The citizens of Seattle are celebrating the Sounders' triumphant victory over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup final Saturday. This is Seattle's first MLS Cup win, and the party is going strong.
For one trolley driver in the Sounders' victory parade, the party was going a little too strong.
The journey of a new MLS franchise is a unique path. Most major American sports leagues very rarely expand, while around the world clubs are typically a century old or start out, domestically, at the lowest level. However, in the world of MLS, the creation of a roster ready for the season-opener is a series of hoops and hurdles. Tuesday marked a quick burst of roster depth for both Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United through the MLS Expansion Draft.
Seattle failed to register a single shot on target throughout the duration of 120 tense minutes in Toronto at the 2016 MLS Cup final. However, with Stefan Frei in goal, getting a shot on frame from open play simply wasn’t necessary.
Rest in peace Carolina RailHawks. Rest in peace NASL (yet again). At a press conference on Tuesday, December 6th, RailHawks owner Steve Malik announced his vision for the club that has been building for nearly a year.
The Carolina RailHawks have been a staple in the North Carolina region for the past decade — they’ve provided the closest thing to top level soccer in the area along with a unique brand. The Raleigh-Durham region is a hotbed for youth development and collegiate soccer, continuously feeding the RailHawks roster and academies.
NYCFC striker David Villa is the 2016 MLS MVP. The Spanish striker scored 23 goals and contributed four assists to his club's most successful season (out of two seasons) to date.
Interestingly, the four leading MVP vote-getters play in the Eastern Conference, and three in New York: Villa (NYCFC), Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls), Sacha Kljestan (Red Bulls) and Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC).
It’s official: MLS will have a first-time Cup champion on Saturday. The MLS Cup winner will be either the Seattle Sounders or Toronto FC, both teams making their MLS Cup debuts. The two sides will meet in the 21st MLS Cup on December 10, 2016.
Both clubs boast massive fan support that has, to varying degrees, suffered since arriving in MLS. After two straight years of huge player investment and stadium upgrades, Toronto enter as the favorites at home and under the majority of the pressure.