TORONTO — The Seattle Sounders’ march toward BMO Field was surprisingly normal. At morning training back in the States, Roman Torres made noise, much as he always does, playing center forward for the crowd as the rest of the team embraced fans on their way out the door. According to head coach Brian Schmetzer, there’s nothing glamorous about what happens next: a chartered cross-country flight that remained largely uneventful. “The best kind of flight,” Schmetzer said.
However, once boots were on the ground and preparations began for the event that is MLS Cup, the Sounders began to embrace the challenges that lie ahead.
The Sounders arrived in Toronto on Wednesday night, officially beginning the road to Saturday’s title match. It’s a process that lasts just a few days, but one that can certainly be grueling. Commitments line up and plans always seem to change, even on the eve of the biggest game of the year.
Still, Schmetzer and company are trying to keep things as normal as can be. The Sounders are trying to avoid the added pressure, mostly because they’ve been feeling it ever since a mid-summer slump left them without a coach and a chance at the playoffs. They battled through by sticking to their guns once Schmetzer took over for the fired Sigi Schmid, and they don’t plan on changing too much now.
“I think they all know it’s a cup final,” Schmetzer said. “I don’t have to remind them of that. I think they also know that it’s a must-win game, so we’ve eased off on that message a little bit. I think the biggest thing is just getting them prepared tactically the last couple of days in Seattle. Here, we’re just going to enjoy the moment and get them ready physically and hope for a good match.”
The journey began back home, where the Sounders had one final training session before making the trip. Schmetzer said the session was business as usual, even if Torres was allowed to run a bit wilder than usual as he trotted up and down searching for last-minute goals.
Still, it was hard to deny that the buzz was palpable. Fans lined the field at Starfire Sports Complex, hundreds of them. In the week between their Western Conference victory and their departure for Canadian soil, Schmetzer noted the increase in Sounders jerseys across the city, as a real buzz developed for a team that has yearned for this trip for so long.
Midfielder Cristian Roldan said swarms of fans told players they were ready to make the trip to see the Sounders’ first MLS Cup final appearance, an impressive feat, Roldan noted, given the distance. But first, the team needs to navigate the hurdles that come before it. Veteran defender Brad Evans says the team’s older players are ready to step up and handle the media obligations that come with such an event, allowing the younger guys to simply enjoy the moment. It’s a moment that spans just a few short days, but a build-up that seems to take a century.
“We’re in Toronto, and you just try and focus,” said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “We have a lot of meetings going on, and I think the staff is going to try to make it as painless for us as possible and allow us to focus on our football when we train. Ultimately, what we’re here for is the game and everyone around is going to do everything in their power to let us focus on that.”
Officially in Toronto, everything suddenly does feel a bit bigger. Schmetzer says his guys can feel the magnitude of the situation, but also reiterated that most of them are used to it. Evans and Chad Marshall have won MLS Cup before. Mears has played at Wembley Stadium in two separate promotion playoffs. Jordan Morris won a College Cup just last year.
It’s a team loaded with big-game experience and one that insists they are ready for the challenges ahead. The road to MLS Cup is, in many ways, a grind, and the Sounders say they are more than ready for one more push.
“We have an entire city behind us. What we’ve relayed is that just being here isn’t good enough,” Evans said. “Have we had a tough season at points? Yeah. If you told us six months ago, we may have laughed at you while looking at the standings. At the same time, we understand the situation that we are in now and we have to win. That’s our motto and that’s what we’re doing.”