Seattle Sounders FC won the second championship in the club’s MLS history, defeating Toronto FC 3-1 in 2019 MLS Cup at CenturyLink Field on Sunday afternoon.
“And most importantly, the players and the fans deserve this,” Seattle Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said. “The players persevered because again it was the first half that you know we needed to make some adjustments, and they never quit, and the fans never stopped believing. So, I’m very, very happy and proud for the city and the fans.”
Midfielder Victor Rodríguez, who came into the match as a substitute, was named MLS Cup MVP after netting the second Sounders goal. The Barcelona, Spain native was just the third player to win MLS Cup MVP honors after coming on as a substitute. LA’s Guillermo Ramírez (2005) and San Jose’s Dwayne De Rosario (2001) were the only other two players to complete such a task.
“I told my teammates I am proud for them, all the hard work in every single training,” Rodriguez added. “I am really happy for them, for the goal, for the victory, for this MLS Cup. I know we deserve that.”
Defender Kelvin Leerdam and forward Raúl Ruidíaz also scored goals for Sounders FC. Midfielder Gustav Svensson recorded two assists, one shy of the single-game record in MLS Cup. He is the fifth player in MLS Cup history to have two or more assists in a single final, the most since Columbus’ Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a record three assists in MLS Cup 2008.
Sounders FC seem to be a dynasty in the making. Sounders FC won their 12th consecutive game in the MLS Cup Playoffs, equaling the all-time MLS record set by D.C. United from 1996-98. It was a 13th consecutive home game in the playoffs without a loss, setting the all-time MLS record. Several major betting sites have Seattle Sounders FC among the favorites to win another league title in 2020.
Despite the loss, there were several notables for Toronto FC. Jozy Altidore scored the Toronto FC goal, his second MLS Cup goal in three appearances in the final. Altidore’s two goals in MLS Cup Finals are tied for second-most all-time. Altidore now has six shots on goal in MLS Cup Finals, tied for third-most all-time. Omar Gonzalez of Toronto FC played in his fifth MLS Cup, tied for the third-most in MLS history, joining seven other players in having played in that many championship games.
The attendance for 2019 MLS Cup was 69,274. It was the largest crowd for a sporting event in the history of CenturyLink Field, and the largest crowd for a soccer match in the history of Washington state. The crowd was the second-largest ever in MLS Cup history.
