Playoffs are like the weather in Alabama. You do not know if it’s winter in May or summer in November. The MLS Playoffs can be the same way. Teams like FC Dallas who are expected to make a run find a blockade in the first round. Then, teams like Seattle shock the world by sliding into playoffs and now find themselves in the MLS Cup. This is what makes American soccer great! No one team is dominant each season. The goliaths known as LA Galaxy were beaten by a David in the form of the Colorado Rapids. In MLS, it does not matter how you get in, you just need to get in and win.
This year’s MLS Cup is shaping to be quite a surprising championship. Seattle has already usurped the second place Colorado Rapids to punch their ticket. Tuesday, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact will fight to decide who will go to the championship from the Eastern Conference. So, why is this upcoming MLS Cup significant? Because no matter who wins in the east, both teams and Seattle combine for zero wins in a championship. All three teams have no silver in their respective program proclaiming them to be the best team in Major League Soccer.
For Seattle, they have never made it to the MLS Cup before. In the past, they have made it to the Western Conference Championship, but could not make it over the hump. This year, Seattle snuck into the top six teams of the Western Conference after a bad start to the season. To get to where they are now, they beat Sporting KC in a single game elimination. Next, Seattle took on the top seeded FC Dallas. After the two games they played, the Sounders won the series 4-2. Finally, to catch up to the magical run of Seattle, they defeated the second seeded Rapids 3-1 in the series.
From Seattle to the Great North, we look at Montreal and Toronto. Both teams were respectively the fifth seed and third seed. Montreal defeated the fourth seed D.C. United and the first seed New York Red Bulls to make it to the Eastern Conference Championship. Toronto defeated the sixth seed Philadelphia and the second seed New York City FC to get to the championship. No team from Canada has ever won a MLS Cup before. Like Seattle, both teams have reached the Eastern Conference Championship, but neither have been able to break down the wall separating them.
No matter who wins the Eastern Conference on Tuesday, they will be coming to their first MLS Cup appearance as well as Seattle. This year has been a surprise in the playoffs and we can only hope the championship will be the same way.
*stats and other information were contributed from mlssoccer.com
