It's the grudge match for the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Cup Final, and the same goes for the respective head coaches.
Seattle's Brian Schmetzer and Toronto's Greg Vanney have met five times with their teams, with the teams deadlocked with a 2-2-1 record across all competitions. Here's a look back at how both the MLS Cup showdowns and regular-season meetings between the two head coaches have gone.
Regular season
In the regular season, the Sounders hold a 2-1-0 edge since Schmetzer took over in the middle of the 2016 season (the teams' regular-season meeting that year, a 1-1 draw, happened a few weeks before Schmetzer became head coach). In fact, Toronto's win in May 2017 was the first home loss under Schmetzer in Seattle's MLS era. And with home form being so important in MLS, it's striking how home-field has not always been an advantage, in the regular season or playoffs, when these two teams have met.
- May 6, 2017:1-0 Toronto win at CenturyLink Field. Scorer: Jozy Altidore (PK). Possession: 63.7% SEA, 36.3% TOR; Shots: 13 (2 on target) SEA, 11 (5 on target) TOR
- May 9, 2018:2-1 Sounders win at BMO Field. Scorers: Will Bruin, Jonathan Osorio, Handwalla Bwana. Possession: 33.1% SEA, 66.9% TOR. Shots: 9 (3) SEA, 24 (7) TOR.
- April 13, 2019:3-2 Sounders win at CenturyLink Field. Scorers: Altidore, Bruin, Bruin, Cristian Roldan, Altidore. Possession: 43.8% SEA, 56.2% TOR. Shots: 12 (5) SEA, 9 (4) TOR.
MLS Cup
The teams have split MLS Cup outcomes, although technically the penalty shootout win by Seattle is officially scored a draw for the record books.
On the statistics front, this matchup is primarily known for the Sounders winning MLS Cup in 2016 despite not registering a single shot on goal in 120 minutes, a first in the title game. Meanwhile, the 2017 MLS Cup triumph for TFC capped off a domestic treble, the first in MLS history.
- Dec. 10, 2016:0 (5)-0 (4) Sounders win on penalties at BMO Field. Scorers: None. Possession: 45.8% SEA to 54.2% TOR. Shots: 3 (0) SEA to 19 (7) TOR
- Dec. 9, 2017:2-0 Toronto win at BMO Field. Scorers: Altidore, Victor Vazquez. Possession: 43.6% SEA to 56.4% TOR. Shots: 7 (2) SEA, 22 (11) TOR
With the venue switching to CenturyLink Field for the 2019 MLS Cup Final on Nov. 10 (3 pm ET | ABC, Univision, TUDN, TSN, TVAS), where the teams have a split 1-1-0 record under their current coaches, which team and which head coach will get that all-important second MLS Cup against the familiar foe? Stay tuned.
