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| Event | MLS Cup | ||||||
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| Date | October 26, 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium,Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Jaime Moreno (D.C. United) | ||||||
| Referee | Brian Hall | ||||||
| Attendance | 57,431 | ||||||
| Weather | Rain, 46 °F (8 °C)[1] | ||||||
←1996 1998 → | |||||||
MLS Cup 1997 was the second edition of theMLS Cup, the post-season championship match ofMajor League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. It was played on October 26, 1997, betweenD.C. United and theColorado Rapids to determine the champion of the1997 season. Thesoccer match was played in front of 57,431 spectators atRFK Memorial Stadium inWashington, D.C.
D.C. United were defending champions and finished atop theEastern Conference and theoverall league standings despite being strained by runs in multiple competitions. Colorado had overhauled their roster after finishing last overall in the 1996 season and qualified for the playoffs with alosing record, finishing fourth in theWestern Conference, but earned twoupset victories in the playoffs. As finalists, D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids both earned berths to play in the1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
During a rainstorm that mirrored theprevious final, D.C. repeated as MLS Cup champions by winning 2–1. The hosts took a lead throughJaime Moreno in the 37th minute and extended it with a header byTony Sanneh in the 68th minute. SubstituteAdrián Paz scored a consolation goal for Colorado in the 75th minute, but the team were unable to draw level despite several chances. The announced crowd of 57,431 was the second-largest attendance for a sporting event at RFK Memorial Stadium.
RFK Memorial Stadium inWashington, D.C., the home of defending championsD.C. United, was selected as the host of the second MLS Cup on December 17, 1996.[2] The stadium was opened in 1961 and was primarily used for American football and baseball, but previously hosted the 1980Soccer Bowl and the1996 U.S. Open Cup Final.[3] It also hosted several matches during the1994 FIFA World Cup and1996 Olympics men's soccer tournament.[4]
The league sold 32,000 tickets for the final in mid-October after D.C. United advanced to theconference finals.[5] After the team clinched an appearance in the final, the remainder of the stadium's 56,000 seats were sold out and 1,000bleacher seats were added.[6]
TheMLS Cup is the post-season championship ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), a professional clubsoccer league based in the United States that began play in 1996. The league'ssecond season was contested by ten teams organized into two conferences, each playing 32 matches during the regular season from April to September. Teams faced opponents from the same conference four times during the regular season and from outside their conference three or four times.[7] MLS continued to use the modified version of the sport's rules that it adopted for the 1996 season, including apenalty shootout from 35 yards (32 m) to decide tied matches (for which the winners earned one point) and acountdown clock that stopped duringdead plays.[8][9]
The top four teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs, which were organized into three rounds and played in October. The first two rounds, named the conference semifinals and conference finals, werehome-and-away series organized into a best-of-three format with a hosting advantage for the higher seed. The winners of the conference finals advanced to the single-match MLS Cup final, which would be held at a predetermined neutral venue.[10]
MLS Cup 1997 was contested by defending champions and hosts D.C. United, who finished first in the regular season standings, and theColorado Rapids, who finished fourth in the Western Conference. The two finalists swept through the playoffs by winning the conference semifinals and conference finals in two legs. During three regular season meetings between the two teams, D.C. won 5–2 in April and 5–0 in June, while Colorado won in a shootout following a 2–2 draw in August.[11] The Rapids reached the final through a "Cinderella run" in the playoffs and were consideredunderdogs to defending champions D.C. United.[12]
Inaugural season champions D.C. United retained most of their players and made few changes during the offseason, trading midfielderShawn Medved to theSan Jose Clash and acquiring defenderCarlos Llamosa in thesupplemental draft.[13] Nine of their starting players were called up at various times to their national teams forWorld Cup qualifying, giving reserve players an opportunity to earn a starting spot.[14][15] D.C. went on a preseason tour that included matches in Japan and Hong Kong, earning a 6–2win–loss record, and returned to open the season against MLS Cup opponentsLos Angeles Galaxy with a shootout win.[16][17]
D.C. earned one shootout win and three wins in regulation time to put them atop the Eastern Conference standings early in the season, highlighted by the performance of rookie goalkeeperScott Garlick, who replaced starterMark Simpson during his stint with an indoor team.[18] The team then drew four times and lost three of the shootouts,[19] briefly losing first place in the East in May before retaking it by the end of the month.[20] Despite losing Bolivian playersMarco Etcheverry andJaime Moreno to the national team for six weeks, D.C. won their next five matches but lost 6–1 to theKansas City Wizards on June 21, ending a 22-match unbeaten streak in regulation time.[21] D.C. United also had six players in the starting lineup for theAll-Star Game, which was won 5–4 by the East.[22]
After the All-Star Game in early July, D.C. United went through a series of underwhelming performances, including three regulation losses and one shootout loss in six matches, blamed in part on injuries to Etcheverry and captainJohn Harkes.[23][24] The team then entered a stretch of 13 matches in 36 days, forced by their participation in theCONCACAF Champions' Cup (finishing third) andU.S. Open Cup (advancing to the semifinals). D.C. United went 8–4–1 in all competitions through the end of August, including three wins out of four matches in regular season play during a stretch of five matches in twelve days.[15][25] The team made further changes to their goalkeepers, as Simpson had undergone two knee surgeries and backupJeff Causey was signed by theNew England Revolution; in their place, Scott Garlick and rookieTom Presthus were rotated between matches as starters.[26] On August 17,Mario Gori andRaúl Díaz Arce were arrested for an alleged rape at a Columbus hotel, but released the following day on bail and allowed to continue playing for the team;[27][28] the case was later dropped without charges in January 1998 after the alleged victim declined to continue.[29]
D.C. earned their playoff berth with their first win against the Kansas City Wizards in franchise history after five earlier losses,[30] and subsequently clinched first place in the Eastern Conference with a 3–2 shootout win against New England.[31] The team continued to heavily rotate lineups and rested eight starting players in the second of a home-and-away series against theTampa Bay Mutiny, winning 5–1 despite losing the first match with most of their regular starters.[32] D.C. finished the regular season atop the league-wide standings with 55 points and a 21–11 record, but fell short of matching the Mutiny's record 58 points from the 1996 season after losing to the MetroStars in their last match.[15][33] The team showed its roster depth by using a different lineup for all 39 league and cup matches, including 24 different starting players.[15][34] Bruce Arena was namedMLS Coach of the Year,Eddie Pope was namedDefender of the Year, and four United players were included in theMLS Best XI.[12]
D.C. faced New England in the conference semifinals and earned a 4–1 victory in the first leg of the series at home.Roy Wegerle, a midseason signing from Colorado, scored to give United a half-time lead and added a second before Jaime Moreno scored two more; New England defenderMike Burns scored a consolation goal with a minute left in the match.[35] In the away leg atFoxboro Stadium, D.C. were held to a 1–1 draw in regulation time, with a goal forRichie Williams canceled out byJoe-Max Moore's penalty kick in the 72nd minute. The two teams played in a seven-round shootout that ended 4–3 in United's favor after a series of saves from goalkeepersWalter Zenga and Tom Presthus that was broken up by defender Carlos Llamosa's conversion.[36]
In the conference finals, D.C. played the third-seededColumbus Crew after they had eliminated the Tampa Bay Mutiny. In the first leg, played without Etcheverry who was on national team duty, United took a three-goal half-time lead that was reduced by two for a 3–2 victory after a second half surge in pressure and chances from the Crew.[37] D.C. clinched their second MLS Cup appearance with a 1–0 win atOhio Stadium in Columbus, with Díaz Arce scoring the lone goal in the 47th minute from within the six-yard (5.5 m) box.[38]
The Colorado Rapids finished last overall in MLS during the league's inaugural season, with a 11–21 record under head coachBob Houghton, who was replaced in the offseason byGlenn Myernick.[39] Myernick and new general managerDan Counce implemented a possession-oriented style and overhauled the Rapids roster by signing eleven new players, including trades to acquire defenderPeter Vermes and midfieldersPaul Bravo andAdrián Paz. The team also signed goalkeeperMarcus Hahnemann and forwardWolde Harris from the second-divisionA-League and were allocated Mexican midfielderDavid Patiño by the league.[40][41]
After a short preseason tour in Mexico and Florida, the Rapids opened the season without forwardJean Harbor and several defenders who were either injured or called up to national team duty, winning only twice in their first seven matches.[40][42] The team were able to consistently earn wins through the summer, with a 9–10 record by mid-July that allowed them to reach second in the Western Conference.[43] Their record improved to 14–12 in mid-August while remaining in second place, trailing the conference-leading Kansas City Wizards by eight points.[44]
The final seven matches of the Rapids season would be played against fellow teams in the Western Conference with higher stakes in playoffs positioning.[45] The team entered a six-match losing streak, which included three losses to the Wizards, but qualified for the playoffs despite dropping to fourth place.[46] Colorado won their final regular season match against San Jose and finished with a losing record of 14 wins and 18 losses.[47][48][49] Leading goalscorers Bravo andChris Henderson, along with defenderMarcelo Balboa, were credited with the team's improved regular season performance.[47]
In the conference semifinals, Colorado faced the Wizards, who had defeated the Rapids in all of their regular season meetings.[50] The first leg at Kansas City'sArrowhead Stadium finished in a 3–0upset victory for the Rapids, despite missing Paz and Balboa. The victory was credited to a disciplined performance by the Rapids defense, several saves from goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, and attackers who took advantage of mistakes from the Wizards.[51][52] The Rapids began the second leg at home by conceding a goal to Wizards forwardVitalis Takawira, but equalized within minutes and took a lead after half-time with goals from Paul Bravo. The match ended in a 3–2 win for Colorado, who swept the playoffs series.[53]
The Rapids advanced to play in the conference final against theDallas Burn, who had defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in another upset from the semifinals.[54] Colorado won 1–0 in the first leg, played in Dallas, with aheader in the 42nd minute from defenderSean Henderson; the Burn had several chances to equalize, including afree kick in the final five seconds that hit thepost, but were unable to capitalize.[55][56] In the second leg, played atMile High Stadium in Denver, Dallas took an early lead in the fifth minute but were set back by an equalizer from David Patiño in the 23rd minute. The match remained tied until a scissoredvolley from Chris Henderson in the 87th minute clinched a 2–1 victory to win the conference championship for Colorado.[57] The team became the first to take a pair of brothers, Chris and Sean Henderson, to the MLS Cup.[58]
| D.C. United | Round | Colorado Rapids | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1st place inEastern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | Regular season | 4th place inWestern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Results | MLS Cup Playoffs | Opponent | Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New England Revolution (2–0) | 4–1 (H), 1–1(4–3SO) (A) | Conference semifinals | Kansas City Wizards (2–0) | 3–0 (A), 3–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbus Crew (2–0) | 3–2 (H), 1–0 (A) | Conference finals | Dallas Burn (2–0) | 1–0 (A), 2–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The match was broadcast onABC in the United States, where it was watched by an estimated television audience of 2.2 million viewers, setting a record that would stand until the2016 final.[59]Phil Schoen andTy Keough reprised their roles from the previous final as play-by-play andcolor commentator, respectively.[60] The match was also televised in more than 100 foreign markets byESPN International;[61] it was the first MLS Cup to be broadcast in the United Kingdom, where it aired onEurosport.[62]
The MLS Cup final kicked off at 3:30 p.m. with an announcedsellout crowd of 57,431 spectators at RFK Memorial Stadium, setting a new attendance record for a single playoff match.[63] The match was played during a rainstorm in cold conditions, which mirrored the weather during theinaugural final and deterred some ticket-holding fans from attending.[64][65] D.C. controlled the opening minutes, taking their first shot within 25 seconds, but Colorado used counterattacks to find chances and force goalkeeper Scott Garlick to make three saves and a foul that earned him ayellow card.[63][66] The hosts responded with their own counterattacking plays that were channeled byTony Sanneh towards Jaime Moreno, who could not finish his first few chances.[67][68]
D.C. took a 1–0 lead in the 37th minute after a cross from Sanneh to Raúl Díaz Arce, whodummied the ball at the top of thepenalty area. The cross fell to Moreno, who took a shot from 12 yards (11 m) that rolled past Marcus Hahnemann and two Colorado defenders.[67][68] The Rapids were outshot 8–5 in the first half, with only one shot in the final 24 minutes.[69] They attempted to find an equalizer early in the second half and had two chances through David Patiño that were not finished after missing a through ball and later hitting teammateSteve Rammel.[70][71]
Sanneh extended the lead for D.C. in the 68th minute, scoring with a header at the far post on a high cross from John Harkes after cleaning up a cleared corner kick. The team continued its attacking pressure, but shifted to a defensive style to prepare for counterattacks from the Rapids.[67] Marcelo Balboa moved up into the midfield and attempted abicycle kick in the 70th minute that was saved by Garlick.[72] Colorado scored a consolation goal in the 75th minute from substitute Adrián Paz, who struck the ball from a tight angle in the penalty area on an assist from Patiño.[71] A chance to equalize came less than a minute later as Rapids forward Wolde Harris took an unimpeded shot from 20 yards (18 m) that flew over the crossbar.[67][73] D.C. responded with their own attacks that were shut down by the Rapids, including two fouls that were described as potentialpenalty kicks that went uncalled by refereeBrian Hall.[65] The hosts won 2–1 to claim their second MLS Cup title;[67] Moreno was named the MLS Cupmost valuable player for his performance, which included setting up plays throughout the match.[74][75]
          D.C. United |   Colorado Rapids |
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MLS Cup Most Valuable Player: Assistant referees:[76] | Match rules
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MLS Cup 1997 was the first sports championship for the Washington, D.C., area to be won at a stadium in the city.[77] The announced attendance of 57,431 came within 600 spectators of breaking the overall record for largest sporting event at RFK Memorial Stadium, held by the United States–Portugal match during the 1996 Summer Olympics.[61][78] It was the first day in which there were large sporting events at both of the major outdoor stadiums in the D.C. area, asJack Kent Cooke Stadium also hosted aNational Football League game.[64] A railing in the upper stands at RFK Memorial Stadium collapsed during the celebrations after the match, causing minor injuries to 50 fans.[79]
Three days after the MLS Cup final, D.C. United played the Dallas Burn in theU.S. Open Cup Final with a chance to earn the league's first "treble". The Burn and United played to a scoreless draw and D.C. lost 5–3 in the ensuing penalty shootout.[80] The team, with the exception of Etcheverry and Moreno on national team duty, was honored with a reception at theWhite House by PresidentBill Clinton.[81] D.C. returned to the MLS Cup in1998, where they lost to theChicago Fire, and in1999, where they defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy.[82]
D.C. and Colorado qualified as the U.S. representatives for the1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, which was hosted at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.[83] The Rapids were eliminated in the qualifying playoff round, played in a home-and-away series againstClub León of Mexico, by a 4–3 aggregate score.[84] D.C. entered the competition in the quarterfinals and eliminated Trinidadian clubJoe Public, León, and Mexican championToluca on their way to winning the Champions' Cup, becoming the first American team to be crowned as continental champions.[85][86] United then advanced to the1998 Copa Interamericana, where they defeated South American championsVasco da Gama of Brazil over two legs played in the United States.[87]
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