamsnot part of the original clubs from the league's inception, with Toronto joining in 2007 and Seattle in 2009.[4][5]For the first time since the2008 edition,both teams in the final were making their first appearance.[6]Toronto and Seattle faced each other once during the2016 regular season,ending in a 1–1 draw atBMO Fieldon July 2.[7]

Toronto FC

[edit]
Further information:2016 Toronto FC season

Toronto FC became the firstCanadianclub to qualify for theMLS Cupfinal, in their tenth season in Major League Soccer.[8]After eight consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance, Toronto hired managerGreg Vanney,[9]general managerTim Bezbatchenko,and a trio of star players: American midfielderMichael Bradley,forwardJozy Altidore,and Italian playmakerSebastian Giovinco.[8]The 2015 season marked the first time Toronto had qualified for the playoffs, as Giovinco set a league record by scoring a combined 38 goals and assists on his way to being named the league'smost valuable player.[10]

During the 2015–2016 offseason, Toronto acquired a new set of defensive players, including goalkeeperClint Irwin,midfielderWill Johnson,and defendersSteven BeitashourandDrew Moor.[11]The team started their first eight matches on the road asBMO Fieldhad not finished renovation work, earning three wins and two draws and staying in a playoff position. Toronto slumped in May with a string of losses and draws, due in part to injuries to Altidore, Bradley, and Giovinco,[12]but regained form in June with the reopening of BMO Field, capped off with a clinch of theCanadian Championship.[13]Toronto lost only two of its final fifteen games, stretching from July to October, and qualified for the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference.[14]

Toronto hosted thePhiladelphia Unionin the single-match knockout round, winning 3–1 and advancing to a series againstNew York City FC.Toronto won the home leg 2–0, and then proceeded to win 5–0 in New York City, setting a record for largest margin of victory on aggregate.[15]In the Eastern Conference final, Toronto would face their rivalMontreal Impactin a bid to be the first Canadian team to play in the MLS Cup.[16]During the first leg, played in front of a record crowd of 61,004 in Montreal and delayed 41 minutes due to mistakes in the field markings, the Impact took a 3–0 lead shortly after halftime. Toronto responded with two late goals, giving them a potentialaway goaladvantage.[17]The second leg, played in Toronto, ended 3–2 after 90 minutes and forced extra time, where Toronto would score two unanswered goals to win 5–2. The series, ending with a 7–5 aggregate win for Toronto, set a league record for most goals scored in a two-legged series.[18]Sports journalists called it the most thrilling series in MLS history and an "instant classic",[18][19]drawing comparisons to the Los Angeles–San Jose series in the2003 playoffs.[20]

Seattle Sounders FC

[edit]
Further information:2016 Seattle Sounders FC season
Brian Schmetzerwas promoted to head coach during the 2016 season and led the Sounders to the MLS Cup

The Seattle Sounders had been in Major League Soccer for eight seasons, qualifying for theMLS Cup Playoffseach year. While they had won theLamar Hunt U.S. Open Cupfour times and theSupporters' Shieldonce, the Sounders never advanced further than the Western Conference Finals, which they reached on two previous occasions.[8][21]The Sounders finished the 2015 season with a loss in the conference semifinals toFC Dallasand plans to retool their roster while chasing the "elusive" MLS Cup.[22]

During the offseason, the club signed young playersJordan Morris,ahomegrown playerfromStanford,andJoevin Jonesfrom Chicago.[23]The team also lost several key players, including star forwardObafemi Martinstwo weeks before the start of the regular season.[24]The Sounders won only six of their twenty matches, leaving them second to last place in the Western Conference by late July. ManagerSigi Schmidleft the club on July 26, and was replaced on an interim basis by assistant coachBrian Schmetzer.[25]The team signed Uruguayan midfielderNicolás Lodeiroand saw the return of defenderRomán Torresfrom a long-term injury, helping strengthen the team, but lost captainClint Dempseyto a diagnosed heart condition that would prevent him from playing for the rest of the season.[26][27]The Sounders went on to win eight of their final fourteen matches under Schmetzer, qualifying on the final matchday for the playoffs as the fourth place seed in the Western Conference.[28][29]

In the playoffs, the Sounders hostedSporting Kansas Cityon October 27 in the single-match knockout round. The team won 1–0, off a headed goal in the 88th minute byNelson Valdez,ending a personal scoring drought.[30]Seattle advanced to the Conference Semifinals againstFC Dallas,winning the home leg 3–0 and losing 2–1 away, for a 4–2 aggregate score.[31]On November 27, the Sounders clinched their first Western Conference championship after a 3–1 aggregate win over theColorado Rapids,after a 2–1 win at home and a 1–0 win in Colorado that came from a late goal by Morris, who was recovering from theflu.[32]

Summary of results

[edit]
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Toronto FC Round Seattle Sounders FC
3rd place inEastern Conference
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1 New York Red Bulls 34 57
2 New York City FC 34 54
3 Toronto FC 34 53
4 D.C. United 34 46
5 Montreal Impact 34 45
Source:MLS

Qualified for playoffs
Supporters' Shieldwinner

Regular season 4th place inWestern Conference
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
2 Colorado Rapids 34 58
3 LA Galaxy 34 52
4 Seattle Sounders FC 34 48
5 Sporting Kansas City 34 47
6 Real Salt Lake 34 46
Source:MLS

Qualified for playoffs

Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg MLS Cup Playoffs Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Philadelphia Union 3–1(H) Knockout Round Sporting Kansas City 1–0(H)
New York City FC 7–0 2–0(H) 5–0(A) Conference Semifinals FC Dallas 4–2 3–0(H) 1–2(A)
Montreal Impact 7–5 2–3(A) 5–2(a.e.t.) (H) Conference Finals Colorado Rapids 3–1 2–1(H) 1–0(A)

Venue

[edit]
The renovated and expandedBMO Fieldin Toronto hosted MLS Cup 2016

BMO Fieldwas confirmed as the host of MLS Cup 2016 after Toronto FC won the Eastern Conference Championship, leaving them as the highest remaining seed.[33]The stadium previously hostedMLS Cup 2010as a neutral site, and had also hosted the2008 MLS All-Star Gameand the2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.[34]It was renovated prior to the 2016 season, adding additional seats and a roof to cover the stands at a cost ofC$150 million.[35]Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment,the owners of BMO Field and Toronto FC, spent C$7 million on pitch maintenance for the 2016 season, in part due to the shared field with theToronto Argonautsof theCanadian Football League(CFL).[36]

During the season, a temporary upper grandstand was built in the south end, originally to accommodate larger crowds for the CFL's104th Grey Cup(which took place prior to the MLS Cup) and theNational Hockey League'sCentennial Classic(which was played after the MLS championship game). The club subsequently confirmed that the temporary seats would be made available to soccer fans if Toronto qualified for any playoff games that took place after the CFL championship game (specifically, the Eastern Conference Final and the MLS Cup).[37]With the temporary seats, the stadium's capacity in its soccer configuration was about 36,000.[38]TheToronto Transit CommissionandGO Transitannounced increased service on bus and train routes to BMO Field on the night of the final.[39]

Ticketing

[edit]

Tickets for the match were divided into several blocs for allocation. A pre-sale event a week before the cup final sold 20,000 seats to existing season ticket holders, based on seniority; the sale did not guarantee similar seats to their season tickets, causing fans to complain on social media.[40]A public sale on December 5 sold out 9,000 tickets, which quickly appeared on secondary markets for well above face value. An additional 5,000 seats were allocated to MLS, including 1,500 tickets for traveling supporters from Seattle.[41]

Broadcasting

[edit]

The 2016 final was broadcast byFox Sportsonterrestrial televisionin theUnited States,for the first time since 2008. The match was also carried byUniMásonterrestrial televisionandESPN Deportes Radioonterrestrial radioinSpanishwithin the United States.Sirius XMbroadcast the match onsatellite radioin the United States. In Canada, the match was broadcast in English byTSNand in French byRDS.[42]The MLS Cup was broadcast internationally byFox Sportsin Latin America and Africa,ESPN Brasilin Brazil,Sky Sportsin the United Kingdom,Eurosportin Europe, andBeIN Sportsin southeastern Asia and Australia.[43]

Fox and TSN broadcast pre-game shows on their respective networks, in addition to regular coverage.[43]Fox also broadcast the MLS Cup using avirtual realityapp for the first time.[44]

Commentary

[edit]
Broadcaster Language Commentators[43] Other staff
Play-by-play Color
Television
United StatesFox English John Strong Brad Friedel Alexi Lalas,Julie Stewart-Binks
United StatesUniMás Spanish Raúl Guzmán Diego Balado,Marcelo Balboa Gonzalo Pineda,Ramsés Sandoval
CanadaTSN English Luke Wileman Steven Caldwell Kristian Jack,Vic Rauter,Andi Petrillo,James Duthie
CanadaRDS French Claudine Douville Jean Gounelle Patrick Friolet
Radio
United StatesSirius XM English Joe Tolleson Janusz Michallik,Glenn Crooks
CanadaTSN Radio English Gareth Wheeler Terry Dunfield

Viewership

[edit]

The 2016 final set a new record for Major League Soccer viewership, with a total of 3.5 million viewers across all channels. Fox's broadcast reached 1.4 million viewers and was the most-watched English language broadcast of the MLS Cup in the United States since2001.The Spanish-language broadcast on UniMás had an average 601,000 viewers. In Canada, an estimated audience of 1.5 million viewers watched the match on TSN and RDS, setting a new MLS record.[45][46]TheSeattle–Tacomatelevision marketgenerated a 9.9household ratingfor the match.[45]

Match

[edit]

Summary

[edit]
Sounders goalkeeperStefan Frei,whose save in extra time earned him match MVP honors

The match kicked off at 8:16 p.m.Eastern TimeatBMO FieldinToronto,Ontario, Canada, where the ground temperature was reported as −5 °C (23 °F) and estimated at −12 °C (10 °F) withwind chill.[47]Alan Kellywas the head referee and hisassistantswere Frank Anderson, Joe Fletcher,Allen Chapman,and Danny Thornberry.[48]Kelly and Anderson had been named the 2016 MLS Referee of the Year and the 2016 MLS Assistant Referee of the year, respectively, for their regular season performances.[1]

During the first half, Toronto had the majority of possession and seven chances at goal, but were unable to score. Several hard tackles between players resulted in fouls being called and arguments, but no bookings from referee Alan Kelly.[49][50]

The second half began with a major chance for Toronto'sSebastian Giovinco,who hit the side netting on an attempt at goal. Two Seattle players,Nelson ValdezandErik Friberg,were substituted after suffering minor injuries. The rest of the half saw missed passes and touches from Toronto, along with a steadfast Seattle defense that let the match head into extra time at 0–0.[47][50]

The first half of extra time remained scoreless, with Giovinco replaced byTosaint Rickettsafter suffering from a cramp. By the second half, both teams had exhausted their available substitutes. In the 108th minute, Seattle goalkeeperStefan Freimade a crucial save on a header fromJozy Altidore,using his body to spring his left hand onto the ball; Frei would record seven total saves and be named the game'smost valuable playerfor his efforts.[51]The second half of extra time drew to a close after more than 120 minutes of play, with Seattle failing to register a single shot on goal.[47][49]

Thepenalty shoot-outbegan with Toronto's Jozy Altidore, who scored his attempt. After the first two rounds, including a miss from Toronto'sMichael Bradley,Seattle had a 2–1 lead. Seattle'sÁlvaro Fernándezmissed his shot in the third round, leading to a tie that would persist until the end of the first five rounds. During thesudden deathrounds, Toronto'sJustin Morrowmissed his penalty, letting it hit the crossbar of the goal. Seattle defenderRomán Torresscored in the following attempt, winning the shoot-out and cup for Seattle 5–4, their first ever MLS Cup title.[49][52]

Details

[edit]
Toronto FC0–0 (a.e.t.)Seattle Sounders FC
Report
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 36,045
Referee:Alan Kelly
Toronto FC
Seattle Sounders FC
GK 1 United StatesClint Irwin
CB 15 United StatesEriq Zavaleta
CB 3 United StatesDrew Moor
CB 6 United StatesNick Hagglund
RM 33 IranSteven Beitashour
CM 31 PanamaArmando Cooper downward-facing red arrow85'
CM 4 United StatesMichael Bradley(c) Yellow card90+3'
CM 21 CanadaJonathan Osorio downward-facing red arrow77'
LM 2 United StatesJustin Morrow
CF 17 United StatesJozy Altidore
CF 10 ItalySebastian Giovinco downward-facing red arrow103'
Substitutes:
GK 25 United StatesAlex Bono
DF 23 United StatesJosh Williams
DF 28 United StatesMark Bloom
MF 7 CanadaWill Johnson upward-facing green arrow77'
MF 8 FranceBenoît Cheyrou upward-facing green arrow85'
FW 9 JapanTsubasa Endoh
FW 87 CanadaTosaint Ricketts upward-facing green arrow103'
Manager:
United StatesGreg Vanney
GK 24 SwitzerlandStefan Frei
RB 4 EnglandTyrone Mears
CB 29 PanamaRomán Torres
CB 14 United StatesChad Marshall Yellow card45+1'
LB 33 Trinidad and TobagoJoevin Jones Yellow card72'
CM 6 CubaOsvaldo Alonso(c)
CM 7 United StatesCristian Roldan
RW 10 UruguayNicolás Lodeiro
AM 8 SwedenErik Friberg downward-facing red arrow66'
LW 13 United StatesJordan Morris downward-facing red arrow108'
CF 16 ParaguayNelson Valdez downward-facing red arrow73'
Substitutes:
GK 1 United StatesTyler Miller
DF 3 United StatesBrad Evans upward-facing green arrow108'
DF 20 United StatesZach Scott
DF 91 JamaicaOniel Fisher
MF 21 UruguayÁlvaro Fernández upward-facing green arrow66'
MF 23 AustriaAndreas Ivanschitz upward-facing green arrow73'
FW 9 United StatesHerculez Gomez
Manager:
United StatesBrian Schmetzer

MLS Cup Most Valuable Player:
Stefan Frei(Seattle Sounders FC)

Assistant referees:
Frank Anderson (United States)
Joe Fletcher (Canada)
Fourth official:
Allen Chapman(United States)
Fifth official:
Danny Thornberry (United States)

Match rules:

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes ofextra timeif necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-outif scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes, of which up to three may be used.

Post-match

[edit]
The MLS Cup victory parade in Downtown Seattle, on December 13, 2016

Seattle Sounders FC became the first MLS club to not register ashot on goalduring regular play, surpassing the record of one shot on goal the club set earlier in the season againstSporting Kansas City.[47]Stefan Frei,who was traded from Toronto to Seattle three years to the day of the final,[53]was awarded theMLS Cup Most Valuable Playeraward for his shutout and penalty saves.[54]The team's comeback performance under new head coach Brian Schmetzer, from second-to-last in the conference to MLS Cup champions, was called the most stunning turnaround in MLS history and a "cinderella season".[55][56]The season was voted the Sports Story of the Year in a public contest held bySportspress Northwest.[57]

The Sounders earned a berth into the2018 CONCACAF Champions League,their first since the2015–16 edition.Toronto earned a berth into the same competition by winning the2017 Canadian Championship;the team was ineligible from qualifying for the competition through an MLS Cup win due to confederation rules.[58]As MLS Cup winners, the Sounders received a prize of $275,000, while Toronto were awarded $80,000 as runners-up.[59]Both teams would later qualify forMLS Cup 2017,setting up a rematch at BMO Field that was won by Toronto.[60][61]

The Sounders celebrated their first MLS Cup with aparadein Seattle on December 13 fromWestlake Parkto a rally at theSeattle Center,adjacent to the Sounders' first home stadium atMemorial Stadium;the parade and rally were attended by an estimated 10,000 fans.[62][63]

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[edit]
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