You can read the full report from tonight’s game here:

Atlanta will face some difficulty trying to play at this level next year. Tata Martino has served his final game in charge. The players are just too good not to attract big-money offers, and Atlanta has some major investments (a $60 million training center, for one) to pay off. Not that Arthur Blank will have trouble writing the checks.

But they’ve got a good thing going. Atlanta has made good hires and good signings. The academy is ramping up nicely.

And whatever happens down the road, the city will never forget this season.

Thanks for following along with us tonight. See you in March.

This seems unfair ...

Portland coach Savarese sandwiches a few strong compliments of Atlanta around a gripe about the officiating.

90 mins +4: Yellow to McCann for a foul he didn’t really need.

One minute until Atlanta’s first championship since the Braves won the World Series in the mid-90s.

90 mins +3: Melano has been dangerous for the Timbers, and he works hard on the right to get space for a cross that Guzan collects with a little bit of difficulty.

90 mins +2: Another Atlanta sub. Chris McCann replaces Greg Garza, who waves both hands to extract even more decibels from this crowd.

90 mins: Greg Garza is down holding his head. Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese is arguing that it’s not a head injury.

And Barco comes in for the stellar Almiron. Will they sell Almiron and even out the ledger from the Barco purchase?

Five minutes of stoppage time for some reason.

89 mins: Tata Martino is giving emphatic instructions to Ezequiel Barco, whom Atlanta signed for an eight-figure transfer fee. He’ll be coming in after this Atlanta attack that ends with a high shot from Gressel.

87 mins: Diego Valeri plays a good through ball for Melano, but Guzan is quick to get there. Time is starting to run out for the Timbers.

Asprilla shoots along the turf from 22 yards out, but that won’t trouble Guzan, who’s suddenly rather busy.

86 mins: Portland free kick 30 yards out. Too high, too far, and Guzan says thank you for the easy catch.

83 mins: The last Portland sub is Alvas Powell. He gets a chance right away. Offside, if you ask me, but it was an awkward ball.

80 mins: Alan Kelly finally shows yellow as Portland’s Diego Chara breaks up a counterattack by tripping Almiron. Atlanta wants red, but it was neither serious foul play nor denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. (I started reffing this fall.)

77 mins: Atlanta’s Brian Remedi is down and unhappy.

We should point out here -- this game is not over. I won’t say a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer, but 2-1 just might be, and Portland still has plenty of time to get there.

75 mins: Josef Martinez strides off the field for the last time this season. Possibly the last time in an Atlanta uniform. The fans were already standing, but call it a standing ovation anyway. Hector Villalba replaces him.

73 mins: Atlanta’s defense seems oddly switched off on its left side. Diego Valeri finds space and lashes a shot just over the bar at the near post.

The Atlanta fans are putting together a light show. Crowd of 73,019. Again, I was waaaay wrong about how well this team would fare in a big dome.

71 mins: Attinella gratefully clutches the ball to his chest after a Portland lapse.

End-to-end stuff now, with a United tackle setting up a Portland corner kick cleared by ... Josef Martinez, the MVP.

69 mins: A promising Atlanta attack bogs down. But Portland simply cannot maintain possession in midfield. For all the wonderful skill of Atlanta’s attackers, give credit to the United midfield. MLS’ stats page says Atlanta has won 48 duels to Portland’s Hamilton-esque 24.

68 mins: From the mailbag, a correspondent named A.J. reminds us that the Atlanta Falcons led the Super Bowl 28-3 in 2017. They lost. He then goes on to taunt the Georgia Bulldogs. You don’t do that do a correspondent who grew up a block from the UGA campus.

Kronmichael tries to argue the non-offside call on the Martinez goal. He was on.

Meanwhile, Asprilla replaces Polo for Portland. No, not Faustino Asprilla.

65 mins: Larentowicz slides to stop Portland sub Melano. He gets ball, then man. That’s still a free kick. It’s partially cleared, and a high cross floats into the box. Guzan used to play in England, so he knows how to collect those.

63 mins: To follow up on the crowd -- when MLS announced that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank would put an MLS team in the same dome as the Falcons, I thought it was a horrible idea. Having grown up 70 miles away, I figured the big dome would be mostly empty.

I’ve rarely been so wrong.

62 mins: More from our friend Caitlin ...

We’ll come back to this -- Guzan has to make another save as Blanco squeaks through the defense at the top of the box.

61 mins: Atlanta has regained control. For now.

59 mins: The first sub is Argentine Lucas Melano for the unlucky Ebobisse. Portland back on the attack. And ... they lose it again.

58 mins: Larentowicz with the armbar on Blanco, who taps. No, wait, that’s UFC again. Blanco gets the free kick for Portland.

56 mins: Atlanta has apparently never lost a 2-0 lead in their entire history. Granted, that’s only two years. And Portland still looks dangerous.

52 mins: Portland takes a quick throw while an Atlanta player is down. The ball is cut back and seemed to go out off a Portland player, but it’s a corner, and it’s dangerous. The ball is flicked back over the defense to an offside attacker. Couldn’t control it anyway.

But again -- Atlanta fans cannot be happy with this.

And then Martinez suffers a kick and shove ... isn’t the UFC card on another channel?

51 mins: Blanco crosses to Ebobisse, who beats the defense but can’t collect the ball. Announcers and fans are surprisingly laid-back about that -- it was a decent chance for the Timbers.

And then a shaky backpass forces Guzan to play it quickly.

This start to the second half would worry me if I were Atlanta.

48 mins: A long spell of possession and a hopeful cross for Portland. They’ve switched ends at halftime, as is required in this sport, which means the action is at the same end of the field that saw much of the action in the first half. I’d say the sun or wind is a factor, but it’s nighttime, and it’s indoors.

46 mins: And we’re off, after another loud blast from the train horn that signifies Atlanta’s ties to being a locomotive ... I grew up in Georgia and should know all this. Check it out online if you like. It just sounds cool.

Atlanta has the most skilled team in the league. Do they have the grit to get through a chippy Cup final? We’ll find out.

Fox is interviewing MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who has been in charge of the league since 1999. Will he sign a contract extension to continue to make it an even 20?

Ah. No he wasn’t. As always happens to me when I play FIFA, the right back kept him on.

Gooooooooolllll ...

...

...

... was he offside?

Good observation while they tend to Ebobisse ...

I don’t have time to look it up now, but the Atlanta defender (formerly New England) usually gets through each season with a ridiculously small number of fouls. Fair play indeed.

43 mins: HUGE SAVE by Brad Guzan, as Atlanta United loses focus just for a moment and leaves Ebobisse open six yards out, dead center in front of the goal. Guzan leaps to his right to keep out the header.

Ebobisse lands badly and is still down.

41 mins: That’s 35 goals in the regular season and postseason for Martinez this season.

How does Transfermarkt only list him at 5.85 millions pounds? Atlanta will certainly get bigger offers than that.

37 mins: Portland’s pressure forces Atlanta to play back to Guzan. And again.

35 mins: Twitter is not being so kind to our center ref ...

33 mins: Larentowicz again stops a Portland attack, with forward Jeremy Ebobisse (who, I’m compelled to add, played college soccer at my alma mater) giving him a little shove. Ebobisse has been utterly starved of service.

32 mins: Atlanta wingback-ish Greg Garza streaks down the left, but nothing comes of it. A Portland counter looks dangerous but is cut out by MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz, who has been playing in the league since the 1800s.

30 mins: And the ensuing corner kick was dangerous as well, zipping through the 6-yard box. Portland tries to counter but can’t. Atlanta just keeps stripping the ball away in midfield.

29 mins: Now THAT was nice. Atlanta wins the ball 40 yards out, springs it left, then back in the box for Almiron with a side volley driven down off the turf. Attinella has to spring to push it over.

26 mins: Valeri is down and grimacing. He’s OK now. Atlanta is connecting more passes, but Martinez puts a through ball 10 yards ahead of Nagbe. Did Usain Bolt sign anywhere?

25 mins: A couple of Atlanta crosses are not good.

22 mins: A nervy moment for Portland as Attinella can’t quite decide whether to come out for a ball that takes forever to land in the box.

After some ping-pong, Nagbe laces a long shot over the bar.

For all of Atlanta’s dominance, that’s the first shot recorded in this game. At all.

21 mins: Portland’s excellent attacker Diego Valeri moves through midfield. He bonks shins with Julian Gressel, takes a couple of steps and falls.

In fairness to Alan Kelly, I wouldn’t want to ref this game. (And I can’t, having nearly torn my Achilles as an assistant ref this fall.)

19 mins: Long free kick for Portland, floated to the middle of the box and not troubling Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan. (Yes, that Brad Guzan, Premier League supporters.)

18 mins: Another Portland foul, as if the Timbers are daring Atlanta to beat them with set pieces.

15 mins: Replay shows it should be a penalty kick as Martinez is tripped in the box.

The officials apparently disagree.

14 mins: Another Portland foul near midfield. As expected, Atlanta is proving difficult to slow down.

And ... uh oh ... video review as an Atlanta player falls in the box ...

12 mins: The free kick from the foul on Almiron is played out for an Atlanta corner, which gives Fox a chance to show off its new corner flag cam. They play it back and nothing happens.

11 mins: A rare Portland foray forward, with left back Jorge Villafana (familiar to U.S. national team fans) overlaps and cuts back. The defense cuts it out. Then Portland’s Diego Valeri embellishes so badly and obviously that the ref calls nothing -- and maybe should’ve called the foul.

At the other end, Atlanta’s Almiron is clattered to the turf and rolls several times. Ouch.

9 mins: Mostly ATL so far.

A quick word from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer ...

Doug replaced me at my first newspaper, and he worked with me at my second. Now he’s covering this exciting team, and I’m writing from my bedroom. My career choices need work.

6 mins: A good move through midfield for Atlanta, but MLS MVP and single-season-scoring-record-holder (I don’t recall the style on hyphens) Josef Martinez trips and can’t get there.

5 mins: Darlington Nagbe spent seven years with Portland. He now plays for Atlanta, and he was just dumped to the turf. (Which is artificial, of course, since we’re inside.)

Atlanta floats a cross, but Portland keeper Jeff Attinella, who was superb in the semifinal, collects easily.

3 mins: And we have our first shot -- or maybe not, as a whistle goes for a handball as Atlanta’s Escobar brought the ball down before centering. Atlanta on the front foot in any case. Or front hand.

2 mins: Atlanta chips the ball over the backline but can’t convert. Our commentators are still in pregame mode, and I didn’t quite catch who it was.

The national anthem was sung by a 7-year-old. I believe she was 5 when the pregame show started.

Portland Timbers sponsor Alaska Airlines also tweeted a message of support for the team, which brings to mind this classic ad from a few years ago with former Scottish international John Spencer, then the coach of the team. The premise is an employee exchange program.

Former Chelsea Ladies Reserve coach weighs in ...

Parsons moved to the USA to coach at Culpeper Soccer Association. Not sure what happened to him after that.

Fifteen minutes until kickoff.

Go raid the fridge.

Why is the final in Atlanta?

Such is the question asked via email by Deborah Rutt, who appears to have Portland ties: “I get why the final is in Atlanta, but I don’t get why the final is hosted by the highest seed, a lopsided advantage. Are there any other ‘major’ finals with this arrangement?”

The NBA and NHL give the edge in their best-of-seven series to the higher seed, though that’s not quite the same.

The MLS Cup final used to be at a neutral site. It was much better for the media, who could plan their travel expenses accordingly, and a lot of business took place around the event. Sponsors and other interested parties descended on the town. It was nice.

But that arrangement also meant the crowd may or may not show up. Would you show up to a game after your team had been eliminated?

Hey, look who’s there ...

It’s Guardian contributor Caitlin Murray, bravely getting a bit of video from the traveling Timbers Army, which arrived early.

And English fans think traveling to Sunderland for an away match is an imposition ...

Tata Martino’s farewell ...

This is the last game with Atlanta United for manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Yes, the same guy who managed Argentina and Barcelona. He’s likely leaving for another big-time job. Not yet confirmed.

Read more about Tata, who has instilled a swaggering attacking mentality ...

How big is this game? Georgia has moved its high school football playoff finals to the middle of next week so that Atlanta United could keep its home ground.

(Go Spartans, incidentally.)

Kickoff time is 8:08 Eastern time. That’s a little after 5 p.m. on the West Coach. A little after 1 a.m. in England. A little after 9 a.m. in Beijing. Hello to all of you.

In our college basketball game, someone fouled with 0.7 seconds left, leaving open the possibility of hitting two 3-pointers in 0.35 seconds each.

And naturally, the team that’s down by four with 5.2 seconds left calls timeout. Coaches always do that when their broadcast window is running long. TV executives ought to be able to overrule them.

I spoke too soon about broadcasting conflicts. Fox is stuck with a college basketball game with 9.2 seconds left in overtime.

Atlanta United lineup ...

No changes from the second leg of the series against the New York Red Bulls.

Portland Timbers lineup ...

The one change from their dramatic ouster of Sporting KC is at the back, where Larrys Mabiala replaces Bill Poni Tuiloma.

Are you watching overseas?

We have one complaint along those lines ...

An afternoon game actually wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially with only one major college football game on the air (Army-Navy).

Good evening everyone!

This is a dream matchup in so many ways. The high-flying offense of Atlanta United, complete with people you may see playing and coaching on even bigger stages than MLS Cup in the near future, facing off against a deceptively talented underdog in the Portland Timbers.

All in a dome with 70,000 or so of your closest friends.

Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Bryan Graham on Atlanta’s MLS rise:

It’s more than four hours before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz stadium in downtown Atlanta on an unseasonably balmy October morning. The sprawling parking area known as the Gulch is bursting with activity, the sort of raucous, well-lubricated tailgate scene more commonly associated with America’s two most popular sports: the NFL and college football.

Football is indeed the day’s feature attraction, but not the brand traditionally linked to the deep south. Instead, red-clad fans numbering in the thousands have descended on the ground-level asphalt patch beneath a tangle of overpasses in support of Atlanta United, the nascent Major League Soccer (MLS) club that’s become the most improbable phenomenon in American sports today – and a vibrant symbol of a new Atlanta.

You can read the full article below: