[20] The two teams had each previously won the MLS Cup, with the Crew defeating the New York Red Bulls in the 2008 final and losing in 2015 to the Portland Timbers.

[24] The Columbus Crew underwent a major reorganization in January 2019, when the club's ownership was transferred from Anthony Precourt (who was awarded the rights to Austin FC by the league) to the Haslam and Edwards families.

[21][25] The team missed the 2019 playoffs, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, but Porter and Bezbatchenko had begun rebuilding the roster with several acquisitions during the summer transfer window, including midfielders Luis Díaz and Youness Mokhtar.

[26] The club declined options on several key players, including star midfielder Federico Higuaín and former captain Wil Trapp, and was left with 13 empty roster positions to fill with new offseason signings.

[27][28] Columbus acquired midfielder Darlington Nagbe through a trade from Atlanta United FC and signed Lucas Zelarayán from UANL Tigres of Liga MX for a club-record $7 million transfer fee.

[42] The Crew finished third in the Eastern Conference, having tied Orlando City SC on points but bumped ahead by the wins tiebreaker, and were winless in away matches;[43] the team went on to play the entire playoffs at home due to their seeding and regained Nagbe and Zelarayan, the latter of whom was named MLS Newcomer of the Year.

[42] Ahead of their Conference Semifinals fixture against expansion side Nashville SC, the team lost seven players to positive COVID-19 tests, including starting goalkeeper Eloy Room and midfielder Derrick Etienne.

The club retained most of their roster under head coach Brian Schmetzer, but lost midfielder Víctor Rodríguez and defenders Román Torres, Kim Kee-hee, and Brad Smith during the offseason.

[48][49] In January 2020, Seattle signed central midfielder João Paulo to a Designated Player contract and also acquired defenders Yeimar Gómez Andrade and Shane O'Neill to fill open positions in the backline.

[61] The Sounders returned to regular season play with a 3–0 victory against the Timbers in Portland that brought them to second place in the West,[62] which was followed by the players cancelling an away match against the LA Galaxy by joining a multi-team boycott to protest racial injustice.

[64] The Sounders played their next three matches at home, losing 2–1 to the Timbers, but winning 7–1 against San Jose (setting a franchise record for goals scored) and 3–0 against Los Angeles FC to move to first in the Western Conference.

[66][67] Two defenders who left during the offseason, Brad Smith and Román Torres, returned to the club by early October to provide lineup flexibility ahead of the push to the playoffs, which came amid international call-ups for several starting players.

[71] The Sounders fell to second in the West after losing 3–1 to the Colorado Rapids and tying 1–1 with the LA Galaxy, but won their Decision Day fixture against San Jose.

While Seattle were expected to play with a full-strength squad, LAFC were missing several starting players who tested positive for COVID-19, among them MLS top goalscorer Diego Rossi and assists leader Brian Rodríguez.

[74] The home side won 3–1, with Ruidíaz scoring once and recording two assists as the team controlled possession against LAFC, who were unable to equalize after Carlos Vela missed an early penalty kick.

[75] Seattle hosted the Conference Semifinals against FC Dallas, who had upset Portland as the sixth seed, but were without midfielder Gustav Svensson due to quarantine protocols following an international call-up.

[76] The match ended in a 1–0 victory for the Sounders, with the lone goal scored by defender Shane O'Neill, who headed in a corner kick in the 49th minute amid a defensive stalemate between the two teams.

[77] Seattle hosted the Western Conference Final against Minnesota United FC, who had upset conference-leading Sporting Kansas City as the fourth seed with a 3–0 away victory.

[88] A statewide COVID-19 curfew issued on December 10 by Ohio governor Mike DeWine exempted the match and other sporting events held in large outdoor venues.

[96] Seattle was named as favorites to win the MLS Cup by FiveThirtyEight,[97] ESPN FC,[98] and USA Today based on their experience and stronger projected lineup.

[106] Columbus opened the scoring in the 25th minute after a cross to the backpost from Harrison Afful found Lucas Zelarayán, whose left-footed volley rolled into the goal after deflecting off Frei.

[104] The Sounders brought on leftback Brad Smith and midfielder Gustav Svensson at halftime and had several unsuccessful chances to score, including two Cristian Roldan shots and a deflection off Afful that turned into a conceded corner kick instead of an own goal.

[105][107] The Sounders eventually took the majority of possession but were unable to convert their remaining chances,[107] including a long-distance strike from Raúl Ruidíaz in stoppage time, into a consolation goal.

[112] Caleb Porter became the third coach to win MLS Cup titles with multiple teams, having also won in 2015 with the Portland Timbers at Mapfre Stadium.

[112][114] A virtual celebration for the Crew was held at Mapfre Stadium on December 13 in lieu of the traditional victory parade due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with speeches from Bezbatchenko, Porter, and several players.