MLS Cup: Power ranking the last five finals

1. 2016 – Seattle Sounders Vs Toronto FC

Stefan Frei’s save in the 108th minute. That should be enough to make the 2016 final the best, but that’s not all this game gave fans.

Seattle-Toronto was the first time that two expansion teams not in the original league made the final. As well as it being two expansion teams in the final, this year marked the first time a team from Canada arrived in MLS Cup. It was also Seattle’s first appearance in the final, the first time since 2008 that both teams were making their championship debuts.

A match filled with hype lived up to the expectations, with Frei’s impressive performance taking the headlines. Specifically, his save in the 108th minute to deny Jozy Altidore’s headed attempt was sensational, a moment that is etched into Sounders’ history forevermore.

Frei’s performance would come to completion in a penalty shootout when he denied Michael Bradley from the spot. Then, when Justin Morrow’s effort smashed the crossbar, Román Torres had the chance to clinch the title for Seattle.

2016 was the first of what has now become the norm for MLS Cup, two teams that have established themselves as two elite clubs in Major League Soccer. But however many times the teams square off, there will never be another first.