The MLS Cup will be handed out on Saturday night for the very first time on Canadian soil. On top of that, either the Seattle Sounders or Toronto FC will end up getting their gloves on the trophy for the first time in their histories. It's an historic day for sure for American soccer fans, and one of these two fan bases will end up in delirium at the end of this 90 ( or more? ) minutes.
Don't miss the MLS action from BMO Field at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Toronto FC -110
Seattle Sounders +230
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
TFC is a prohibitive favorite here, but it knows to take a lesson from last year's MLS Cup when the Columbus Crew were huge favorites over the Portland Timbers at home. The Timbers were dominant in that game and ultimately triumphed at MAPFRE Stadium, and the same fate could befell the Reds if they aren't careful.
That said, this Toronto team has been excellent at home all season long, and it's a long, long road trip for the Sounders to overcome in a hostile environment.
If there's one edge here for Seattle, it's that it ultimately has had a few more days to prepare for this match since Toronto couldn't play on "Championship Sunday" two weeks ago because the Grey Cup was being played here at BMO Field.
That said, TFC is lined at -110 on the moneyline, and it's a -230 favorite to hoist the MLS Cup in its own building.
Key Injuries
The Sounders are really the only ones with any major injury concerns right now. Obviously, this isn't going to be Clint Dempsey's first ever MLS Cup thanks to his heart problems. Alvaro Fernandez, Andreas Ivanschitz, Jordan Morris and Oalex Anderson all have injury woes, and though all of them were available in the Eastern Conference Finals against Toronto, that's still a big concern for Seattle. Remember that this list includes Seattle's three best attackers and one of its top attacking midfielders.
How They Got Here
It's amazing to think that Seattle has never been in the MLS Cup in the past. The Sounders though, are here now, and they've gotten here the hard way. They were on the wrong side of the cut line in the middle of the summer, and firing Sigi Schmid was what really kicked this team in the right direction. The Sounders took out Sporting Kansas City in the opening round of the playoffs before crushing FC Dallas in the conference semis. But it was in the West Final that things got real for Seattle. The Sounders were up 2-1 after the first 90 minutes of the home-and-home series, and Jordan Morris' goal at Colorado was the one that made the difference to give Seattle the 3-1 victory on aggregate.
Toronto has had itself a tremendous run here in the fall. TFC has taken care of Philadelphia, New York City FC and Montreal, and in each matchup, it took a big effort in the closing minutes of the series to pull out the victory. The Reds scored five goals in the second leg against NYCFC in the Bronx, a shocking result, especially after winning 2-0 at home.
The comeback against Montreal though, was the biggest 180 minutes in TFC history. The Reds were down 3-0 on the road at the Big O before scoring the last two goals of that match. Then in the second leg, they fought back from behind a couple times to win 5-2 to advance to the MLS Cup Final for the first time in their history.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Toronto is running superhot right now, and it absolutely deserves to be a favorite in this match. However, the Sounders really felt like a much different team in the second half of the season, arguably the best in the Western Conference. We're not so sure we want to be laying this price on the Reds against a team that's running his hot. We suspect this will be a tight game throughout, and goals will be at a premium. And just as Jordan Morris came up with the big moment to knock out the Rapids, we bet he can do the same thing against Toronto to give the ravenous Sounders fans their first MLS Cup to celebrate.
MLS Odds: Seattle 1, Toronto 0
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