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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2018/dec/09/mls-cup-atlanta-united-v-portland-timbers-live
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| MLS Cup final: Atlanta United v Portland Timbers – live! | MLS Cup final: Atlanta United v Portland Timbers – live! |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Fifteen minutes until kickoff. | |
| Go raid the fridge. | |
| Why is the final in Atlanta? | |
| Such is the question asked via email by Deborah Rutt, who appears to have Portland ties: “I get why the final is in Atlanta, but I don’t get why the final is hosted by the highest seed, a lopsided advantage. Are there any other ‘major’ finals with this arrangement?” | |
| The NBA and NHL give the edge in their best-of-seven series to the higher seed, though that’s not quite the same. | |
| The MLS Cup final used to be at a neutral site. It was much better for the media, who could plan their travel expenses accordingly, and a lot of business took place around the event. Sponsors and other interested parties descended on the town. It was nice. | |
| But that arrangement also meant the crowd may or may not show up. Would you show up to a game after your team had been eliminated? | |
| Hey, look who’s there ... | |
| It’s Guardian contributor Caitlin Murray, bravely getting a bit of video from the traveling Timbers Army, which arrived early. | |
| As quiet as the inside of the press box is, the stands in the stadium are just as loud. #MLSCup #RCTID #ATLvPOR pic.twitter.com/nuWTvqKoLH | |
| And English fans think traveling to Sunderland for an away match is an imposition ... | |
| Tata Martino’s farewell ... | |
| This is the last game with Atlanta United for manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino. | |
| Yes, the same guy who managed Argentina and Barcelona. He’s likely leaving for another big-time job. Not yet confirmed. | |
| Read more about Tata, who has instilled a swaggering attacking mentality ... | |
| Barcelona, Argentina … Atlanta: How Tata Martino came to thrive in MLS | |
| How big is this game? Georgia has moved its high school football playoff finals to the middle of next week so that Atlanta United could keep its home ground. | |
| (Go Spartans, incidentally.) | |
| Kickoff time is 8:08 Eastern time. That’s a little after 5 p.m. on the West Coach. A little after 1 a.m. in England. A little after 9 a.m. in Beijing. Hello to all of you. | |
| In our college basketball game, someone fouled with 0.7 seconds left, leaving open the possibility of hitting two 3-pointers in 0.35 seconds each. | |
| And naturally, the team that’s down by four with 5.2 seconds left calls timeout. Coaches always do that when their broadcast window is running long. TV executives ought to be able to overrule them. | |
| I spoke too soon about broadcasting conflicts. Fox is stuck with a college basketball game with 9.2 seconds left in overtime. | |
| Atlanta United lineup ... | |
| No changes from the second leg of the series against the New York Red Bulls. | |
| Our Starting XI vs @TimbersFC#UniteAndConquer | #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/9DtlyeOxBU | |
| Portland Timbers lineup ... | |
| The one change from their dramatic ouster of Sporting KC is at the back, where Larrys Mabiala replaces Bill Poni Tuiloma. | |
| Our final Starting XI of 2018. #MLSCup #OnwardRoseCity #RCTID pic.twitter.com/eIR4Ho3HId | |
| Are you watching overseas? | Are you watching overseas? |
| We have one complaint along those lines ... | We have one complaint along those lines ... |
| Why couldn’t this be changed to a more suitable time for the UK. We are your founding fathers and gave you the beautiful game! pic.twitter.com/cs8s2VWGua | Why couldn’t this be changed to a more suitable time for the UK. We are your founding fathers and gave you the beautiful game! pic.twitter.com/cs8s2VWGua |
| An afternoon game actually wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially with only one major college football game on the air (Army-Navy). | An afternoon game actually wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially with only one major college football game on the air (Army-Navy). |
| Good evening everyone! | Good evening everyone! |
| This is a dream matchup in so many ways. The high-flying offense of Atlanta United, complete with people you may see playing and coaching on even bigger stages than MLS Cup in the near future, facing off against a deceptively talented underdog in the Portland Timbers. | This is a dream matchup in so many ways. The high-flying offense of Atlanta United, complete with people you may see playing and coaching on even bigger stages than MLS Cup in the near future, facing off against a deceptively talented underdog in the Portland Timbers. |
| All in a dome with 70,000 or so of your closest friends. | All in a dome with 70,000 or so of your closest friends. |
| Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Bryan Graham on Atlanta’s MLS rise: | Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Bryan Graham on Atlanta’s MLS rise: |
| It’s more than four hours before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz stadium in downtown Atlanta on an unseasonably balmy October morning. The sprawling parking area known as the Gulch is bursting with activity, the sort of raucous, well-lubricated tailgate scene more commonly associated with America’s two most popular sports: the NFL and college football. | It’s more than four hours before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz stadium in downtown Atlanta on an unseasonably balmy October morning. The sprawling parking area known as the Gulch is bursting with activity, the sort of raucous, well-lubricated tailgate scene more commonly associated with America’s two most popular sports: the NFL and college football. |
| Football is indeed the day’s feature attraction, but not the brand traditionally linked to the deep south. Instead, red-clad fans numbering in the thousands have descended on the ground-level asphalt patch beneath a tangle of overpasses in support of Atlanta United, the nascent Major League Soccer (MLS) club that’s become the most improbable phenomenon in American sports today – and a vibrant symbol of a new Atlanta. | Football is indeed the day’s feature attraction, but not the brand traditionally linked to the deep south. Instead, red-clad fans numbering in the thousands have descended on the ground-level asphalt patch beneath a tangle of overpasses in support of Atlanta United, the nascent Major League Soccer (MLS) club that’s become the most improbable phenomenon in American sports today – and a vibrant symbol of a new Atlanta. |
| You can read the full article below: | You can read the full article below: |
| 'A-T-L!': the soccer team outselling the NFL | 'A-T-L!': the soccer team outselling the NFL |