Framed | MLS Cup 2016 : Photography : Soccer Bible

Carved and captured. As Seattle Sounders were crowned MLS Cup Champions for the first time, this 'Framed' instalment captures the moment history and heroes were installed in footballing folklore. The first look back at an album that will last generations, a career highlight shot in the spotlight.

A typically fragile finale was decided in the cruelest way possible. A solution where the highest and lowest of career emotions are split right down the middle. Despite not registering a single shot on goal, the Sounders beat Toronto FC 5-4 in a penalty shootout after playing a scoreless 120 minutes at BMO Field. The game a mere memory already, it's the name on the trophy that counts, regardless of how it got there.







Goalkeeper Stefan Frei take a bow. The Seattle stopper made a string of fine saves in regular and extra time before making the solitary stop in the shootout. Jubilation meets depression. Ecstasy meets shock. Realisation meets realisation. A rollercoaster of tension, unbearable for those in the stands, unmissable for those behind the lense. That final kick marked the end of a season and the beginning of two very different evenings. 

Photography by Matthew Stith for SoccerBible.