It feels quintessentially MLS to have the 2018 MLS Cup feature a team that everyone expected to be here facing a team that no one saw getting this far. Atlanta United have taken the league by storm since debuting last year, and if not for a late stumble they’d probably already have a Supporters Shield in their trophy case. The Portland Timbers, on the other hand, were probably not supposed to get past their first playoff game, but have produced some sublime goals to survive a dramatic path to the final.
How they got here: Atlanta was off their best form down the stretch, but used the time off the knockout round bye provided them to figure things out.