Update (Dec. 10; 9:45 pm ET)
It's official: MLS Cup 2016 will not go down as the coldest title game in league history.
The official game-time temperature was recorded at 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.22 degrees Celsius), six degrees warmer than the all-time MLS Cup low of 22 degrees set at MLS Cup 2013 in Kansas City.
Original Text (Dec. 6)
It’s going to be chilly at BMO Field on Saturday, but the battle between Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders (8 pm ET, FOX, UniMas | TSN1/3/4/5, RDS in Canada) likely won’t set the record for coldest MLS Cup in league history.
According to Accuweather, Saturday’s low in Toronto is currently listed at 24 degrees Fahrenheit (-4.44 degrees Celsius), just a touch warmer than the game time temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit (-5.56 degrees Celsius) for MLS Cup 2013, the coldest MLS Cup on record.
I was at that frigid contest between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake at Children’s Mercy Park three years ago. The weather was brutal. It was the sort of cold that burns, the kind that invades your nostrils and immediately freezes everything living inside.
The conditions were incredibly difficult in 2013, but both sets of players did an admirable job of fighting through the cold, putting on a match for the ages through regulation, extra time and that epic 10-round penalty kick shootout. If Saturday’s contest comes anything close to that match, we’ll be in for a treat.
All-Time MLS Cup Weather
Year |
Temperature (Fahrenheit) |
Weather |
Location |
---|---|---|---|
1996 |
44 |
Rain |
Foxborough, MA |
1997 |
46 |
Rain |
Washington, D.C. |
1998 |
74 |
Sunny |
Pasadena, CA |
1999 |
63 |
Sunny |
Foxborough, MA |
2000 |
77 |
Sunny |
Washington, D.C. |
2001 |
68 |
Cloudy |
Columbus, OH |
2002 |
65 |
Sunny |
Foxborough, MA |
2003 |
71 |
Sunny |
Carson, CA |
2004 |
81 |
Clear |
Carson, CA |
2005 |
75 |
Sunny |
Frisco, TX |
2006 |
61 |
Sunny |
Frisco, TX |
2007 |
55 |
Cloudy |
Washington, D.C. |
2008 |
68 |
Cloudy |
Carson, CA |
2009 |
45 |
Cloudy |
Seattle, WA |
2010 |
43 |
Clear |
Toronto, ON |
2011 |
53 |
Rain |
Carson, CA |
2012 |
66 |
Rain |
Carson, CA |
2013 |
22 |
Sunny |
Kansas City, KS |
2014 |
73 |
Cloudy |
Carson, CA |
2015 |
46 |
Partly sunny |
Columbus, OH |