TORONTO – Two centuries ago English poet William Wordsworth coined the concept of “the happy warrior,” creating what’s become the modern Western ideal of the dedicated, virtuous military and political servant who “plays, in the many games of life, that one where what he most doth value must be won.”
The term came to mind this week as I watched the Seattle Sounders prepare to defend their MLS Cup title in Saturday’s rematch with Toronto FC at BMO Field. It’s a shot at glory that both sides richly deserve, but they have presented markedly different public faces to the world as they march towards this clash.
Both sides are clearly up for the fight. But the boys in Rave Green seem to carry a bit broader smile and more of a spring in their step, while the Reds have a sterner, more somber look to them.
“Definitely I do sense that Seattle’s a bit looser, and with less pressure – but for good reason,” ESPN analyst and retired striker Herculez Gomez, who played for TFC in 2015 before hoisting the trophy with Seattle last year, told MLSsoccer.com.
“This is a Seattle team that’s already won it. They don’t have the tag of favorites in this final. They’re not playing at home. Toronto is playing at home against a team they lost to in the MLS Cup final already, with the tag of ‘the best MLS team ever’ looming over their head. And by the way, they’re not playing particularly well in the playoffs. Seattle is.”
Present momentum is one thing. Emotional memories of the past are another – in this case, euphoria for the Sounders and heartbreak for TFC.
“I think Toronto’s a little bit more businesslike this go-around. You can sense that by the way they celebrated – or lack thereof a celebration – for the Eastern Conference final,” noted Gomez.
“They’ve got a different mentality this go-around. I’m sure they feel a little bit hard done by the way MLS Cup ended up last time, losing to a team that didn’t have one shot on goal, and Seattle felt that they were playing with house money, and kind of stole it."
The contrast was evident in Thursday’s pregame press conferences. At TFC’s, coach Greg Vanney was cerebral and subdued, Michael Bradley spoke with his trademark earnest, measured tone, and a tight-lipped Jozy Altidore said as little as he possibly could. The Reds are on a mission, but they know how quickly glory can be snatched away – Bradley and Altidore in particular.
Then Seattle took the stage, and coach Brian Schmetzer sent repeated ripples of laughter through the crowd. First he cracked a quiet one-liner to Clint Dempsey when a reporter asked about his “marriage” with strike partner Will Bruin. Later he nodded and grinned widely when Dempsey spoke of his coach’s post-victory habit of “a glass of wine with his missus.”
From left: Kelvin Leerdam, Gustav Svensson and Will Bruin at the Seattle Sounders' training session on Friday / USA Today Sports Images
It wasn’t so much that Schmetzer was unserious – just that he seemed completely unawed by the hefty weight of the moment. And that seems to reflect a cheerful attitude across his squad.
Perhaps it’s Seattle’s status as defending champs, or the liberating reality that TFC own home-field advantage and thus the favorites tag that comes along with it. Or maybe it’s just the psychological makeup of this particular team.
“It all starts with the locker room,” said the Sounders’ veteran center back Chad Marshall after Friday’s final pre-Cup training session. “We have an unreal locker room – we all get along, there’s not two players in the locker room that don’t get along, and that’s huge. We’re all buying into what the coaches are selling.”
But Marshall frowned when presented with the term widely applied to his side at present.
“I don’t think we’re loose,” he said. “We’re ready, we prepared well. We got some guys back from injury that helped us and we’re ready for the challenge. They’re the favorite, they’re at home, but we’ve prepared well. We’re happy with where we’re at and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Both coaching staffs made sure to keep Friday’s workouts – their last ones of the season whatever happens in the title bout – light and fun. Vanney praised his side’s mood, but tacitly admitted that their minds can wander to unhelpful places as the big moment approaches.
“It’s a good vibe in the locker room, guys are having fun, it’s just kind of how our group is. This is our last training session of the year and we’re going to come out today and enjoy ourselves,” he said.
“For me the most important thing is guys realize it’s just another game. The field’s the same size, it’s the same stadium we’ve played in many a times. There’s a lot of built-up emotion around it, and there’s a sense that’s something bigger than probably it is. At the end of the day it’s 11 vs. 11 and it’s all the same.”
Perhaps the Sounders are a bit too chipper. Maybe TFC’s personalities simply don’t emote as openly. We’ll have to wait and see who best walks that tightrope between levity and intensity.
“I’m going to be honest with you guys: Every professional sports team in a final, there is some level of pressure,” declared Schmetzer on Friday. “Now you guys can gauge how much TFC has and how much we have – you guys can debate that all you want. But my players will be feeling butterflies when the referee blows his whistle tomorrow.
“Those are normal feelings to have. Hopefully you turn that nervous energy into adrenaline and it helps you on the field. But it’s a final. It’s a big game. Everybody knows it’s a big game. We are very relaxed out here because we’ve been here before, yes, we won here last year, all those things. But when the referee blows the whistle, we will be laser-focused.”
