While the Seattle Sounders celebrated with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy after the MLS Cup final, numb Toronto FC players tried to process what had just happened.

There are few more painful ways to lose a championship game than by penalty shootout. But there is salt in the wound when you hold the opposition to no shots on goal in a 0-0 tie over 120 minutes, only to lose the ensuing shootout 5-4 on a bone-chilling night on home soil.

"It can be a cruel game sometimes," said a despondent Toronto captain Michael Bradley, who sat in his locker-room stall looking like he had been hit by a truck.

"It's not easy," added striker Jozy Altidore. "It's a really crappy feeling obviously."

"It all happened so quickly and it's over," said goalkeeper Clint Irwin, who looked like a ghost. "You don't really know what to feel or what to do. It's just over. There's no words to describe it."

It took Toronto FC 10 seasons, nine coaches, 324 regular-season and six playoff games to finally get to the championship game. Some 3.49 million fans went through the turnstiles before the 36,045 lucky ones Saturday night.

Frei wins MVP

Toronto got there having set an MLS record 17 goals in these playoffs. But they could not beat Stefan Frei, named MLS Cup MVP.

The former Toronto FC 'keeper made a brilliant save in the 108th minute, using his left hand to claw away a looping Altidore header from the top corner. Frei somehow extended himself like Inspector Gadget to preserve the tie.

"He made a great save, kept his team in the game," said Altidore. "It was going to take something special, either to win or in that case to keep them alive and they got that play."

Frei was modest about his miraculous stop.

"Sometimes you throw technique out the window and just make the save," he said.

Frei, who spent five seasons in Toronto where he lost his starting job mostly to injury, credited Seattle's coaches for believing in him.

Altidore, Benoit Cheyrou, Will Johnson and Drew Moor scored in the shootout for Toronto. Frei stopped Bradley on Toronto's second attempt and Justin Morrow hit the underside of the crossbar with Toronto's sixth attempt.

Defender Roman Torres then stepped up and beat Irwin to end the drama.

Brad Evans, Andreas Ivanschitz, Joevin Jones and Nicolas Lodeiro scored earlier in the shootout for Seattle. Irwin stopped Alvaro Fernandez on Seattle's third penalty.

It was a bitter pill for Toronto to swallow after a game where the tension was ratcheted up as the night wore on, with Toronto turning the screws. The shots were 19-3 in Toronto's favour (7-0 in shots on target) after 120 minutes but Seattle defended stoutly.

Sebastian Giovinco faced tough defence all night from Seattle, not being able to find much room. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

The Sounders' zero shots on target and three total shots were both MLS Cup records. And it was the first 0-0 MLS Cup final in regulation time.

"We were the better team but at the same time, Seattle, their game plan was to be unspectacular, to just kind of absorb pressure and try to stay in the game as long as they could," said Altidore. "Credit to them, they did. And we just weren't able to find a way."

Both teams' star men had quiet nights. Striker Sebastian Giovinco was treated like a pinata by Seattle defenders. Uruguayan playmaker Lodeiro was kept in check by Toronto.

"We can only thank every person in this city for their support and for the passion and the emotion and the energy that they put into this together with us," said Bradley. "I'm sick to my stomach that we couldn't reward them with the biggest trophy tonight."</s>

Taline McPhedran, CTVNews.ca





Toronto FC will finally get their shot at becoming MLS champions on Saturday night as they take on the Seattle Sounders in a winner-takes-all game.

Hosting the MLS final is a first for Toronto since the team started playing in 2007. Tickets for the championship game sold out in just three minutes after going on sale, with 36,000 people expected to take in the game at BMO field Saturday night.

This will also be the first time that both Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders play for the MLS championship title. Toronto FC failed to qualify for the playoffs from 2007 to 2014 before making it to the first ‘knockout round’ in 2014. A nail-biting win against Montreal Impact propelled the team to the finals this year.

“The buzz in Canada these last few weeks has been incredible, it’s been unprecedented,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber during a news conference.

The Seattle Sounders have had better luck, making the playoffs every year since their inception in 2009. The team has played in five conference semifinals and two conference finals but have never moved on to the final before this year.

The two teams will make history just as the game itself could make history. This final will be the latest MLS final ever held, the previous record being Dec. 7 in 2013 and 2014.

And if Toronto’s forecast is any indication, it also has the potential to be the coldest final ever held, with temperatures expected to be at -4 C (feeling more like -9 C) at the start of the game.

But none of that matters to members of Toronto’s squad.

“We’re excited to compete, we’re excited to play,” said Clint Irwin, goalkeeper for FC. “This is what Toronto sports are all about.”

Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET.</s>The Sounders are looking for their first MLS Cup title as they battle Toronto FC at BMO Field in Toronto. Follow along live for full coverage, photos and reaction.

At long last, it’s time for the MLS Cup final.

The Sounders’ remarkable 2016 resurgence has reached its final chapter. Without star forward Clint Dempsey, Seattle has rallied behind rookie Jordan Morris to steamroll through the final stretch of the season and all the way into the MLS Cup, where they will meet Toronto FC.

Will Seattle capture its elusive first title? Follow along live all evening as the Sounders face Toronto FC in the MLS Cup »

[ Using our mobile app? Switch to browser » ]
• MLS Cup: One last game and the chance to win it all for Sounders in Toronto
• Title shots — such as the Sounders have Saturday — are something fans should cherish | Stone
• Keys to 2016 MLS Cup: How will the Sounders defend Jozy Altidore?
• How Nicolas Lodeiro’s Uruguayan roots define him and his play for Sounders</s>The Seattle Sounders claimed their first Major League Soccer Cup by beating Toronto FC 5-4 on penalties after their title game ended 0-0 after extra-time on Saturday.

After Toronto’s Justin Morrow hit the crossbar, Seattle defender Roman Torres coolly hammered home the decider as the Sounders finally celebrated victory following seven seasons of near misses.

With zero shots on goal after 120 minutes it looked as if the Sounders, who have reached the playoffs in each of their eight years in the league, would come up short yet again but found the target when it mattered most.

Brad Evans, Andreas Ivanshitz, Joevin Jones and Nicolas Lodeiro also scored in the shootout for Seattle while Sounders goalkeeper capped an evening of spectacular saves by denying Morrow and Toronto captain Michael Bradley.

Frei, who spent five seasons with TFC, returned to torment his former team mates earning MLS Cup most valuable player honors after shutting out a high-powered Toronto attack that had produced 17 goals in five playoff contests.

The Seattle keeper’s biggest save, however, did not come in the shootout but deep into extra time when the Swiss dove across the net at full stretch and with his left hand tipped away a looping header from Jozy Altidore.

“It looked like it was going to go in and then all of a sudden here comes this paw and he gets a hold of it,” praised Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer.

“It was a tremendous save but there were a couple of other times I thought the ball might have gone in.”

For TFC and their fans it was a crushing result to a contest they had dominated for 120 minutes but could not breach a Seattle defense that had conceded just three goals in five playoff matches.

“They always had numbers around the goal and in the box,” lamented Toronto coach Greg Vanney. “Whenever we got into those areas there were times we just couldn’t get that final pass to someone who could finish.

“The few times we hit the goal Frei picks things out.”

It was perfect ice hockey weather at BMO Field, which in three weeks will host the NHL’s Centennial Classic outdoor game, but the bone-chilling temperatures did little to cool down a fired up capacity crowd of close to 36,000.

Toronto made a lively start and enjoyed the run of play in a scrappy opening half.

The Reds’ best scoring chance came early when Altidore squeezed a shot from inside the area that sliced by the post and a diving Frei in the second minute.

After the break it was Sebastian Giovinco, the other half of Toronto’s strike partnership, finally finding space down the left wing coming close when he ripped a shot that just missed the near post.

Toronto nearly ended the drama with an injury time winner when Bradley sent in a corner that Frei narrowly punched clear just before a diving Altidore could get his head on the ball.

But it was Frei’s save on Altidore in the 108th minute that Vanney believes robbed his team of a title.

“That was one of the great saves that I have seen in a big moment because that goal to me ends the game,” said Vanney. “We win if we do that. He saved the game for them.”</s>TORONTO — Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei came back to haunt his former team as the Sounders beat Toronto 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the MLS Cup on a chilly Saturday night.

It was 0-0 after regulation, with Frei keeping Seattle in the game with a marvellous save in extra time.

Jozy Altidore, Benoit Cheyrou, Will Johnson and Drew Moor scored in the shootout for Toronto. Frei stopped captain Michael Bradley and Justin Morrow hit the underside of the crossbar with Toronto’s sixth attempt.

Defender Roman Torres then stepped up and beat Clint Irwin to end the drama.

Brad Evans, Andreas Ivanshitz, Joevin Jones and Nicolas Lodeiro also scored in the shootout for Seattle. Clint Irwin stopped Alvaro Fernandez.

It was a bitter pill for Toronto to swallow after a game where the tension was ratcheted up as the night wore on, with Toronto turning the screws. The shots were 19-3 in Toronto’s favour (7-0 in shots on target) after 120 minutes but Seattle defended stoutly.

The Sounders’ zero shots on target and three total shots were both MLS Cup records. And it was the first 0-0 MLS Cup final in regulation time.

Seattle, which was mired near the bottom of the league in mid-July, becomes the 11th team in league history to win the championship.

Nine of the previous 20 finals had also required overtime with three of those going to penalty kicks.

Toronto had chances in extra time. Substitute Tosaint Ricketts shot just wide early in the second half with Frei rooted to the spot.

The former Toronto FC ‘keeper then made a brilliant save in the 108th minute, using his left hand to claw away a looping Altidore header from the top corner. Frei somehow extended himself like Inspector Gadget to preserve the tie.

Torres then had a chance at the back post, but could not sort his feet out.

Toronto had the better chances in the first half but could not break down a well-organized Seattle side. Toronto captain Bradley and Seattle counterpart Osvaldo Alonso both stood out, breaking up plays and sending the ball the other way.

It was a tense second half, with both teams knowing one mistake could cost them the Cup. As the clock wound down on regulation time, Toronto had outshot Seattle 12-3 (3-0 in shots on target). Two of the Sounders shots were off-target and the third was blocked.

It was almost decided in second-half stoppage time but Frei got to a bouncing ball off a Bradley corner just before Altidore did. Frei paid the price, running into the burly forward.

Both teams’ star men had quiet nights. Striker Sebastian Giovinco was treated like a pinata by Seattle defenders. Uruguayan playmaker Lodeiro was kept in check by Toronto.

Giovinco came out in the 103rd minute, replaced by Ricketts. He exited late in the last playoff game too, slowed by cramps.

It was minus 4 Celsius at kickoff, but felt like minus 9. It didn’t bother Bradley, who wore short sleeves and no gloves.

None of the Toronto starters wore tuques in the warmup. Some of the Sounders, in contrast, looked like they had dressed for the ski lodge.

The championship game, only 15 days before Christmas, was the latest ever on the MLS calendar. The previous latest was Dec. 7, in 2015 and 2013. The temperature at the 2103 final in Kansas City hovered around minus 6 Celsius at kickoff, making it the coldest match since 2003 when the league first started recording game-time temperatures.

At the other end of the spectrum, the 2004 Cup final was a warm 27 degrees on Nov. 14 in Carson, Calif.

Not this night. You could see the players’ breath and feel for the kilt-wearing flag-bearers during the anthems. Most of the record capacity crowd of 36,045 at BMO Field stood during the match, probably to keep their feet moving.

The travelling Seattle fans likely needed an air traffic controller to find their seats high in the corner of the East Stand.

It was physical from the get-go. Giovinco was floored in the third minute and Moor went down after taking an accidental boot in the groin from Nelson Valdez in the sixth. Toronto’s Armando Cooper then ran over Jordan Morris.

The early chances went to Toronto with an Altidore shot deflected wide in the second minute and then Frei getting down to stop a weak shot from Jonathan Osorio in the 15th. Seattle had its moments but could not convert them into scoring chances.

In the 26th minute, Torres took a Giovinco shot to the face. But the big Panamanian was soon back up.

Altidore came close with a header in the 30th off a Morrow cross. Giovinco had two bites at the apple from free kicks in the first half but could not work his magic.

Seattle, looking to strike on the counter-attack, failed to put a shot on target in the first half. Toronto managed three.

Giovinco shot wide in the 49th minute, missing a fine opportunity. Minutes later he was bulldozed into the turf by Alonso with no foul called.

Toronto built the shot count to 10-0 (3-0 in shots on target) after 60 minutes.

Valdez limped off in the 73rd minute, replaced by Ivanschitz. Morris moved to the tip of the Seattle offence.

Giovinco was taken down in the 76th minute, caught in a Sounders sandwich, but again got no call from referee Alan Kelly — much to the Italian’s disgust.

Torres, who was immense on the night, and veteran centre-back partner Chad Marshall did not yield an inch.

Saturday’s game pitted two championship-hungry franchise with heavyweight fan followings. Seattle, which joined the MLS fold in 2009, led the league in attendance averaging 42,636 per game at CenturyLink Field. Toronto, which came on board in 2007, was third — behind Orlando — at 26,583.

Saturday’s big crowd was made possible by temporary seats left over from the Grey Cup.

Pre-game social media messages of support for the home side came from all quarters, from Drake to the prime minister.

“At #BMOField in my long underwear,” tweeted TV personality Drew Carey, a minority owner in the Sounders.

The teams each made one change in their midfield from Game 2 of their respective conference finals. Osorio returned at the expense of Johnson for Toronto and Erik Friberg came in for Ivanschitz for Seattle.

There were five points separating the sides during the regular season with Toronto (14-9-11) third in the East and Seattle (14-14-6) fourth in the West.

The Sounders’ season turned on July 26 when assistant coach Brian Schmetzer replaced Sigi Schmid, the team’s only head coach. Seattle, ninth in the West with a 6-12-2 record at the time off the coaching change, went 12-3-4 since en route to the final.

Toronto also arrived on a roll, having lost just three times since mid-July (12-3-5). The year had a hard start, with Toronto playing the first eight games of the season away due to stadium renovations.

A crowd of 21,700 took in the only other MLS Cup in Toronto in 2010, when the league used to hold the championship at a neutral venue. Colorado, with current Toronto defender Moor in the lineup, beat Dallas 2-1 in overtime. Temperature at kickoff that night was 6.</s>TORONTO — There was nothing right about Saturday night.

The Seattle Sounders, standing atop a stage at midfield, lifting the MLS Cup having not produced a shot on target over 120 minutes.

Seattle’s first attempt on goal didn’t arrive until the match was close to three hours old — when Brad Evans converted his penalty kick.

Six spot kicks later, after Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley and Justin Morrow missed their attempts, Seattle’s Roman Torres converted to Clint Irwin’s right to give the Rave Green their first title.

It was the moment when Toronto’s dream season ended; The last kick of Major League Soccer’s 21st season.

But the final kick in the gut might have been watching ex-TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei claim player-of-the-game honours after saving Bradley’s penalty.

It had to be gut-wrenching for TFC’s captain, who didn’t hit his attempt with enough pace or direction. There will be questions as to whether it was his last kick in a TFC kit amid speculation there’s interest in Europe.

“I know Michael will be disappointed,” TFC coach Greg Vanney said. “At the end of the day, it’s a penalty. Those things happen. I thought he was fantastic for the whole game.

“He gave us a great chance to win the game. I would never beat somebody up for missing a PK. That happens. I’m sure he’s disappointed, but our guys gave everything they had to the game.”

Morrow had an opportunity to save TFC’s MLS Cup dream, only to see his spot kick come back off the crossbar to the delight of the 1,500 Sounders fans tucked neatly in the northeast corner of BMO Field.

Then came Torres, the most unlikely of penalty kick heroes. The Sounders’ Panamanian defender banged home his sudden-death penalty to stun fans who braved sub-zero conditions.

All Toronto can do now is regret all the missed opportunities. The Reds outshot their opponent 19-3 through 90 minutes of regulation and a half-hour more of extra time.

They didn’t deserve to win Saturday night, but the Reds put in maybe one of the most dominating performances in MLS Cup history only to come away with nothing.

“A game like that needs a goal to loosen up one of the teams defensively,” Vanney added post-game. “The longer it went on, the longer they were protecting their goal and looking for moments.”

The Sounders might have been looking, but they didn’t find any. Sometimes soccer teams survive on the road.

The Sounders didn’t just survive. There was only one team on the field in terms of chances and quality opportunities.

The visitors didn’t have an attempt at goal before the game was 80 minutes old. They’re the only team in MLS history to not produce an attempt on goal during a final.

The Reds, on the other hand, were dominant in a first half that saw them outshoot Seattle 7-0.

“I thought we played like the team that wanted to win the championship,” Vanney added. “(My players’) heads are down now, but they’ll come back fighting when we come back for pre-season.”

Jozy Altidore, the hero during the second half of TFC’s season, the scorer of big goals throughout these playoffs, nearly produced a dream start for Toronto in front of 36,045 fans.

The U.S. international raced in along the left edge of the penalty area minutes into the match before watching his left-footed low drive deflected just wide of the back post.

Jonathan Osorio had Toronto’s next best opportunity, when on 15 minutes, the Canadian latched onto laid-off pass from Altidore before turning from inside 10 metres and hitting his open look directly into Frei’s arms.

All the while, the Sounders were heroic in their defending of Sebastian Giovinco. The Atomic Ant was bottled up almost from start to finish by Torres and Chad Marshall.

The Italian, who didn’t look 100% in certain moments during these playoffs, was made to look like a fraction of the player he was during the regular season.

Altidore had another chance to put the Reds up on the half-hour mark when he skied above the Rave Green’s Joevin Jones to meet Morrow’s cross only to see Frei dive to his left to deny the attempt.

The Sounders, meanwhile, couldn’t conjure up anything the other way. Bradley was immense in shutting down Uruguayan playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, who was a non-factor throughout regulation.

Anchored by stalwart Drew Moor, TFC’s back three didn’t give an inch to strikers Jordan Morris and Nelson Valdez. The Sounders were holding on for dear life during portions of this final.

Giovinco’s lack of sharpness on Toronto FC’s most important night shown minutes after halftime when Osorio played him in along the right side of the box. But the Atomic Ant put his open look from an angle into the netting.

As the game grew older, things began to tighten. The Reds failed to connect passes amid miss-touches that saw them struggle to create any quality opportunities.

The Reds had one final chance in second-half stoppage time when a corner was headed down to the back post, where Altidore was lurking to potentially score the MLS Cup-winning goal.

But there was Frei, quick off his line to sacrifice his body in a big collision that saw him deny Altidore’s diving header attempt to send the game into extra time.

Toronto’s Benoit Cheyrou, the hero in last week’s semifinal win over Montreal, produced Toronto FC’s best chance in the first-half of extra time.

The Frenchman burst through midfield in the 95th minute before lining up a right-footed grass-cutter that again called Frei into action. Shots were 16-3 at that time.

After replacing Giovinco in extra time, Toronto’s Tosaint Ricketts had the game on his foot in the 107th minute only to see his volley from the penalty spot skip tantalizingly wide of the right post.

Minutes later, Toronto’s former ’keeper produced one of the great saves in MLS Cup history when he sprawled across the goal line to get a hand to another Altidore header.

“I thought that ball had eyes for the corner,” Vanney said. “I thought (Frei) was maybe caught in the middle of the goal. But it was looping. It gave him enough time to set his feet and get across the goal.

“It was one of the great saves that I’ve seen in a big moment.”</s>After years trying to find its way back to a major championship game, the city of Toronto has rediscovered another keen sports feeling – crushing disappointment.

Toronto FC lost the MLS Cup on Saturday night in the most painful possible way. They dominated through 120 minutes of game play and added-extra time. How dominant? Their opponents, the Seattle Sounders, did not manage a single shot on goal. That had never before happened in the history of Major League Soccer finals.

It went to penalty kicks. It was then tied through the regulation five kicks.

Toronto’s sixth taker, Justin Morrow, beat the ‘keeper, but his shot caromed back off the underside of the crossbar. He quite literally missed it by an inch.

Seattle’s Roman Torres finished it with the next kick.

The Sounders most valuable player was probably ‘keeper Stefan Frei. A close second was referee Alan Kelly. He allowed a game of remarkable permissiveness and brutality. Since Toronto was the only team going forward with regularity, that tended to punish them more.

The key victim was Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco. He wasn’t there by the time penalties rolled around. After nearly two hours of serial battery, Giovinco left the game limping in the 103rd minute.

Toronto had two gilt-edged chances to seal it in the second half of added-extra time. Tosaint Rickets sent a scuffed shot inches wide of the post. Jozy Altidore had a point-blank header spectacularly saved by former TFC ‘keeper Frei.

You could sense after that shot that everything was beginning to slip away. Once it did, Toronto FC’s players fled the field immediately. By the time the Sounders got around to the trophy presentation, BMO Field was nearly deserted.

Regulation was largely a game of Red Rover played in sub-zero temps. Seattle’s Nelson Valdez set the early tone when, moving at full-speed, he planted an outstretched foot in Drew Moor’s sensitive parts.

That play was book-ended by a flying hip-check delivered in the final minute of regulation by Toronto’s Michael Bradley.

As referee Alan Kelly extended a card in Bradley’s direction, he blurted out a baffled “What?”

Given the way things had gone, he was right to be confused.

In between, Toronto had all the chances. And I mean every single one. Seattle did not manage a single shot on goal over the course of the entire game.

Nonetheless, they’d come with an effective plan – string things out, turtle in your own end and hit Giovinco every time he got the ball.

Kelly, apparently the best of MLS’s notoriously awful officials corps, was an enthusiastic abettor of that strategy. At times, you wondered if he’d forgotten his whistle in the dressing room as he came out for the second half. In one instance, two trailing Seattle men pulled Giovinco down in full flight. No call.

Hence, the paucity of goals and – for long stretches – any real vim to an otherwise vigorous contest.</s>Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley said that soccer can be a "cruel game," after losing the MLS Cup final to the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout on Saturday. Toronto Coach Greg Vanney said he's proud of the squad.</s>It might have taken Toronto FC nine seasons to win a playoff game in Major League Soccer.

But off the field, MLS commissioner Don Garber says, the franchise set the league standard with its passionate fan base from Day 1.

Toronto battles the Seattle Sounders for the MLS Cup on Saturday, and Garber praised both young franchises in his annual state of the league address on the eve of the game.

Read more: The passion, pain and joy of being a Toronto FC fan

Read more: Toronto FC, ready for battle, hope for winning weather

Garber said both finalists had helped, in their own way, set the standard for the league.

“I think what Toronto did when they came in in 2007 is showed the North American market in many ways what an environment of passionate soccer supporters can be,” Garber said. “And how having a downtown stadium that was supported by the Red Patch Boys, and a whole bunch of other travelling passionate flag-waving fans, that environment became sort of a brand statement – this is what we think MLS can be and you see that being replicated in many other markets.

“We’ve had lots of passionate supporters [in other cities]. But there was something about how the supporter movement – downtown stadium, small stadium, great brand – all came together to tell a very good story.”

Both franchises know how to draw fans through the turnstiles. Seattle led the league in attendance this season, averaging 42,636 a game, while Toronto was third (behind Orlando) at 26,583.

Garber said Toronto’s ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, didn’t treat its soccer team as the younger sibling, and that was key.

“When the leadership of that organization says our team is going to be treated the same as the Maple Leafs, the same as the Raptors, our stadium is going to be no different than Air Canada Centre, I think that was a pretty big talisman that they held and had many other clubs say: We ought to do that,” Garber said.

The Sounders, who share CenturyLink Field with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, followed Toronto’s lead.

“A lot of that came from this idea that MLSE treated all of their brands equally and proudly and we see that now with every one of our clubs,” Garber said.

On the field however, the Sounders found success right out of the gate. They’re the first team in history to make the playoffs in all eight of their seasons since they entered the league in 2009. Toronto made its first playoff appearance last year, but was dispatched by the Montreal Impact in one game.

Since neither team has played for the Cup, a new champion will be crowned Saturday, one of numerous firsts that Garber highlighted during his hour-long session with the media.
• It’s the first championship game in Canada;
• It’s both the first time the game will be broadcast live on network TV in the United States on Fox, and it’s the first time the MLS Cup will be offered in virtual reality. The game will be shown in a 170 countries in more than 90 different languages – both records;
• The game sold out in less than four minutes and it will be the highest attended MLS Cup (36,000) since the league moved to its new playoff format;
• The Eastern Conference final between Toronto and Montreal set viewership records on TSN and RDS and more than 100,000 fans packed Olympic Stadium and BMO Field; Garber was at the conference final nail-biter at BMO Field and said it epitomized what the league had hoped for when it expanded into Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

“It was one of the great games in our league’s young history,” Garber said. “As I was sitting in those stands, hoping to have something memorable happen, to see it happen on the field and give us something that I think will create lifetime memories for all the people who are fans of this team, memories for the fans of the Montreal Impact, it’s going to provide us with a very solid future for the sport and Major League Soccer here in this country.”

Garber also announced several changes for next season, including expanding the target allocation program, which provides clubs cash to spend strategically to improve their rosters. All 21 teams, he said, will receive $1.2-million (U.S.) – an increase of $400,000 per club.

And they hope to implement VAR – video-assisted refereeing – by the second half of 2017 MLS season.</s>TORONTO — On a night of cold, and ultimately frustration, Sebastian Giovinco’s arms were in the air in defiance, his moment of personal protest.

Not his only moment.

He was knocked to the ground, to the frozen grass, the tiny Toronto FC superstar was pushed and prodded and pulled and angered and he seemed to get no respect from the officials at the MLS Cup and too much regard and physical presence from the Seattle Sounders.

And ultimately, the most exciting player in Major League Soccer, was pulled from the championship game in extra time on Saturday night — clearly a reflection more about his health than his ineffective play. Pulled after trying to do too much and coming away with too little.

This wasn’t what you would want from Soccer Night In Canada, with a stadium full and a country watching and a city consumed by the atmosphere and the possibility of a championship.

You wanted more from Giovinco, hurt or not. You wanted better than this. You wanted Giovinco on fire, not chopped up by the Sounders like kindling. You want your stars to be your stars.

You wanted to see some kind of scoring for Toronto, for the country, for soccer dammit. You didn’t want a goalless stereotype You wanted something to warm up and excite a well-dressed soldout crowd at BMO Field. You wanted a parade.

But the ending was oh so Toronto.

There will be no parade. The ending was another reminder of almost winning something. The city motto.

When you don’t score, you don’t get the opportunity to celebrate on the field. You can have all the possession you want — and take that Corsi fans — finishing still matters. Toronto FC in the end was finished because it couldn’t finish.

And soccer won and lost this week. Won by the atmosphere. Won with the interest. Won in a big-picture MLS way. Lost when the home team couldn’t find a way.

All they needed was a goal. A lead. Something. Was it too much to ask from 126 minutes of soccer? One bloody goal.

Giovinco didn’t finish the game on the field, wasn’t around for penalty kicks, wasn’t the difference maker he is paid to be. It was that kind of disappointing. For him. For anyone wanting a different kind of ending.

This was not Leon McQuay fumbling. This was not a where were you, remember this for the rest of your life, tears in your eyes defeat, Jim Sundberg.

This was Toronto being Toronto. And sometimes being that just hurts.

Giovinco has the kind of talent that can not only light up a stadium but warm up a frozen crowd. He can be that special. He can be that different. And on the MLS equivalent of Super Bowl Sunday, you expect Tom Brady to be great, you expect Joe Montana to throw to Jerry Rice, and you expect Giovinco and yes, Jozy Altidore, to combine their ridiculous skills and personal differences in size to provide Toronto FC with two ways of scoring.

Giovinco is small and quick and with moves that take your breath away. Altidore is part LeBron James, part Jim Brown, bigger, more powerful, more physical than anyone who plays at this level. But like Giovinco, he couldn’t find much room against Seattle and when he did he was pounded, which isn’t an easy thing to do, and he had attempts to alter the outcome before extra time came and wasn’t able to finish.

Those who know soccer better — which is basically the entire planet — called the championship game sloppy. It was not what the soccer people would call efficient. Seattle, playing for a championship, didn’t have a shot on goal. Not one.

They won a bloody championship without a shot on goal.

Imagine that. And what’s more Toronto than that?

Seattle did the George Foreman thing most of the night and I don’t mean selling grills. Toronto played the part of Michael Moorer. The Sounders waited and waited and waited some more, like Foreman did in the ring before knocking out Moorer for the heavyweight championship of the world, and TFC threw quick jabs accomplishing little. The Sounders waited for the one quick stab — but it never came. And then the worst way to determine any championship, any sport.

Just a few weeks ago, the Grey Cup went to overtime in this very park. The ending at least brought some excitement to the stadium and to a national television audience. This game was a challenge, to stick through, to watch to the end, to stay engaged. Championships should never be won on penalty kicks. And there it went Saturday night. With the crowd of 36,045, largest attendance ever at BMO Field, with a crowd livelier than the game for the most part trying to inspire their players, rather than their players inspiring the crowd.

When it came to penalty kicks to decide the championship, Sebastian Giovinco, leading point-getter in the MLS, was watching from the sidelines. A championship lost on bloody penalty kicks. A game more memorable for its wondrous atmosphere than its final result.
In association football, Toronto FC play Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Cup final held at Toronto's BMO Field. The Sounders win 5–4 in a penalty shootout after the game ended scoreless after extra time. It is the Sounders' first MLS title.