The Daily Dirt, December 10: A champion will be crowned tonight

Tonight is the last MLS Cup before Atlanta United joins the league. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be live on the Peachtree Post from 9:00 a.m. until noon as my co-host Jarrett Smith and I follow the MLS trade window. Things will be hectic and we’ll do our best to stay on top of the news as it comes. Expect Atlanta to be busy, as at least four deals are in motion according to the rumor mill.

Back to tonight, this should be a great final as both teams complement each other well. It will be a cold final, as temperatures will get under 30 degrees and feel colder due to the wind chill. Check out Eric Wynalda’s thoughts on the game from our interview with him yesterday.

Both of us are going with a Seattle win tonight (I’m at 2-1, he’s going with a 1-0 Sounders win), slightly bucking the popular opinion. Wynalda’s points about Jordan Morris are definitely to be considered. If Morris has a big game, I don’t know if Toronto can handle him. The Reds are susceptible to attacks down the wings, it’s the drawback if teams can get behind Justin Morrow and Steven Beitashour. Morris’ runs off the ball are a perfect fit for Nicolas Lodeiro’s passing ability.

The other match-up that will decide the game is Roman Torres vs. Jozy Altidore. Torres is the first center back in the playoffs that can match Altidore’s physicality. It will be a heavyweight fight between those two throughout tonight’s game and the winner will likely be determined by it.

FOX is going all out with their first MLS Cup broadcast on network television. The pregame show starts at 7:30 p.m. with the game scheduled to kickoff shortly after 8:00 p.m. Follow along with us during the game tonight on Twitter and give us your predictions in the comments below.

Domestic

The Ultimate Guide to tonight’s MLS Cup (MLS)

Why BMO Field’s surface will hold up no matter what weather Toronto gets tonight (FourFourTwo)

Sebastian Giovinco has found a home in Toronto (Waking the Red)

Seattle thinks a MLS Cup can help take the club to a higher level (SBI Soccer)

A look at the tactics of tonight’s MLS Cup (Sounder at Heart)

Rivalries are a big part of MLS’ expansion strategy (Detroit News)

Cosmos defender Ayoze thinks the club should have joined MLS from the start (This Is Cosmos Country)

The San Jose general manager search continues (Mercury News)

International

Mauricio Pochettino appreciates the devil in Dele Alli’s game (Guardian)

Could Liverpool be chasing Chicharito? (Metro)

Local