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| Event | MLS Cup | ||||||
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| Afterextra time | |||||||
| Date | November 13, 2005 (2005-11-13) | ||||||
| Venue | Pizza Hut Park,Frisco, Texas, US | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Guillermo Ramírez (Los Angeles Galaxy) | ||||||
| Referee | Kevin Stott | ||||||
| Attendance | 21,193 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)[1] | ||||||
←2004 2006 → | |||||||
MLS Cup 2005 was the 10th edition of theMLS Cup, the championship match ofMajor League Soccer (MLS). Thesoccer match took place on November 13, 2005, atPizza Hut Park inFrisco, Texas, nearDallas, and was contested between theNew England Revolution and theLos Angeles Galaxy. It was a rematch ofMLS Cup 2002 and ended in a repeat victory for Los Angeles, who won 1–0 on a goal scored byGuillermo Ramírez inextra time.
New England qualified as the top seed in theEastern Conference with several players named to theMLS Best XI, while Los Angeles was the lowest-seeded playoff team and had rebuilt its roster in the offseason. Ramírez, who was brought in onloan fromCSD Municipal, had scored no goals from open play despite 62 shots but was substituted into the MLS Cup final and scored the winning goal.
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The match was hosted atPizza Hut Park inFrisco, Texas, the newly built home ofFC Dallas. The 21,000-seat stadium was announced as the host on November 12, 2004.[2] It opened on August 6, 2005, and was the third majorsoccer-specific stadium to be built for an MLS team. The stadium cost $80 million to construct.[3][4] The stadium sits at the center of a 145-acre (59 ha) complex with 17 soccer fields located near downtown Frisco, approximately 30 miles (48 km) north ofDowntown Dallas.[5][6] Prior to the match, the league hosted pre-game festivities at nearby venues and parking lots, including events with FC Dallas players.[7] Pizza Hut Park (later renamed Toyota Stadium) would go on to hostMLS Cup 2006, and the2007 and2016 finals of theU.S. Open Cup, which all featured theNew England Revolution.[8][9]
TheMLS Cup is the post-season championship ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), a professional club soccer league in the United States. The2005 season was the tenth in league history, and was contested by twelve teams divided into two conferences. Each club played 32 matches during the regular season from April 2 to October 16, facing each team twice and in-conference teams two additional times.[10] The playoffs, running from October 21 to November 13, were contested by the top four clubs in each conference.[11] It was organized into three rounds: ahome-and-away series in the Conference Semifinals, a single-match Conference Final, and the MLS Cup final.[12]
The tenth MLS Cup was contested between theNew England Revolution andLos Angeles Galaxy in a rematch of the2002 final, which the Galaxy won 1–0.[13] It was the second time that an MLS Cup final featured a previous matchup. New England finished the regular season atop the Eastern Conference, while Los Angeles was the lowest-ever seed to play in the MLS Cup final after finishing eighth overall.[14][15] The Galaxy and Revolution played twice in the regular season and both matches ended in 1–1 draws.[16]
New England Revolution made it to two consecutive Eastern Conference finals in 2003 and 2004 under head coachSteve Nicol, who was promoted from his interim role during the run to the 2002 final. The club drafted several young midfielders and forwards during the two seasons, includingPat Noonan,Shalrie Joseph, andClint Dempsey, who helped replace retiring players or injured starters.[17] Dempsey was namedRookie of the Year for his performance in the 2004 season, scoring seven goals and finishing third on the team in scoring behind Noonan andTaylor Twellman.[18][19] The Revolution finished tied with theChicago Fire for the worst record in the league in 2004 and qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.[20] The team then defeated theSupporters' Shield-winningColumbus Crew 2–1 onaggregate in the Conference Semifinals.[21] They advanced to the Conference Final, drawing 3–3 withD.C. United afterextra time and losing 4–3 in the resultingpenalty shootout in the sudden death sixth round.[22]
The Revolution opened the 2005 season with an eleven-match unbeaten streak, including six consecutive wins, that propelled them to first place in the Eastern Conference.[17][23] The team, however, lost its place atop the conference to Chicago by July due to key players being released for national team callups.[24] New England then regained its first-place spot, but lost several players in early August to injuries after playing five league andU.S. Open Cup matches in 15 days.[25] The Revolution finished the regular season with only two losses in their last nine matches, completing their best-ever season record. New England finished second inSupporters' Shield standings behindSan Jose, but set new team records for wins, with 17, and a conference record for points, with 59.[17][26][27] Twellman's 17 goals earned him theMLS Golden Boot and the league'sMVP award—a first for the Revolution.[28] DefenderMichael Parkhurst earned the Rookie of the Year Award, while Twellman, Dempsey, and Joseph were named to theMLS Best XI.[29][30]
New England opened the playoffs in the Conference Semifinals against theNew York/New Jersey MetroStars, who clinched the 4th-seed berth on the last day of the season, mirroring the Revolution's performance in 2004.[31] The Revolution lost 1–0 in the first leg atGiants Stadium in New Jersey,[31] but advanced on aggregate score after a 3–1 victory at home in Massachusetts with three second-half goals.[32] In their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference final, New England faced the Chicago Fire at home and won 1–0 on a goal in the fourth minute by Clint Dempsey and a disallowedoffside goal.[33][34]
The Los Angeles Galaxy fired head coachSigi Schmid midway through the 2004 season, only two years after leading them to their first cup title in 2002, despite the team's place at the top of the league.[35] His replacement for the remaining eight matches, former national team head coachSteve Sampson,[36] led the team into a second-place finish in the Western Conference with only two wins and seven goals scored.[37] After defeating theColorado Rapids in the Conference Semifinals, the Galaxy ended their season with a 2–0 loss to the first-placeKansas City Wizards in the Western Conference Final.[38][39]
The Galaxy rebuilt their roster ahead of the 2005 season, retaining only 12 of 28 players from the playoff run, and traded awayCarlos Ruiz to FC Dallas to sign returning American forwardLandon Donovan.[40][41] Los Angeles began the season with only two losses in their first eleven matches, but national team callups and injuries led to winless streaks in July and August.[42] The Galaxy also participated in theU.S. Open Cup, which it won in September againstFC Dallas.[43] The team finished the regular season with a 13–13–6 record, clinching the fourth seed in the Western Conference.[44]
In the Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles faced theirin-state rivals and Supporters' Shield-winningSan Jose Earthquakes, who had won in the two team's last playoff meeting 5–4 on aggregate in2003.[45] The Galaxy won the first leg 3–1 at their home, with two goals from Donovan against his former club, and drew the away leg 1–1 to advance 4–2 on aggregate.[46][47] Donovan then scored twice in Los Angeles's 2–0 over the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference Final, sending the Galaxy to their fifth MLS Cup appearance.[48]
| New England Revolution | Round | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st place inEastern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | Regular season | 4th place inWestern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | MLS Cup Playoffs | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MetroStars | 3–2 | 0–1 (A) | 3–1 (H) | Conference Semifinals | San Jose Earthquakes | 4–2 | 1–3 (H) | 1–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago Fire | 1–0 (H) | Conference Final | Colorado Rapids | 2–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English and Spanish usingsecondary audio programming. English play-by-play commentary was provided byJP Dellacamera withcolor analysis byEric Wynalda, reprising their roles atMLS Cup 2004.[49]Brandi Chastain provided sideline reporting, whileRob Stone anchored the pre-game and halftime shows. The Spanish language broadcast was provided byESPN Deportes and included commentary fromRandall Alvarez andEduardo Biscayart. The match was also streamed viainternet radio on MLSnet.com.[50]
The match, referred byKevin Stott, kicked off on a sunny day with temperatures of 75 °F (24 °C), at 12:30 p.m.Central Time.[51][52] New England were named as the favorites heading into the MLS Cup, fielding an offensive lineup that was countered by Los Angeles's attacking midfielders.[53] The Galaxy began the match with several attacks, including alobbed shot into the goal in the sixth minute by forwardHerculez Gomez that was ruledoffside.Chris Albright andLandon Donovan combined for an attempt in the 19th minute that drifted across the box.[52] The Revolution could not produce many attacks during the first half, with a lone shot near goal coming in the 29th minute on a missed header byShalrie Joseph off acorner kick.[54][55] The Galaxy had two more chances to take the lead during the first half, with Gomez missing a shot from 12 yards (11 m) in the 41st minute and Donovan's shot in stoppage time being saved by Revolution goalkeeperMatt Reis.[56]
The Revolution began the second half with offensive pressure down the flanks, but failed to connect on crosses into the penalty area. New England's lone shot on goal during regulation time came from defenderJay Heaps in the 62nd minute, shooting into the hands of Los Angeles goalkeeperKevin Hartman.[52] The Revolution substitutedPat Noonan for midfielderJosé Cancela, moving into a 4–2–2 with Twellman and Dempsey as strikers;[54] the Galaxy responded by bringing on midfielderGuillermo Ramírez forNed Grabavoy in the 66th minute.[52][57] The Galaxy had several chances to take a late lead, with a shot by Donovan in the 79th minute that was saved byMichael Parkhurst and an attempt by Gomez a minute later that passed over the goal.[52]Cobi Jones took the final regulation-time shot on goal for the Galaxy in the 83rd minute, which hit the crossbar of the goal.[52]
Cancela nearly gave New England a lead in the ninth minute ofextra time, hitting a half-volley from 22 yards (20 m) that was deflected away from goal by Hartman.[54] The Revolution pressed along the wings for another chance, including a cross by Albright that was headed wide by Donovan.[52] The winning goal for the Galaxy was scored in the 17th minute of extra time by Ramírez, who received a deflection from Reis and volleyed it from outside the penalty area.[57] After the overtime's short halftime, the Revolution missed several shots on goal while looking for an equalizing goal, but left themselves open to counterattacks by the Galaxy. Two shots from Donovan and Gomez were saved from close range by Reis in the 25th minute of extra time,[52] shortly before Cancela's shot was deflected away from goal by defenderUgo Ihemelu in stoppage time.[54][58] Los Angeles won their second MLS Cup title, with the same scoreline and scoreless regulation as their previous victory over New England in 2002.[57]
         New England Revolution |   Los Angeles Galaxy |
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MLS Cup Most Valuable Player: |
Assistant referees: |
The Los Angeles Galaxy became the third team in MLS history to win both an MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in the same season, followingD.C. United in 1996 and the Chicago Fire in 1998.[59]Guillermo Ramírez was named the MLS Cup MVP for his performance, which contrasted with his struggles to score during the regular season. He attempted 62 shots from open play and was unable to convert.[60] The Galaxy declined to continue his loan and Ramírez returned the following season toCSD Municipal in Guatemala.[61] The match featured 10yellow cards, doubling the previous MLS Cup record set in2001, was the third to be decided by a single goal, and the second to be scoreless before overtime after the 2002 final.[51][62] The match's attendance of 21,193 was a sellout crowd, and included hundreds of traveling supporters from New England and 100 employees brought by Revolution ownerRobert Kraft, but remains the lowest for an MLS Cup final.[63][64]
Both finalists qualified for the quarterfinals of the2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, played during the following preseason against Costa Rican teams. The Galaxy lost 3–2 toDeportivo Saprissa, while the Revolution fell 1–0 toAlajuelense.[65][66] The Revolution were also finalists in the next two MLS Cups, losing both to theHouston Dynamo (formed from the San Jose Earthquakes) onpenalty kicks at Pizza Hut Park in2006 and in regulation time at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. in2007.[67][68] Los Angeles and New England would meet again in the2014 final, which marked the Galaxy's fifth title and the Revolution's fifth loss.[69]
