TORONTO — The mayors of Toronto and Seattle are making a friendly wager as their cities' Major League Soccer teams prepare to face off in the league's championship match this weekend.
Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders are set to compete in the MLS Cup final on Sunday.
Toronto Mayor John Tory says if Seattle wins, he'll wear a Sounders scarf for a full day and light the Toronto sign green next Friday.
He'll also send a basket of Toronto-made products and a record each by Toronto-area artists Drake, The Weeknd and Blue Rodeo to his counterpart in the Emerald City.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says if Toronto prevails, she'll send Tory three albums by artists from her area, including Brandi Carlile, TacoCat and Nirvana.
Durkan says she'll also give Tory a basket of Seattle-made goods, wear a Toronto FC scarf for a full day and light city hall in red next Friday.
"Toronto is proud of our Toronto FC and ready to cheer them on to victory on Sunday. Our Reds are determined to hoist the MLS Cup once again to help complete a year of championships in Toronto," Tory said in a statement.
He said the Toronto sign outside city hall will be lit in red on Sunday to support the team.
"Seattle is all in for our Sounders as they get ready to win back the MLS Cup at CenturyLink," Durkan responded.
"Nearly 70,000 fans are going to be loud all game long, and we are going to show why Seattle is North America's best soccer city."
Both mayors have also pledged to donate $300 to a local non-profit organization for each goal scored by their respective teams: Tory has picked United Way Greater Toronto and Durkan said she'll give to United Way of King County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2019.
The Canadian Press
