page_title: MLS Cup 2019
section_title: Seattle Sounders FC
hierarchical_section_title: MLS Cup 2019 / Road to the final / Seattle Sounders FC
caption_attribution_description: English: A tifo display by the Emerald City Supporters at CenturyLink Field ahead of a MLS playoffs match between the Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas. The tagline reads "Full of Dreams to Last the Years", a lyric from the song "Seattle, which is sung by supporters before every match.
context_page_description: MLS Cup 2019 was the 24th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer, and took place on November 10, 2019, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington, United States. The match was contested by Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC to determine the champion of the 2019 season. It was a rematch of the 2016 and 2017 editions of the MLS Cup, which were won by Seattle and Toronto, respectively. This was the third final for both teams and the first to be hosted by the Sounders, as both of the previous Seattle–Toronto finals were held at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  The Sounders won 3–1 to claim their second MLS Cup title, in front of 69,274 spectators at CenturyLink Field, setting a new stadium record. All four of the goals were scored in the second half, beginning with a deflected shot by Kelvin Leerdam and followed by strikes from substitute Víctor Rodríguez and Raúl Ruidíaz; Jozy Altidore scored a late consolation goal for Toronto in stoppage time. The match marked the conclusion of the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, which was contested by fourteen teams under a new single-elimination format that replaced the former two-legged ties.
context_section_description: Seattle Sounders FC played in their third MLS Cup final in four seasons, having won in their first appearance in 2016 under manager Brian Schmetzer. The team had qualified for the playoffs in all of their eleven MLS seasons and finished as runner-up in MLS Cup 2017. In 2018, the team finished second in the Western Conference through a late-season winning streak, but were knocked out by the Portland Timbers in the Conference Semifinals during a penalty shootout. During the 2019 offseason, the Sounders lost defensive midfielder and captain Osvaldo Alonso, who was released into free agency and signed by Minnesota United FC.
  The Sounders made few offseason moves, signing several homegrown players for use by their affiliate team, and went winless in preseason matches. The team lost once in their opening 13 matches of the season, including a six-match unbeaten streak, but lost veteran center-back Chad Marshall when he retired in late May. Earlier in the month, the Sounders had signed center-back Xavier Arreaga to a Designated Player contract and left-back Joevin Jones upon his return to the team from the 2. Bundesliga.
  The team lost several players to injuries and international call-ups in June and had a three-match losing streak before recovering to win four matches in late June and early July. Seattle then lost defender Román Torres in early August to a ten-match suspension for performance-enhancing substances and were winless in four matches before defeating the Portland Timbers. Seattle won four of their last seven matches to clinch a playoff berth and finish second in the Western Conference behind Los Angeles FC (LAFC).
  In the first round of the playoffs, Seattle hosted FC Dallas and struck first through Raúl Ruidíaz and Jordan Morris to take a 2–0 lead in the first half, but conceded a goal before halftime. Dallas's Matt Hedges tied the match in the 64th minute, but Morris briefly restored the Sounders' lead before the match was tied 3–3 by the end of regulation time. In extra time, Morris completed his first career hat-trick with a goal in the 113th minute to cap a 4–3 victory. Seattle went on to host Real Salt Lake in the Conference Semifinals and won 2–0 with a goal and assist from Nicolás Lodeiro in the second half. Gustav Svensson opened the scoring in the 64th minute by heading in a corner kick taken by Lodeiro, which was followed up by a strike of his own in the 81st minute on a counterattack. The team extended their home winning streak in the playoffs to eleven matches.
  The Sounders traveled to play Supporters' Shield winners Los Angeles FC, who had set new league records for points and goal differential, in the Western Conference Final at Banc of California Stadium. LAFC took the lead in the 17th minute through a free kick by Eduard Atuesta, but Seattle scored twice within nine minutes with goals on transitions by Ruidíaz and Lodeiro to close out the first half. Ruidíaz added a second goal for himself, shooting from just outside the 18-yard (16 m) box, and the team prevented involvement from LAFC captain and MLS scoring leader Carlos Vela to complete a 3–1 upset victory that returned the Sounders to the MLS Cup final.
caption: An Emerald City Supporters tifo prior to the Sounders' playoff match against FC Dallas
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