It's safe to say over the past four years, the rosters of the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC have seen an evolution, not revolution.
It's little surprise, considering each team has an MLS Cup title in their trophy cabinet in that span and are going for another Sunday, when they square off in 2019 MLS Cup (3 pm ET | ABC, Univision, TUDN in US; TVAS, TSN in Canada).
Both teams can potentially replicate over half of their starting XIs from the 2016 MLS Cup final, taken by the Sounders after they won a penalty shootout, with six players in each lineup from that day still with their respective clubs.
2016 MLS Cup players
Seattle: Stefan Frei, Tyrone Mears, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones, Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan, Nicolas Lodeiro, Erik Friberg, Jordan Morris, Nelson Valdez (Substitutes: Brad Evans, Andreas Ivanschitz, Alvaro Fernandez)
Toronto: Clint Irwin, Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Nick Hagglund, Steven Beitashour, Armando Cooper, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio, Justin Morrow, Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco (Subs: Will Johnson, Benoit Cheyrou, Tosaint Ricketts)
Italics - player no longer with club
2017 MLS Cup players
Seattle: Stefan Frei, Kelvin Leerdam, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones, Cristian Roldan, Gustav Svensson, Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez, Will Bruin (Subs: Nouhou, Jordan Morris)
Toronto: Alex Bono, Steven Beitashour, Justin Morrow, Chris Mavinga, Drew Moor, Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado, Jonathan Osorio, Victor Vazquez, Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore (Subs: Nick Hagglund, Benoit Cheyrou, Armando Cooper)
No surprise, the teams maintained continuity year to year, and for the 2017 MLS Cup final, won 2-0 by TFC, even more players still on the roster today featured in that match.
Among the big changes between 2016 and 2017 for the Sounders, Clint Dempsey played in the 2017 edition after being sidelined in 2016 due to a heart condition, while current regulars Kelvin Leerdam and Gustav Svensson started in the rematch.
For Toronto, Alex Bono took over in goal in 2017, while Chris Mavinga stepped in at center back, and versatile midfielder Marky Delgado got the start after playing his way into the starting lineup. Supplemental playmaker Victor Vazquez, who scored in the final, was one of the big additions from the 2016 roster.
2019 MLS Cup
While both teams could theoretically start nearly all of their 2017 MLS Cup starters on Sunday, several starters from the title game two years ago are unlikely to feature or are outside options.
The most changes are likely to come for Toronto. Alex Bono remains on the roster but newcomer Quentin Westberg has taken over as the starting goalkeeper, while Beitashour, Vazquez, Giovinco and subs Hagglund, Cheyrou and Cooper are either on other teams in MLS, are now playing abroad, or have retired. Moor is also likely to be a bench option, while Altidore's injury status means he may not be healthy to feature for the latest title clash.
That means Morrow, Mavinga, Bradley, Delgado and Osorio are likely to start, just five of the group that played in the title game to win MLS Cup in 2017. Alejandro Pozuelo, the reigning MLS Newcomer of the Year, headlines the new names for 2019, with defenders Laurent Ciman and Auro likely to feature, and wide attackers Nicolas Benezet and Tsubasa Endoh likely to start if Altidore can not.
Seattle have fewer changes across their roster, but they've lost two of their key players from 2017, as both Dempsey (2018) and Marshall (2019) retired midseason. From the 2017 MLS Cup, Will Bruin won't be available this year, as he's recovering from a torn ACL and has not played in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, with 2018 addition Raul Ruidiaz set to start instead. And Rodriguez is a starter when healthy, but an injury-plagued campaign means he's a possible starter, but likely to be on the bench to start Sunday's game.
All told, eight of Seattle's players at 2017 MLS Cup – Frei, Leerdam, Torres, Jones, Roldan, Svensson, Lodeiro and Morris are likely to start, with Rodriguez a possibility and Ruidiaz a lock to play in his first MLS Cup. The other newcomers since 2017 who could possibly start on Sunday are defenders: Brad Smith, Kim Kee-hee and Xavier Arreaga.
