Fans help send Seattle Sounders FC off to MLS Cup

A couple of hundred fans braved cold temperatures Wednesday morning to send the Seattle Sounders FC off to Major League Soccer Cup championship game.

The Sounders and the city of Tukwila invited fans to attend the end of the last practice at Starfire Sports in Tukwila before the team heads to Toronto.

Seattle kicks off against Toronto FC at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at BMO Field in Toronto. The game airs on FOX, channel 13. It is the Sounders first appearance in the MLS Cup championship game.

The city of Tukwila proclaimed Saturday Seattle Sounders FC Spirit Day and encouraged the community to wear Sounders gear and colors. The Sounders train at Tukwila’s Starfire Sports.

“Having the Sounders FC practice and be a part of the city of Tukwila is really special for everybody in the region,” Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg said in an interview following the send-off celebration. “Having them go to the MLS Cup is spectacular.”

The MLS Cup game will be shown on the big screen at the ShoWare Center in Kent prior to the Tacoma Stars Major Arena Soccer League match against the Ontario Fury on Saturday. Kick off for the Stars match was pushed back to 7:35 p.m. to allow fans to catch the Sounders. Doors to the ShoWare Center open at 4:30 p.m., and admission is free with a ticket to the Stars game.

For more photos from Wednesday’s send-off, click here.