Seattle Sounders vs. Toronto FC Set for 2019 MLS Cup Final

The Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC will face off in the MLS Cup final on Nov. 10 at Seattle's CenturyLink Field, a rubber match four years in the making.

Seattle topped Toronto 0-0 (5-4) in penalties to win the 2016 MLS Cup, and then the Reds got revenge by beating Seattle 2-0 in the 2017 MLS Cup.

Toronto secured its spot in the 2019 MLS Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-1 win over reigning champion Atlanta United FC in the Eastern Conference Final. Nick DeLeon put away the game at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the 78th minute:

Seattle had defeated LAFC 3-1 in the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night. The Sounders finished second in the West to LAFC in the regular season, but the gulf was large enough to consider Tuesday's result a major upset.

LAFC etched itself as the most productive offense in league history. The club claimed the Supporters' Shield with a record-setting 72 points, 16 more than Seattle's 56. LAFC entered the postseason with an all-time most plus-48 goal differential, led by captain Carlos Vela's record-breaking 34 goals.

Seattle knew what it had to do in order to edge the L.A. club for just one game, midfielder Cristian Roldan said afterward, per the Associated Press (h/t Sports Illustrated):

"The many times that we've been to MLS Cup now has been off grit, has been off not playing pretty. It's been off winning in different ways. Today we won in a different way. We locked down defense. We scored on our few opportunities. In other games, maybe we would play pretty. But we knew it was going to be a tough opponent away from home. We adjusted accordingly. Sometimes we would press. Sometimes we would sit back. Overall, it was just a fantastic performance."

Seattle had ousted FC Dallas 4-3 in the first round and Real Salt Lake 2-0 in the semifinals before clashing with LAFC. Throughout this run, forward Raul Ruidiaz has been the Sounders' leading scorer with three goals across three games that included a brace against LAFC.

The most important member, though, may be head coach Brian Schmetzer:

But if there's any team in the league versed in facing Schmetzer in big-game situations, it's Toronto.

Toronto entered this postseason fourth in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, the club took care of fifth-seeded D.C. United 5-1. The second round proved more difficult against top-seeded NYCFC, but Toronto prevailed 2-1 with a brace from striker Alejandro Pozuelo capped by a game-winning penalty in the 90th minute.

Pozuelo was Toronto's leading scorer in the regular season with 12 goals,. Jozy Altidore, whose status remains unclear for the MLS Cup match, was on his heels with 11 goals. Altidore hasn't played at all in the postseason.

However, Toronto proved to have a multifaceted attack en route to the MLS Cup. Against D.C., four other scorers outside of Pozuelo and Altidore found the back of the net. Against Atlanta, Nicolas Benezet and DeLeon handled the scoring.

In that regard, LAFC was the perfect primer for Seattle before taking on Toronto. If the Sounders can wrangle in the most productive offensive attack MLS has ever seen, who's to say they can't contain Toronto?

At the same time, Toronto just ousted the defending champions. Who's to say it can't take down Seattle?

Toronto's 2017 title—the first in franchise history—was won at home at BMO Field one year after the Sounders came into BMO Field and took the Cup back home to Seattle.

Seattle and Toronto faced off once in the regular season, back on April 13, with the Sounders winning 3-2. Altidore scored both of Toronto's goal in that match, for what it's worth, and all signs point to him being unavailable for the final and most important game of the year.

But April was a long time ago, and these two teams' history goes back even further that that. Toronto is faring just fine without Altidore, and Seattle is firing on all cylinders. In other words, prepare for anything.