Preview: The man Luis Suarez helped sign against the Atomic Ant, who wins MLS Cup?

Who wins the battle of the Number10s?
Nicolas Lodeiro and Sebastian Giovinco have been two of Major League Soccer’s finest players in 2016. When you consider Lodeiro only joined the league mid-season, it makes such an achievement all the more impressive. A friend of Luis Suarez, it was the Barcelona man that served as a translator during negotiations with Seattle, cementing his move to MLS.

A successful transfer, Lodeiro was awarded ‘Newcomer of the Year’ by MLS recently, and although both he and Giovinco wear the number 10 for their clubs they operate in very different ways.

“To me, the difference there is Giovinco is more of a forward that can pass a ball, Nico is a midfielder that can score goals,” Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said this week.

Both have been hugely influential for Seattle and Tornto, and yet both have also had stumbles during the playoffs. Operating as the fulcrum of the attack, that pressure can be difficult to handle at times. Both Schmetzer and Greg Vanney have preached the importance of teamwork and how that quality has propelled their teams to MLS Cup, but it hasn’t stopped Lodeiro and Giovinco being difference makers.

It would be naive to think that neither man will have a major influence on proceedings this Saturday. Giovinco is a dangerous dribbler that likes to pick the ball up deep and float around Jozy Altidore, with the American appreciating that link-up. Lodeiro prefers to play piano in midfield, slicing open defences with well timed passes.

How you stop both men is proving an important pre-game question. Lodeiro appears to struggle if closed down quickly. He needs time to get his head up before he can spray that killer pass, with Jimmy Conrad admitting during our Facebook Live stream he would rather face Lodeiro if given the choice.

That is in part because Giovinco is less easy to nullify, with the consensus being you can limit his influence, but not shut him down. The Italian is quick and agile, and his ability to turn quickly and run at defenders makes him an even more dangerous proposition. While many have spoken of limiting his space, Montreal Impact head coach Mauro Biello raised a valid point about the mental approach needed to stop Giovinco.

“You cannot sleep for one second if you want to get where you want,” he said. “And if you think ‘We’re OK and I can rest,’ no. You have to be ready for everything. What’s going to make you win is having that focus for 90 minutes against a player like Giovinco, who is one of the best players in the league and who could turn the game in his favour in a moment.”

The Italian was somewhat meek during the two-leg affair against Montreal, meaning it is possible for him to underperform. Saturday represents his biggest test in MLS yet, and how he handles that pressure could easily dictate if Toronto are successful. A tale of two number 10s battling it out, this is just one of the many reasons this game is so exciting.

Which Toronto defence turns up?
For Toronto FC, 2015 was about the high volume of goals they conceded. A situation addressed in the off-season with some shrewd defensive signings including Drew Moor, Clint Irwin, and Steven Behatishour, it produced instant results. Toronto improved their goal difference massively from 2015 to 2016, and ended the season with the joint second best defensive record in MLS.

However, against Montreal Impact in the last round that new-found trait appeared to desert them. Toronto conceded 25 shots on goal during their two leg clash with Montreal, allowing four goals in the process. That in turn poses questions over which backline will arrive on Saturday night, the one from the regular season or the post season. Seattle’s greatest strength is their attack, and while the defence is building momentum, players like Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, and Nelson Valdez could easily give TFC trouble.

Both Seattle and Toronto have managed two clean sheets on their run to MLS Cup, but Toronto are seen as favourites. If Seattle can nab an early goal in the same way Portland Timbers did last season, things could get nervy for Toronto. The Reds conceded first in both legs against Montreal, with both goals arriving inside the opening half hour. Admittedly Toronto’s home form has improved of late. Vanney’s side is unbeaten in their last four at home, but they have conceded first in five of their last eight games at BMO Field.

Elsewhere, the attacking intent shown by Seattle’s Tyrone Mears and Joevin Jones could ask serious questions of Toronto’s full-backs. For all the talk of this being won by star names, don’t be surprised if the full-backs play a key part in the winning goal.

Can Jordan Morris steal the show?
The hype around Jordan Morris has been building for some time. A US international while still at Stanford University, he was unable to collect his Man of The Match award against Mexico last year because the sponsor was Budwiser and he was still under the legal drinking age.

“He was great against us,” Jozy Altidore said of a game against Morris while he was at Stanford . “We beat them like six or seven or eight to one, but he scored the goal, and I remember looking over at [former national team assistant coach] Andi Herzog and saying: ‘Is it too late to bring this guy, bring him along with us to Brazil?”

Eventually rejecting an offer from Werder Bremen in favour of a move to boyhood club Seattle, this game means a lot for Morris. The forward took in his first Seattle game as a 14-year-old, and his dreamed of this very moment ever since. “When I started playing, it was always my dream to go to the final — to represent this club, to represent this city, to play for my hometown — it’s unbelievable,” Morris said after beating Colorado. “It gives me chills.”

While many expected him to break records in MLS - the rookie scoring record was set by Cyle Larin last season - he has not been able to do so. Still recording a respectable 12 goals, he has managed more game-winning strikes (6) than Larin did (4) in his debut season. That is in part why Seattle sit one game away from being MLS Cup champions and Larin’s Orlando City side failed to even make the playoffs in 2015.

In the last round, Morris played through flu and injury to help Seattle past Colorado. Netting the only goal of the game, his performance set up what could be a memorable crescendo to his first season in MLS. He may not have nabbed the personal accolades, but if he can win MLS Cup, and play a key role in the process, he will have cemented his reputation as one of America’s hottest prospects.