Football
Doug McIntyre, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Sounders acclimate to icy Toronto with final training session in frigid Seattle

TORONTO -- The Seattle Sounders are ready for the frigid conditions expected during Saturday's MLS Cup final against Toronto FC.

Temperatures are forecast to be below freezing when the championship match kicks off at BMO Field in Canada's largest city, with a high of 31 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be even colder when the match begins, though, with snow showers or flurries possible.

Fortunately for the Sounders, they got a chance to acclimate well before getting to Toronto on Wednesday. Prior to boarding their charter flight earlier in the day, the club's players worked out in front of supporters at its practice facility in icy Tukwila, Washington.

"We had to move our training today form our grass field, which was frozen, to our turf field that was slightly less frozen," Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer said shortly after the team arrived at its hotel late Wednesday night. "We've been training in 30-degree weather all week, so whatever the weather is out of our control. We'll be ready to deal with it."

Midfielder Cristian Roldan said that experience can only help his team deal with the cold this weekend. So will arriving three days in advance of the match. During the regular season, teams typically arrive in a visiting city on the day before the game.

"Getting here earlier than most East Coast trips helps," Roldan said. "We obviously want to prepare for the climate change."

Nonetheless, the weather will still provide a challenge -- especially for Sounders goalie Stefan Frei and TFC counterpart Clint Irwin.

"I wanted to wear a neck warmer if possible, but I've been told the referees do not fancy that," Frei said. "It's a unique challenge for us goalkeepers because [the other players] are going to be running around. We're going to try to stay warm, and all of a sudden you have a 90-mph shot coming your way with frozen hands to make a save."

Frei is hoping he won't be too busy, however. "As a goalkeeper, your favorite games are the ones you don't touch the ball at all," he said. "I'd like to make a couple of good saves, but I'm not going to be mad if I don't have to make any."

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