It is fitting that the 2020 version of MLS Cup is a mix of the familiar and completely bizarre. The familiarity comes from the teams — the Seattle Sounders, a perennial contender, and an MLS original in the form of the Columbus Crew — and the setting. Mapfre Stadium, opened as Crew Stadium in 1999 and home of some remarkable moments in American soccer, will be replaced by a downtown stadium next year.
The bizarre? The biggest game in American men’s soccer will be attended by no more than 1,500 people. MLS Cup has never been played this late in the year, or after this short of a regular season.