When 2016 ended, many Americans wondered how a year could get any worse. Then 2017 said, “Hold my beer.” The depressing U.S. soccer season will officially conclude with the MLS Cup final between the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field and it can’t come soon enough.
The Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC will contest MLS Cup 2017 on Saturday, December 9, at BMO Field in a rematch of last season’s final. In 2016 the Sounders won on penalties despite not registering a shot on target after 120 minutes of scoreless action. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei provided the highlights, but many left feeling like a goal or just a couple more shots would’ve done the showpiece event a world of good.
Last night, the Seattle Sounders laid waste to the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup Western Conference final, running out 3-0 winners on the night for a 5-0 aggregate victory. It was shades of Brazil’s 4-1 triumph over Italy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final. What I mean by that is the final goal was a thing of supreme beauty.
The Vancouver Whitecaps pulled off what might be one of the biggest moves of the MLS offseason on Thursday, signing Venezuela international Anthony Blondell. The striker led the Primera Division in Venezuela with 23 goals in 2017, leading Monagas SC to the Torneo Apertura title.
Anthony Blondell (pronounced blun-dell) could be a coup for the Whitecaps. At 23 years old, he’s an emerging star, having made his international debut earlier this month. His 2017 haul of 23 goals came in 33 starts and 37 appearances and many of them were impressive strikes.
There are a lot of people in and around the United States who do not care for Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore. Sacha Kljestan is one. Several of them even work here at the18 dot com. However, anyone who watched the Toronto FC-Columbus Crew MLS Cup semifinal has to appreciate Altidore's work during the series, namely keeping us from having to watch any more of it.
On December 6 in New York City, four Major League Soccer expansion hopefuls will stand in front of the league’s expansion committee and commissioner Don Garber and make their case to be one of two new sides slated to begin play in 2020. They’ll talk about things like business metrics (“F*ck that,” says Columbus), stadium plans and making bank.
Monday marked Contract Deadline Day in Major League Soccer, meaning that all clubs (apart from the four still participating in the MLS Cup playoffs) had to announce which player contract options they’d picked up and which players they’d effectively cut.
You could forgive Stefan Frei for suffering from a professional hangover following his heroics in the 2016 MLS Cup final. The 31-year-old native of Switzerland's legend is forever woven inside the fabric of the league following that save on Jozy Altidore in the second half of extra-time, one of seven saves for Frei in a performance that saw him named MLS Cup MVP.