You can read Tom Dart’s match report here.

The Seattle Sounders are an MLS success story, setting a new standard for club ambition and supporter fervor. They won a few US Open Cups, but the grand prize eluded them for nearly a decade.

Until today, they still hadn’t scored a goal in MLS Cup even though they won the trophy once. Even when the goal finally happened, it was an own goal -- no matter what the statisticians say.

They were overshadowed by LAFC, which ran away with the Supporters Shield this season, but this is a club with quality. The quirks of MLS sometimes turn up some fluke champions, but the Sounders are as worthy a champion as the league has ever had.

And Seattle will be a fun place to be for the next week.

Thanks as always for following along today. See you next time.

90 min+2: Seattle make a final defensive substitution, mostly to provide Ruidiaz with a ceremonial farewell.

90 min: The goal was Route 1. Literally. A long pass up the middle. Mavinga is far too casual with it, and Ruidiaz simply slips past him.

We’ll have five minutes of stoppage time.

87 min: The second-best chance of the game for Toronto, as a ball is lobbed into defender-turned-forward Omar Gonzalez, who collides with Frei and sandwiches a defender in the process.

ABC informs us that the first Seattle goal has been credited to Leerdam. The commentators disagree, as would anyone who was actually watching. The ball was going well wide until it hit Morrow.

86 min: There is absolutely nothing to suggest Toronto will get back into this match.

I say this hoping I will jinx things and set up a grandstand finish.

85 min: Jordy Delem is now replacing Seattle-born Jordan Morris, who gives a hug to a teammate and strides off the field with the speed of an electric car whose battery has run down to zero.

83 min: Same thing now from Toronto that we saw all game. Possession. Nothing resembling a chance. Toronto have only had one half-decent chance all game, the shot by the since-withdrawn Benezet in the first half.

81 min: The U.S. president isn’t here, but you can’t escape politics these days:

80 min: Good attack from Seattle, but the AR’s flag stops it.

Toronto have managed nothing at all for a long time.

Here’s the goal that may clinch it:

78 min: How do you get instructions to your captain in a loud stadium? Send a note with your substitute. Richie Laryea enters for Toronto and hands a piece of paper to Michael Bradley while the ball goes around them, in play.

75 min: Seattle didn’t commit many numbers forward on that corner, but they’ve managed to maintain possession.

Mavinga hobbles back on, but Toronto are preparing another substitution.

74 min: Toronto haven’t recovered from surrendering the goal. They may be forced into another substitution, with Mavinga limping off just as Seattle take the corner.

73 min: A mess in the Toronto defense forces Westberg into an awkward save with his own defender running straight at him. The result is another Seattle corner.

71 min: Altidore also holds the ignominious distinction of playing 70 Premier League games for Sunderland and Hull while only scoring two goals.

Elsewhere, he has been very successful. He blasted his way onto the MLS scene as a teenager before going to the Netherlands and scoring at will.

67 min: Lodeiro and Morris combine on Seattle’s right flank and think they’ve won yet another corner for the Sounders. They have not.

65 min: Attendance announcement: 69,274 fans have packed the stadium. Most of them are quite happy right now but will be fretting as Toronto’s attack gets more dangerous.

Jozy Altidore is tying his shoes. And still tying them. That’s a long camera shot of someone tying his shoes.

64 min: Now Toronto must press forward and leave some holes at the back. Frei finds himself under pressure with the ball at his feet before passing to the only defender in sight.

62 min: Toronto introduce Nick DeLeon, whose superb goal knocked out Atlanta United in the semifinals.

Tsubasa Endoh is the player to depart.

61 min: ABC reminds us of what Justin Morrow would surely like to forget -- he missed from the spot for Toronto in 2016 against Seattle, leaving the door open for Torres to net the winner.

60 min: Seattle’s Victor Rodriguez, once on Barcelona’s books and a La Liga veteran, goes into the game to replace fullback Brad Smith, which seems a touch odd.

56 min: Same as the first half -- a lot of Toronto possession with no incisive play to make it matter.

54 min: A new approach for Toronto, eschewing the flanks to let Pozuelo beat 6-7 Seattle players before his final pass is played out to safety.

53 min: They’re getting snarky in Canada ...

51 min: And Benezet will surely maintain his lead in that mysterious Player Index after taking a hard shot from his preferred spot at the upper right corner of the box (from Stefan Frei’s perspective). Another solid block from the green wall.

50 min: Toronto’s Benezet has just claimed the lead from Seattle’s Torres in the MLS stat breakdown called the Audi Player Index. Is any bonus money at stake there?

49 min: Jordan Morris has switched sides to the right, which may not be for the best if he can’t do more with it at the end of one of his runs than he did there. Promising run but obvious discomfort as he tried to figure out what to do next.

48 min: A nice Toronto attack, and the ball is laid back to Delgado, whose shot is well-blocked.

47 min: Seattle doing something it didn’t do through the entire first half -- maintain possession. It’s in their own half, but it’s something.

Before we start the second half, let’s see the other save that has kept this match scoreless:

First order of business for MLS offseason: Avoiding a player strike.

Stats favoring Toronto: 83% pass completion, 65.1% possession edge

Stats favoring Seattle: 8-2 corners

The Seattle PA is featuring another Seattle musician -- Jimi Hendrix.

Macklemore is one of the Sounders’ co-owners. Call them the Watford of the Pacific Northwest.

I have no earthly idea what to make of this ...

45 min: CHANCE and as I type that, Ruidiaz nicks the ball away from Omar Gonzalez and forces Westberg into a point-blank save.

Toronto have had the better of play, but Seattle has had as much of a chance of scoring as the visitors.

45 min: As we’ve been reminded many times now, Seattle have yet to score against Toronto in all these MLS Cups. The Sounders lifted the trophy in penalties once but have not yet done anything in regulation.

43 min: Toronto hail right back Auro Jr., who has been causing all sorts of problems.

41 min: Lodeiro neatly plays the ball away from danger with his stomach, which is especially impressive considering the ball was under him. Looked like a pilates class for a moment.

Here’s why we’re scoreless ...

40 min: Now Seattle are defending for their lives. Multiple lunging tackles just to get the ball out of immediate danger and into slightly less immediate danger.

39 min: Toronto with some possession that would be threatening if the Sounders hadn’t put most of their team and probably a few players from the Seattle Seahawks in their own box. Quite a few bodies back there, neatly camouflaged against the green field.

38 min: A kind word from Twitter ...

And a tweet from Seattle’s favorite sons ...

36 min: CHANCE, and it’s a stellar save by Frei, who quickly sprawls to his left to paw away a well-driven low shot by Benezet. Kim clears it from there.

35 min: The crowd reaches a crescendo for the third corner, but it’s collected by Westberg, and everyone calms down.

Svensson concedes a rather pointless foul to give Toronto a free kick from 30 yards out. It’s cleared, but Toronto maintain possession and ...

34 min: And another.

33 min: Michael Bradley now appears to be playing every defensive position at once. This time, he’s to the left of his own goal to block the ball away from Torres, who has adventurously crept up from the Seattle back line. Another corner. And another.

31 min: Brad Smith plays a nice 1-2 with Lodeiro and crosses, only to see it blocked away by Michael Bradley, whose work rate has never been questioned.

Seattle win a corner. And another. And it’s starting to feel as if the home side are finally getting a grip on the game besides the occasional counter.

30 min: A bit of boring midfield back-and-forth until the Sounders decide to liven things up by blasting the ball back toward Stefan Frei with a bit more venom than a keeper would like from a backpass.

Toronto win a corner, and Frei flies out to punch it away.

28 min: The odd thing here is that Seattle seem to be playing as if they’re the underdogs. They’re not. They earned home field here by having a better record than Toronto, which has had 61% of possession according to a TV graphic that I can’t verify because I’m not using a stopwatch.

26 min: Michael Bradley gets a bit of space 25 yards out and decides to go for glory. The ball rolls harmlessly wide.

25 min: From the dean of the U.S. soccer press corps ...

23 min: The ball and Ruidiaz get past Mavinga, but those two objects are not really in proximity to each other, and nothing results from it.

I did referee a game earlier today, so yes, I do feel that I can question the second-guessing of our commentators. Take a recertification class and THEN argue with me. So there.

21 min: Brad Smith gets forward on the left for Seattle, which inspires the crowd. The ball pings around for an eventual Sounders corner, which lands at the feet of the onrushing Torres to volley over the bar.

Best chance so far for either team.

20 min: Another Mavinga foul at midfield, this time on Lodeiro. ABC’s Taylor Twellman doesn’t see a foul, but he’s incorrect.

18 min: Now Mavinga has to do some actual defending against Ruidiaz, whose pressure forces the Toronto defender to boot it out of play. Seattle reclaim the ball and send the ball in to Ruidiaz, who has little room to put his header on frame.

16 min: And a bit of pain the other way as Mavinga whacks Ruidiaz in the back. Michael Bradley has a discussion with the ref, but it’s hard to see why he’s doing that except that he’s Michael Bradley.

15 min: Seattle defender Kim Kee-hee inflicts a bit of on Alejandro Pozuelo by stepping on the Spaniard’s ankle.

Toronto maintain possession and win a corner that looks a bit dangerous but is cleared.

13 min: Seattle’s talisman Ruidiaz gets the ball to the left just outside the box and sends a cross to the far side that bends a bit too much and goes out of play.

12 min: Now Toronto gets a bit of possession in the Seattle box (OK, fellow refs -- “area”), and Benezet his a square pass to Osorio near the spot. He only has a narrow slot between defenders to shoot and puts it into Frei’s hands.

10 min: Michael Bradley floats a ball into the box. It’s headed upward and rather fortunately arcs gently into the hands of Stefan Frei. The Seattle crowd loves that, but it’s not the best sign for the Sounders defense.

9 min: THERE’S the crowd noise. Jordan Morris picks up a pass and goes 3v4, then beats his defender with a burst of speed and unleashes a quick shot on goal. Westberg covers rather easily, but that’s a nice bit of inspiration for a Seattle team that has been pinned back for a while.

8 min: A patient buildup from Toronto now, again working it wide to marauding right back Auro.

A bit of pressure forces another rushed Seattle clearance. This is good from the visitors.

7 min: Toronto is putting on some pressure now, forcing Leerdam to escape to the outside and clear, only for TFC to regain possession.

6 min: Our commentators have mentioned the noise many times already, but we’re not hearing much on the broadcast. Some singing and a little bit of percussion, as you’d expect.

4 min: Our first shot on goal is from Toronto’s Benezet, and it’s rather speculative from outside the box. Toronto worked the ball nicely down the right and switched fields well but may have rushed things a bit.

3 min: Seattle has a good spell of possession and wins a corner.

J.R. in Illinois asks why Seattle doesn’t have a grass surface, pointing out that the argument of “it’s too rainy” doesn’t stand up when English clubs make do with the same amount of precipitation. It’s a good question, here and in Portland. Maybe someone will spring for retractable fields someday.

1 min: Lodeiro starts us with a tone-setting tackle at midfield.

The crowd will compare favorably to any soccer gathering in the world today. The Pacific Northwest not only has large crowds but also the best tifo displays.

(This picture is just a taste. Much bigger displays have been on the broadcast.)

Kickoff is in ... now.

Neither team is supposed to be here.

In the West, LAFC ran away with everything -- until Seattle upended them in the conference final. In the East, Toronto struggled through a middling season but dumped out both East-leading NYCFC and defending champion Atlanta United on the road in the thrilling new MLS single-game playoff format.

Debate the fairness of crowning a champion through league play or Cup play all you want. After the game.

Each of these teams claims a place in pushing MLS forward. Toronto came into the league in 2007 and quickly established a reputation for having some of the largest and liveliest crowds in the league.

Seattle joined MLS in 2009 and took things up a notch. Previous attempts to put MLS teams in NFL stadiums had looked dreary, with pockets of fans scattered throughout vast stands. Seattle was different. They sometimes cover part of the stadium and limit ticket sales to just under 40,000, but for some games, the whole stadium is available -- and loud. Atlanta United has duplicated that success on the other side of the country.

Toronto starting lineup

The irony here is that this Canadian club features two of the most debated players in recent U.S. history, midfielder Michael Bradley and forward Jozy Altidore, the latter of whom is on the bench after a late race to get fit for this final. Defender Omar Gonzalez had the misfortune of being credited with an own goal in the USA’s loss to Trinidad and Tobago that kept them from World Cup 2018. At the time, he was playing in Mexico, but he joined Toronto this summer.

The leading scorer is Alejandro Pozeulo, from Spain via several seasons in Belgium.

Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg was long one of those players followed via long distance by U.S. soccer geeks. He has spent almost all of his life and professional career in France but represented the U.S. at youth lineup and moved to Toronto this season.

Jonathan Osorio and Marky Delgado have been lining up in the midfield with Bradley for a few years now.

Nicolas Benezet has only played eight games this season, starting five. Tsubasa Endoh also has played less than half of TFC’s games so far.

Justin Morrow played both of the last two MLS Cups vs. Seattle on the left side. He’s joined on defense by Gonzalez, young Brazilian Auro Jr. and French player Chris Mavinga.

Seattle starting lineup

The tip of the spear is a strong one. Forward Raul Ruidiaz, who has been nicknamed “The Flea” and “the Peruvian Messi,” has been a consistent scoring threat in his first full season with Seattle. He’s also connected to a country that has had a strong taste of success recently -- Croatia, from which his mother’s family hails.

Uruguayan midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro is a staple in Seattle.

Two more midfielders, Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan, are on the U.S. national team. These days, we’re not sure if that’s a compliment.

The rest of the midfield is from Trinidad and Tobago (Joevin Jones) and Sweden (Gustav Svensson).

Goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who used to play for Toronto, has been on this stage a couple of times now.

Korean defender Kim Kee-hee anchors the backline alongside Panamanian defender Roman Torres, who has been to a couple of MLS Cups along with Frei and converted the winning kick from the mark in the first Seattle-Toronto MLS Cup matchup in 2016.

Kelvin Leerdam, a Dutch player born in Suriname, provides some scoring punch from right back.

Australian Brad Smith, who played a few games for Liverpool in the mid-2010s, is on the left.

What time is kickoff?

Never a simple question when you’re talking about a U.S. soccer broadcast, which mimics other U.S. sports by having a pregame show for its pregame show.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald is plugged into the TV scene and says 3:08 p.m. Eastern time, which is surprisingly quick. But national anthems here tend to take 20 minutes, so you never know.

Good afternoon to the East Coast, good morning to the West Coast, good caffeinated overnight to Australia and much of Asia, and good evening to those in Europe who watched Liverpool beat Manchester City and are hoping for a closer game here.

Funny thing about that -- MLS is a league of salary cap-enforced parity, and yet we have the same two teams in the final for the third year in the last four.

Should be a fun one in any case.

Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Graham Ruthven’s lookahead to today’s final.