By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 9, 2020) US Soccer Players - Even in a season beset by a pandemic, with the schedule upended, travel more complicated, and home-field advantage chucked out the window, the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC are intent on repeating history. Seattle and Toronto have faced off in three of the last four MLS Cup finals and look to be on a collision course to meet again . . .
Seattle, Toronto, and contending in this version of MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 29, 2020) US Soccer Players - Say goodbye to the champions. The Seattle Sounders exited the MLS Is Back tournament in Orlando on Monday night, humbled by LAFC. Call it revenge if you like, though the stakes are just a bit different. The Sounders knocked LAFC off of their championship path in the 2019 MLS Cup playoffs. Say goodbye to last season's MLS Cup . . .
Seattle and Portland step up
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 15, 2020) US Soccer Players – The coronavirus pandemic that forced Americans to stay home, closed businesses, and forced sports leagues to go on pause lead to a series of community initiatives to help people cope with the health and economic fallout of the last few months. It also made for some strange collaborations. For example, MLS rivals the Seattle . . .
The 6 best regular season games in MLS history
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 13, 2020) US Soccer Players – Our look back at the last quarter-century in MLS continues by highlighting the best regular-season games in league history. For a league that's relatively young, MLS has packed a lot of passion and emotion over a short time. MLS has had its share of superstars from North America as well as across the globe. Some of the best games . . .
Seattle in the Champions League
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 17, 2020) US Soccer Players - On the one hand, being Major League Soccer champions two times in four years is pretty good. Add in that third trip to the title game and it's closer to great than pretty good. The Seattle Sounders aren't yet a true MLS dynasty, but they're about as close as a club can get. Seattle's achievements reflect well on the work of . . .
The early MLS contenders
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 16, 2019) US Soccer Players – The close of a calendar year is often a time for reflection. It is also a time to look ahead to the new year and what 2020 may have in store for all of us. For MLS, the big question is how will teams navigate player signings, preseason, and the Concacaf Champions League as a new MLS season approaches. While MLS is unpredictable, . . .
Who was the MLS team of the 2010s?
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - The final MLS match of the 21st century's second decade played out on Sunday in Seattle. When the Sounders toppled Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Cup, they also put the 2010s to rest. Next season ushers in a new decade full of new teams and new challenges. It is anyone's guess who the team of the 2020s will be. It could be a team that . . .
Seattle is the MLS community club
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - Over in England, where the weather is wet and the soccer is pure, there exists the idea of the "community club". In a very general sense, the label applies to clubs that can count numerous locals among its administrative, coaching, and player ranks while also being responsive to the community it represents. Rather than the toy of a . . .
Seattle in 2016 set the tone for 2019
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 8, 2019) US Soccer Players - In 2016, the Seattle Sounders lifted the MLS Cup at BMO Field in Toronto following a tense, goalless affair against the home side. The hero on that day was goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who made several crucial saves to help his team to victory. That including a jaw-dropping stop that ascended to the top of the list of all-time great . . .
Weather counts for the Cup
The soccer news starts with Sunday's MLS Cup final (3pm ET - ABC). Home field advantage would be a bigger deal had Seattle not gotten it with a road win at Banc of California Stadium and Toronto hadn't won at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That took out the two biggest home field advantages in MLS, suggesting that a capacity crowd at CenturyLink is nice but not a huge issue for either team. Whatever . . .
