The Seattle Sounders became Major League Soccer champions for the first time with a 5-4 penalty shoot out win over Toronto FC after the MLS Cup final ended goalless after extra-time on Saturday.
Seattle did not make a shot on target throughout 120 minutes of action but defender Roman Torres blasted in the decisive spot-kick to leave the home crowd deflated after Toronto’s first ever final appearance.
It was a largely scrappy encounter but Toronto had the better chances, especially in extra-time where Seattle’s Swiss keeper Stefan Frei produced a brilliant save to keep out a Jozy Altidore header.
Seattle entered MLS in 2009 and have reached the play-offs in every season but were appearing in their first championship game.
US international striker Altidore went close to an early opener in just the second minute when he found a little space on the left but screwed his shot just wide of the far post.
The home side continued to press forward in the early stages with Jonathan Osorio forcing former Toronto keeper Frei into a low save.
Toronto’s biggest attacking threat, Italian striker Sebastian Giovinco, had two opportunities with free-kicks from distance but both times he struck the ball into the wall.
In the freezing conditions, both sides struggled to find much in the way of fluent possession and while Paraguayan Nelson Valdez showed some good touches for Seattle he lacked real support.
Goalless at the break, Toronto would have been happy with their aggressive work in midfield but they too needed to find a way to better supply their forwards.
Four minutes after the restart, Giovinco was finally given an opening when Osorio fed him in the right-channel but the former Juventus forward could only find the side netting.
Giovinco scored 21 goals this season for Toronto but he had a disappointing night, showing little of the flair that has made him one of the top-rated players in the US/Canadian league.
The game became increasingly untidy with little in the way of chances and the strikers on both teams isolated and poorly served.
In injury time, at the end of normal time, Toronto threatened from a Michael Bradley corner but Frei bravely got down to stop a stooping Altidore at close-range, injuring himself in the process.
For the capacity 36,045 crowd it had been a frustrating - and chilly evening and there was to be an extra 30 minutes of it to see if the two teams, both playing in their first MLS final, could be separated.
Toronto’s French substitute Benoit Cheyrou had a promising opening in the first period of extra-time but his shot was weak and then after the re-start Canadian substitute Tosaint Ricketts, introduced for Giovinco, shot wide from a promising position.
Frei then did superbly, at full stretch to keep out an Altidore header, after a fine cross from Ricketts as Toronto finally enjoyed some pressure but it was to be penalties.
After Bradley had a soft shot saved by Frei and Alvaro Fernandez failed to convert for Seattle, the shoot-out went to sudden death and Toronto’s Justin Morrow blasted his kick against the bar leaving Torres to convert and start the celebrations in Seattle.
*Agence France-Presse
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