TORONTO — While 30,000 fans will be bundled up in the stands surrounding BMO Field's playing surface, the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC won't let the weather disrupt their focus during Saturday's MLS Cup final.
The teams slugged it out in sub-freezing temperatures last year and look poised to do so again. It'll be cold, and the teams are prepared for it.
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"It's Toronto, right? It's Toronto in December. Nobody thought any different," TFC captain Michael Bradley said of the conditions. "We've not spent a whole lot of time talking about it or worrying about it because ultimately it's one of those things that gets filed away under 'things that we have no control over'."
It’s -6C with the windchill, but there’s no days off for #TFC ahead of #MLSCup. pic.twitter.com/baZeIr2RRE
— Rudi Schuller (@RudiSchuller) December 7, 2017
The visitors echoed Bradley's sentiments, saying that the conditions are just one of the many variables that they've planned for ahead of the championship match. Despite representing a coastal city with less frigid temperatures than Toronto, the Sounders say they're ready to contend with whatever Mother Nature presents on Saturday.
"The conditions are the same for both teams," said Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei. "It doesn't really matter. You've got to be ready for anything. We are ready for anything, and I'm sure [TFC's] gonna deal with whatever's thrown at them too."
With a slight chance of snowfall in the forecast, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said that it could make for a unique experience.
"We don't control the weather, we deal with it," Schmetzer said. "Seattle's almost on the same parallel [as Toronto]. It was cold out there when we left [on Wednesday].
"No issue with snow, Stef will have the orange ball so he can see it better. Clint [Dempsey] can score with orange balls or regular balls, it doesn't matter. We'll be OK."
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TFC midfielder and Toronto-area native Jonathan Osorio found a silver lining in the wintry conditions, noting that the 2016 MLS Cup was played in far more extreme weather.
With kick-off slated for 4:30 p.m. local time (instead of last year's 8:30 p.m. start), he said that it should hopefully make for a better game this tme around.
"I don't think it's going to be as cold as last year," Osorio said. "It's good that it's a day game, so that helps."