MLS Cup 1997

MLS Cup 1997

The MLS Cup 1997 was the second time the best teams in Major League Soccer played to decide the champion of the 1997 season. The game was played on October 26, 1997, between D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids. It took place in front of many fans at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C..

D.C. United had won the year before and were the top team in the Eastern Conference and the overall league standings. The Colorado Rapids had made some changes to their team and managed to reach the playoffs. Both teams got to play in the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup just by being in the final.

Even though it was raining, D.C. United won again, with a score of 2–1. Jaime Moreno scored the first goal, and Tony Sanneh scored another one. Adrián Paz scored a goal for Colorado, but it wasn’t enough to win. The crowd that day was one of the largest ever to watch a game at RFK Memorial Stadium.

Venue

RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. hosted the second MLS Cup on December 17, 1996. It is the home of D.C. United. The stadium opened in 1961 and is mainly used for American football and baseball. It has also hosted big soccer events like the 1980 Soccer Bowl and matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

When D.C. United reached the conference finals, the league sold 32,000 tickets. After they reached the final, all 56,000 seats sold out, and an extra 1,000 bleacher seats were added.

Road to the final

The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), a professional soccer league in the United States that started in 1996. The second season had ten teams. Each team played 32 matches from April to September. Teams played opponents in their own conference four times and opponents from other conferences three or four times.

The top four teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs in October. The first two rounds were conference semifinals and conference finals, played as best-of-three series. The winners advanced to the single-match MLS Cup final at a neutral venue.

MLS Cup 1997 featured defending champions D.C. United, who finished first overall, and the Colorado Rapids, who finished fourth in the Western Conference. Both teams won their playoff series to reach the final. During the regular season, D.C. United won two matches against the Rapids, while Colorado won one match.

Broadcasting

The match was shown on ABC in the United States. Many people watched it. Phil Schoen and Ty Keough were the commentators. The game was also shown in over 100 other countries by ESPN International. It was the first MLS Cup to be shown in the United Kingdom on Eurosport.

Match

Summary

The MLS Cup final started at 3:30 p.m. with many fans watching at RFK Memorial Stadium. It was rainy and cold outside. D.C. United scored the first goal when Jaime Moreno shot the ball past the goalie. Tony Sanneh scored another goal later. Colorado Rapids scored one goal, but D.C. United won 2–1 for their second MLS Cup title. Moreno was picked as the most valuable player for playing very well.

Details

October 26, 1997

3:30 p.m. EDT

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Attendance: 57,431

Referee: Brian Hall

D.C. United

Colorado Rapids

Post-match

The MLS Cup 1997 was a big win for the Washington, D.C., area. It was the first sports championship held in the city at RFK Memorial Stadium. Many fans came, almost breaking the record for the largest crowd at the stadium. That same day, another big game happened at a nearby stadium.

Shortly after the match, D.C. United had a chance to win three big titles in one year, but they did not succeed. The team was later celebrated at the White House by the President. D.C. United went on to win more important matches later, becoming the first American team to win a big continental championship.