Free-kick for Toronto, 25 yards out, to the right of the D. Half a chance here. Sebastian Giovinco, the man fouled, steps up to take it. The crowd holds its breath... and Giovinco makes an absolute dog's dinner of it, sending the ball sailing towards the fans behind the goal. The Toronto set-pieces have been decidedly average so far.

Back we go to the pattern of the first half; Toronto creating chances and spurning them. Justin Morrow gets down the left and cuts the ball back towards the onrushing Steven Beitashour on the edge of the penalty area - but the Iranian full-back, still seeking his first Toronto goal after almost two seasons at the club, lifts his shot into the stand.

It looks as if Clint Dempsey has moved a little further forward for Seattle to support Will Bruin, who was so isolated in the first half that I was tempted to email him some links for local social groups.

The players are back out on the pitch. Toronto might want to try converting some of their chances in the second half. As it stands, we're going the same way as last year's MLS Cup final.

I didn't credit the singer who gave such a belting rendition of the Canadian national anthem before kick-off, but I feel as if I should. It was Natasha Zimbaro, a Canadian performer who appeared on The X-Factor in the UK in 2011. Quite a voice, she's got.

The Toronto Twitter verdict at half-time: "One-way traffic through the first 45. Keep pushing!"

"Stefan Frei is not human!" yells the Seattle Sounders Twitter account. I think that's somewhat OTT, but he has had a good first half. Unless Seattle are trying to tell us that their goalkeeper literally isn't a person, like Billy The Fish in Viz.

Well, I don't quite know what to make of that first half. Seattle played as if under orders not to enter Toronto's penalty area. Toronto played like a team who know they are superior, but are terrified that might not be enough. And it might not be, if they keep on missing chances.

After the sublime, the ridiculous. Toronto 's Jozy Altidore, back to goal, almost trips himself up as he tries to turn; the ball bounces off strike partner Sebastian Giovinco for Justin Morrow to blast in from the left. Seattle full-back Joevin Jones is so busy appealing for offside that he loses concentration - and when the ball arrives at his feet, he just blasts it anywhere. It almost flies into the top corner of his own net, but instead whistles wide. Farce.

Another Toronto chance! Victor Vazquez has a sight of goal just outside the area after Nicolas Lodeiro loses out to Michael Bradley in midfield. The former Barcelona youth player strikes low, but Stefan Frei takes two steps to his right and dives down to push the shot aside. Good goalkeeping.

Victor Vazquez, on the right now for Toronto, swings over a cross looking for Jozy Altidore. But the former Hull and Sunderland striker pulls to the far post rather than pushing for the near, and Seattle captain Roman Torres is left free to clear with a flying header. The show-off.

Better from Toronto. More passing across the front of the Seattle defence ends with Jozy Altidore laying off for Marco Delgado to shoot from 25 yards. Stefan Frei, watching it all the way, parries the ball over. The resulting corner is cleared.

Toronto once again seek to pass their way around the Seattle defence. Victor Vazquez goes right to Mehrdad Beitashour, then he goes left to Justin Morrow, and neither can find a way round Seattle's green wall. Morrow does win a corner. Vazquez's delivery is cleared; he gets a second go, and Chris Mavinga, the former Liverpool reserve, turns a header well over and wide on the stretch.

A rare Seattle attack. Kelvin Leerdam dispossesses Jozy Altidore, and keeps going. Like a novice panellist on Just A Minute, the full-back expects someone to stop him, but no one does. Eventually, he reaches the edge of the penalty area, and runs out of ideas - rolling a ball forward to a clearly offside Clint Dempsey. I'm guessing that Dempsey's excuse for being offside is that he was just as mesmerised by Leerdam's wandering as the rest of us.

The thing is, though, for all Toronto's dominance, it's still 0-0. Seattle did not manage a shot on target in last season's final, and still won it on penalties. Greg Vanney, the Toronto head coach, gesticulates on the touchline.

Toronto keeper Alex Bono could have spent the opening quarter of this game making models of major landmarks out of matchsticks, teaching himself Russian or learning to juggle, so little has he had to do. Finally, he is called into action, charging from his penalty area to head clear a through ball.

Jozy Altidore, on the attack for Toronto, feeds a reverse pass left to Sebastian Giovinco, who has had a few sights of goal already. Here's another one, as he fires in a shot that swerves in the air - Stefan Frei is happy to propel that one over the bar with his right arm.

Toronto have had 62% possession in the first 20 minutes. Seattle haven't really done anything of attacking note since that early burst down the right by Kevin Leerdam. Clint Dempsey has hardly been in the game.

Sebastian Giovinco hits the free-kick into the wall. A waste.

Schmetzer's response, as far as I can tell, appears to be to pull as many green-shirted Seattle players behind the ball as possible. Surely they're not playing for penalties already?

Giovinco is brought down by Cristian Roldan, and Toronto have a free-kick around 30 yards out, just left of centre...