The Lord of the Rings. Star Wars. Micky Ward versus Arturo Gatti.

Everybody loves a good trilogy - again, a good trilogy, not two good parts and a bad one, which is why you don’t see The Godfather as an example - and that’s just what this weekend’s MLS Cup final could very well conclude when the Eastern Conference champions Toronto FC travel to CenturyLink Field to take on the Seattle Sounders for Major League Soccer’s ultimate prize.

The meeting will be the third between the two clubs in the MLS Cup in four seasons. It will also be the rubber match with each team having won one title over the other.

But before Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET kickoff in front of nearly 70,000 fans, let’s look back at the previous two encounters.

2016 MLS Cup Final – Seattle Sounders 0 (5), Toronto FC 0 (4)

A year after their first playoff appearance in franchise history ended with an embarrassing rout by the Montreal Impact, the Reds reached the final through defeating the Philadelphia Union, throttling New York City FC over two legs and then avenging 2015’s loss with a two-legged victory over IMFC, including a thrilling 5-2 win in extra time in the second leg that is widely considered one of the best games in MLS postseason history.

A model franchise since their inaugural season in 2009, the Sounders had never missed the playoffs in their eight-year history, but 2016 also marked their first appearance in the final, meaning that MLS would have a first-time champion with either result.

If you were looking for a high-octane, thrilling affair, the 2016 MLS Cup might not have come through, but that doesn’t mean the game wasn’t without its drama.

For one thing, Stefan Frei was back in goal at the familiar confines of BMO Field, but this time in the visitor’s net. Frei spent the first five seasons of TFC’s existence as the club’s No. 1 keeper and was often the best part of some very bad teams. If TFC had gotten used to big performances from Frei, they were about to watch another.

The Sounders were able to do something nobody else in the 2016 playoffs could – shut down Jozy Altidore. Leading up to the final, the United States international striker had run roughshod over opposing defences, leading the postseason in scoring with five goals. With goals coming at a premium on that chilly December night on Lake Ontario, it was an Altidore opportunity – and Frei’s response – that became the turning point of the match.

After the initial 90 minutes solved nothing, the two teams entered extra time. Altidore thought he had the game won. In the 108th minute, TFC striker Tosaint Ricketts skipped down the right side into the area, a step faster than his marker, Roman Torres. He floated a across over to Altidore almost right directly on the penalty spot. Altidore met it with a header, but he got under it enough that its power was lessened. Because there was arc on the ball, Frei had time to dive across the goal and haul it in. A spectacular save, nonetheless, but had Altidore been able to get more on that cross, it was likely headed to bulging the twine.

Torres made up for losing Ricketts in the shootout. After Justin Morrow’s penalty hit the crossbar, the Panama international stepped up to the spot with a chance to claim the title. Torres made no mistake, hammering the ball to the left of goal as Clint Irwin guessed the wrong way to give the Sounders their first title and send the fans at BMO home unhappy.

2017 MLS Cup Final – Toronto FC 2, Seattle Sounders 0

There was a sense of inevitability about the 2017 edition of Toronto FC. Forged in the crucible that was the disappointment of the previous MLS Cup, the Reds dominated the regular season like no team had done previously in MLS history, posting a then-record 69 points to claim the franchise’s first Supporters’ Shield as the top team in the regular season. The side was led by a free-flowing attack spearheaded by Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vazquez.

In the Canadian championship, TFC dispatched the Impact to win the Voyageurs Cup and set up the chance to do something unprecedented in the 22-year history of Major League Soccer – a domestic treble. The Reds set themselves up for that opportunity by outlasting NYCFC and the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference playoffs to reach another final.

Standing in their way would, once again, be the Sounders. The second seed in the Western Conference, the Sounders would have the opportunity to defend their title by getting past the Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo without surrendering a postseason goal. It would mark only the third time in MLS history where the competitors in the previous year’s MLS Cup would contest that year’s final.

For much of the first hour, it seemed like Frei planned to write a similar script to the 2016 final. In the 10th minute and with his back to goal, Altidore chested a ball down at the lip of the area and squared the ball for Jonathan Osorio. The Canada international sent a left-footed drive on goal, but it was stopped by a diving Frei.

Only seconds later, a diagonal ball from Michael Bradley found a streaking Giovinco heading into the area. Frei came out to cut the angle and got enough of the Italian’s effort to deflect it away from the far post. Giovinco would come close again midway through the half when his high drive briefly fooled Frei, but the 2016 MLS Cup MVP reacted in time to palm it over the bar. Frei would make his best save of the half just five minutes before the break when Vazquez hammered a low and bouncing drive from distance that forced him to dive and parry.

After another fine save on Giovinco in the 63rd, Frei’s good fortune finally ran out as TFC would not be denied. Drew Moor shut down a Seattle drive forward at the edge of the area and started a move forward through Bradley. Vazquez would find Giovinco in midfield, who played a ball forward to Altidore, allowing the big man to split the Sounders’ central defenders. Altidore cut inside the area away from Joevin Jones and chipped over an onrushing Frei to give Toronto a deserved 1-0 lead and send BMO Field into a frenzy.

The Reds would ice it in stoppage. A clever ball from Giovinco sent Armando Cooper in on goal. Going right to beat Frei, the Panama international had a shot at an empty net, but his drive rang off the post. Fortunately, though, it rebounded right into the midsection of Vazquez to bundle over the line and get the party started in earnest.