Categories
News Seattle Sounders FC Toronto FC

MLS Cup draws largest sports crowd ever to CenturyLink Field in Seattle

An announced crowd of 69,274 dressed in blue and green roared as the Sounders won MLS Cup 3-1.

SEATTLE — Seattle Sounders FC supporters came out in full force Sunday for the 2019 MLS Cup at CenturyLink Field. An announced crowd of 69,274 dressed in blue and green roared from the opening whistle to the final whistle as the Sounders took down visiting Toronto FC 3-1 to claim their second Major League Soccer title.

The attendance marked the largest crowd to ever watch a sporting event at CenturyLink Field, which is also home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. It was also the most-attended soccer match in the history of Washington State and broke the Sounders’ attendance record. The number fell just shy of the MLS Cup record, however, held by Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the announced 73,019 people at last year’s final.

“In the beginning, it was overwhelming. I got teary eyes when we walked out,” Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei said of the crowd. “But as soon as the referee blows that whistle, things darken and you focus on the ball. The few moments where everything opens back up is when we score goals — it’s raw, pure emotion.”

Tickets to the match sold out about 20 minutes after going on sale Nov. 1, according to the league, and standing-room-only tickets were sold the day of the game.

MLS Cup tickets were also a hot commodity on the resale market, where the average resale price earlier in the week hit $622, according to SeatGeek. 

Altidore returns

In search of someone to step up and make a difference, Toronto FC brought on Jozy Altidore in the 67th minute of Sunday’s MLS Cup. Altidore, 30, had not featured in Toronto’s playoff run because of a quad strain suffered Oct. 6, the final day of the MLS regular season. 

“Friday after training, I felt good. I showed the coach that I could play and that I could do everything,” Altidore said after the game. 

The veteran striker didn’t quite look like himself when he first entered the match Sunday, and Toronto FC struggled to provide service to him and Alejandro Pozuelo. 

By the time Altidore settled into the game, Sounders FC was already in complete control. Kelvin Leerdam’s deflected shot put the Sounders up 1-0 in the first half. Victor Rodriguez and Raul Ruidiaz cemented Seattle’s second-half performance with two more goals to make it a 3-0 game.

But Altidore eventually came through for his team. He scored Toronto’s lone goal in the 93rd minute with a striking header, leaving many wondering whether the outcome would have been different had Altidore come on earlier or been 100% healthy.

“Yeah it’s difficult,” Altidore said of the result. “It’s difficult especially because I think in the first 15 minutes we have the game, we outplay them, we have most of the ball, we’re creating good chances. I think we weren’t just able to put one away. As long as the game goes zero to zero, it remains 50/50, any team can kind of take advantage. They get an incredibly lucky goal and that’s what happens. It’s another learning experience.”

Altidore said the first Seattle goal, a ball deflected into the net by Toronto’s own Justin morrow, was a “gut punch.” 

He also felt there was a foul on TFC midfielder Jonathan Osorio leading to the play that was not called. 

“We played and we dominated the game. Shades of 2016 a bit. We have the game, we’re creating chances, there’s a foul on Osorio. We know the standard of MLS refereeing is next to horrible. You can’t count on them bailing you out on anything. That’s what happens, and then it’s a lucky deflection.

“I’m not taking anything away from Seattle. They know how to counter, they know how to absorb pressure, and create. They’ve been doing it for a number of years. Credit to them, they did it again to us tonight. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”

MVP Rodriguez

Big games need big players to deliver. Despite not seeing his name in Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer’s starting XI Sunday, Victor Rodriguez entered the match as a second-half substitute in the 61st minute and scored with a curling strike that gave Seattle a 2-0 lead in the 76th minute.

The 30-year-old Spanish midfielder has been in and out of Seattle’s lineup all season, but he made an impact when it was needed most and for that was named MVP of the 2019 MLS Cup.

“For God, for all the fans, for all the teammates, for the coach, I think we deserved that,” Rodriguez said during a postgame news conference. “We work every day so hard. I’m really happy for the win. This feeling is amazing.”

Pro Soccer USA’s Alicia DelGallo contributed to this report.