This season will not be the first time that the Seattle Sounders are hosting MLS Cup, but it will be the first time the Sounders are playing in MLS Cup at home.
Huh?
Yep, and it was a classic, too.
Real Salt Lake beat the LA Galaxy after a penalty-kick shootout in a star-studded MLS Cup 2009 featuring David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Nick Rimando, Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman and more. USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter and LA Galaxy president Chris Klein both started for the Galaxy, too.
While we've grown accustomed to the highest remaining seed hosting MLS Cup, the league had played the final at a predetermined neutral site until 2012. Seattle still were great hosts, with more than 46,000 fans in attendance to watch the Galaxy vs. RSL.
That season was the Sounders' first in the league as they redefined expectations for an expansion side, finishing third in the Western Conference, just a point behind first place and two points behind the Supporters' Shield-winning Columbus Crew. They fell in the first round of the playoffs to Houston Dynamo, though, ending their dream of playing MLS Cup in front of their home fans.
In their previous two MLS Cup appearances, both against Toronto FC, the Canadian club had the superior regular season thus MLS Cup was played north of the border. They triumphed in 2016 but fell in 2017.
In a week and a half, though, they get to play for the cup in front of their home fans at CenturyLink Field against Toronto once again.
