This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the Seattle Sounders paraded around a silenced Dick's Sporting Goods Park in suburban Denver, Colo., Garth Lagerwey's phone buzzed with a text message on Nov. 27. It was from an old friend, another former member of the one-time Real Salt Lake braintrust that helped establish RSL as an annual title contender along the Wasatch Front.
The text came from Bill Manning, congratulating Lagerwey's Sounders on completing their stunning midseason turnaround to win the Western Conference and make their first MLS Cup final. Lagerwey, now the general manager in Seattle, responded to Manning, himself now the president at Toronto FC, and said his team did its part. It was Toronto's turn.
So within a few minutes of Toronto capping off an entertaining series against rival Montreal by punching its own inaugural appearance to the MLS Cup final, Lagerwey texted Manning back.
"I'll see you December 10," it read.
They'll be in the same building Saturday night in downtown Toronto when their new clubs, two of the league's most high-profile franchises, tangle to determine which team dances and sprays champagne on a cold night north of the border. And here's a guarantee: one former RSL executive will emerge victorious.
Lagerwey left RSL in December 2014 after seven seasons as an architect of the roster. Manning, a two-time MLS Executive of the Year, left less than a year later after his deal as RSL team president expired in the summer of 2015. He spent nearly eight years at the club.
"The thing I told Garth is it's not coincidental that he and I are in MLS Cup," Manning said this week. "I thought in Salt Lake our strengths really meshed well together and it helped that franchise achieve a degree of success. We moved on to different teams, but I think the experience he had and our thought process on how you build a winning team and franchise is similar."
The Sounders maneuvered around a tumultuous regular season, which saw a popular preseason pick to win the MLS Cup in last place in July. Seattle fired beloved coach Sigi Schmid, brought in a superstar midfielder in Nicolas Lodeiro and eventually overcame a season-ending heart issue to forward Clint Dempsey to make this memorable run.
"The summer was a reflection point for us," Lagerwey said. "It was always my responsibility to fix it — there was no other place to look at that point."
Under Seattle's own Brian Schmetzer, the Sounders haven't slowed down since August. Lagerwey now finds himself in his fourth major final — fifth if you include RSL's U.S. Open Cup final in 2013 — and said he feels grateful to be back in a familiar spot.
"I'm able to prove my worth here," he said. "That's important. It's a good start, but we have to win or it doesn't matter. This last step is a mighty important one."
Not short on suitors after parting ways with RSL, Manning said he chose Toronto because the franchise was closest to becoming a league power. The team already had Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley in place. It had Greg Vanney, the former RSL academy director, as head coach. And Manning thought Toronto needed to figure out what RSL had for so many years — established consistency.
Toronto had nine coaches in nine years and a roster that was continuously flipped.
"A president could make a good GM look bad, but when you have a good president and a good GM, I think great things can happen," Manning said. "We've kind of built something here. One thing that I've stressed was continuity and very little turnover."
Following up success with success is difficult, Manning said, but to see both he and Lagerwey achieve that after their time at RSL is particularly validating. As he explained last summer, Manning felt there was a "different philosophy in what you needed to do to build a winning franchise" when he left RSL.
"But it's nice to look back and say, 'Hey, we had a good run there,' and now we're at two different organizations that hopefully we can bring to the same level and same heights," he said.
After Toronto booked its spot in the MLS Cup final on Nov. 30, one of the coaches at RSL sent a congratulatory text to both Manning and Lagerwey and suggested a friendly — and fitting — wager between the two former RSL executives: A 12-pack of beer from Wasatch Brewery.
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
MLS Cup Final
P Seattle Sounders at Toronto FC
At BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
Kickoff » Saturday, 6 p.m.
TV » FOX
Regular-season records » Seattle 14-14-6, Toronto 14-9-11
Last meeting » Seattle 1, Toronto 1 (July 2 at BMO Field)
About Seattle » Sounders are making their first MLS Cup final appearance … Forward Clint Dempsey (irregular heartbeat) remains out. … Rookie of the Year Jordan Morris had 12 regular-season goals in 2016, and added two goals in the Western Conference final series against Colorado. … Midseason signing Nicolas Lodeiro has four goals for Seattle in the postseason.
About TFC » Toronto is also making its first MLS Cup appearance. … Forward Sebastian Giovinco led TFC with 17 goals and 15 assists in the regular season. … Giovinco and Jozy Altidore have combined to score seven goals this postseason. … Former RSL midfielder Will Johnson could become the fifth player in league history to win three MLS Cup titles with three different clubs. … Former RSL-Arizona academy director Greg Vanney is in his second year as TFC head coach.