MLS Cup 1999

MLS Cup 1999 was the fourth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which decided the champion of the 1999 season. It took place on November 21, 1999, at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and was contested by D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy in a rematch of the inaugural final played at the same venue in 1996.

MLS Cup 1999
EventMLS Cup
LA Galaxy D.C. United
0 2
DateNovember 21, 1999
VenueFoxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, US
Man of the MatchBen Olsen
(D.C. United)[1]
RefereeTim Weyland
Attendance44,910
WeatherSunny, 63 °F (17 °C)

D.C. United defeated Los Angeles 2–0 with goals from Ben Olsen and Jaime Moreno during the first half. D.C. United captured their third MLS Cup victory in the first four years of Major League Soccer's existence and second victory against the Galaxy in an MLS Cup. American referee Tim Weyland was selected to officiate the match. Christina Aguilera performed at the halftime show.

Venue

The 1999 final was played at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which had previously hosted the inaugural final in 1996. It was announced as the host on October 23, 1998, and scheduled three weeks later than previous editions to avoid conflicting with baseball's World Series.[2] The scheduled date of November 21 was later moved ahead to November 14.[3] The match was originally planned to be hosted at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, but issues with the Tampa Bay Mutiny's lease at the stadium led to the venue being dropped by MLS.[4][5] Foxboro was selected ahead of bids from Washington, D.C., and San Jose, California, as well as an unsubmitted speculative bid from Chicago.[6][7]

The match was played six days after a home game for the New England Patriots, necessitating that the stadium's bleacher sections be kept in place. As a result, the field was narrowed to 68 by 106 yards (62 by 97 m) and had visible dirt patches and yard lines.[8][9]

Road to the final

The MLS Cup is the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), a professional club soccer league based in the United States that began play in 1996. The league's fourth season was contested by 12 teams organized into two conferences, each playing 32 matches during the regular season from March to September.[10] Teams faced opponents from the same conference four times during the regular season and from outside their conference two times. Prior to the start of the season, MLS reduced the number of permitted international players from five to four as a cost-saving measure.[11]

The top four teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs, which were organized into three rounds and played primarily in October.[12] The first two rounds, named the Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals, were home-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.[13]

MLS Cup 1999 was contested by two-time champions D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy. The two teams were meeting in the MLS Cup final for a second time, having played in the inaugural final in 1996, which ended in a 3–2 overtime victory for D.C. The 1996 final was also played at the same venue, Foxboro Stadium, and marked the first of four consecutive Cup appearances for United. The 1999 edition of the MLS Cup was also the first to feature the top team in each conference.[14]

During the regular season the Galaxy and United met twice, each winning on the road.[15]

Los Angeles Galaxy

The Galaxy finished the regular season in 1998 atop the league standings with a 24–8 record, which included a fifteen-match winning streak and a league-high 85 goals. The team were eliminated from the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals by the Chicago Fire, who went on to the win the MLS Cup.[16] Los Angeles replaced three foreign players with a mix of veteran and rookie Americans, including three defenders acquired in the MLS College Draft.[17][18]

Head coach Octavio Zambrano was fired in late April after the team scored only three goals in five games and was replaced by Sigi Schmid from UCLA and the national under-20 team.[16] The Galaxy became the first team in the history of the league to allow less than one goal a game during the regular season with 29 goals in 32 games.[19]

D.C. United

Marco Etcheverry, a central midfielder for United and one of the best playmakers in the league's history, proved to be a persistent threat during the playoffs. During the third game of the semifinal series against the Columbus Crew Etcheverry created three assists and one goal in the 4–0 victory.[15]

Summary of results
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). Playoffs were in best-of-three format with penalty shootout if scores were tied.
Los Angeles Galaxy Round D.C. United
1st place in Western Conference
 
Pos. Club Pld. W SW L Pts.
1Los Angeles Galaxy (SS)322031254
2Dallas Burn321931351
3Chicago Fire321831448
4Colorado Rapids322061248
5San Jose Clash3219101337

Source: MLS

 Regular season 1st place in Eastern Conference
 
Pos. Club Pld. W SW L Pts.
1D.C. United32236957
2Columbus Crew321961345
3Tampa Bay Mutiny321451832
4Miami Fusion321351929
5New England Revolution321252026

Source: MLS

Opponent 1st leg 2nd leg 3rd leg MLS Cup Playoffs Opponent 1st leg 2nd leg 3rd leg
Colorado Rapids (2–0) 3–0 (H) 2–0 (A) — Conference Semifinals Miami Fusion (2–0) 2–0 (H) 0–0 (3–2 SO) (A) —
Dallas Burn (2–1) 2–1 (H) 2–2 (3–4 SO) (A) 3–1 (H) Conference Finals Columbus Crew (2–1) 2–1 (H) 1–5 (A) 4–0 (H)

Broadcasting and entertainment

Pop singer Christina Aguilera performed at the halftime show and also sung the national anthem before the match.[20]

Match rules

The final was the first league match in which the referee on the field kept official time and a fourth official displayed the amount of injury time added at the end of each half.[21] Previously, the official time counted down from 90 to zero and was kept by a scoreboard clock.[19]

In addition to the official time change, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber (hired three months earlier) announced earlier in the week that tiebreakers would not longer be decided by a shootout.[22] The changes were planned to take effect with the start of the following season, but a last-minute decision was made to instate them earlier. That meant that the 1999 Cup was the first MLS game ever to not be subject to a tie-breaking shootout. Instead penalty kicks would be used to settle the game if drawn after two 15-minute periods of overtime.[14]

Match

Summary

Approximately 5,000 D.C. United fans were in attendance at Foxboro Stadium for the match, which had an overall attendance of 44,910, setting a new record for soccer in Massachusetts.[23]

Seven minutes into the match MLS defender of the year and Best XI selection Robin Fraser was substituted out of the game after suffering a broken left collarbone. The injury was sustained when Fraser competed with D.C. United forward, Roy Lassiter, for the ball in the corner of the field. After the game Fraser argued that he had been fouled when Lassiter pushed him from behind, although no foul was given. Fraser was replaced by Steve Jolley, which prompted the Galaxy to switch to a three-man defensive line with Paul Caligiuri positioned as sweeper.[24]

Although not widely publicized at the time, Fraser was wearing a brace throughout the 1999 Major League Soccer season due to shoulder problems. The brace restricted the movement of his shoulder and prevented him from responding quickly to the collision with Lassiter. Rather than bracing the fall with his arm, the majority of the impact was sustained by his shoulder, which led to the broken collarbone. The impact of the substitution is still disputed over ten years later.[25]

Twelve minutes after Fraser left the field Jaime Moreno gave United a 1–0 lead when he scored on a rebounded save by Hartman, which Caligiuri failed to clear.[19]

During the four minutes of extra time added by referee Tim Weyland to the first half D.C. United extended its 1–0 lead when Ben Olsen intercepted a loose ball and scored. MLS goalkeeper of the year, Kevin Hartman had failed to clear a back pass from substitute defender Steve Jolley. Although Hartman managed to evade Roy Lassiter, pressure from forward Jaime Moreno forced Hartman to attempt a pass to Paul Caligiuri on the left side of the field. Hartman failed to make contact with the ball, which rolled to Olsen. Olsen struck the ball with a single touch from outside the box, which would be the final goal of the match.[21]

The Galaxy failed to mount an effective offense. That was partially attributed to Richie Williams, United's defensive midfielder, who disrupted the play of Mauricio Cienfuegos, the Galaxy's playmaker. This was reflected by the fact that United's goalkeeper, Tom Presthus, was forced to make only one save during the championship game.[19]

Details
Los Angeles Galaxy0–2D.C. United
Report
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Attendance: 44,910
Referee: Tim Weyland
GK1 Kevin Hartman
RB17 Ezra Hendrickson
CB20 Paul Caligiuri
CB4 Robin Fraser 9'
LB3 Greg Vanney (c)
DM2 Danny Pena 73'
DM14 Clint Mathis
RW10 Mauricio Cienfuegos
AM21 Roy Myers 90'
LW13 Cobi Jones 24'
CF27 Carlos Hermosillo
Substitutions:
MF5 Steve Jolley 9' 80'
MF7 Zak Ibsen 80'
MF12 Simon Elliott 73'
Manager:
Sigi Schmid
GK22 Tom Presthus
RB3 Carey Talley 69'
CB23 Eddie Pope
CB18 Carlos Llamosa 74'
LB12 Jeff Agoos (c)
RM14 Ben Olsen 53'
DM16 Richie Williams
AM10 Marco Etcheverry
LM20 John Maessner
FW9 Jaime Moreno
FW15 Roy Lassiter 87'
Substitutions:
MF4 Diego Soñora 74' 76'
MF5 Geoff Aunger 87'
 
Manager:
Thomas Rongen

MLS Cup Most Valuable Player:
Ben Olsen (D.C. United)[1]

Assistant referees:
Nathan Clement
Craig Lowry
Fourth official:
Brian Hall

Match rules

Post-match

During the post-game awards ceremony the stage nearly collapsed beneath D.C. United. After saluting the fans D.C. United players celebrated the victory with cigars and champagne in the locker room with friends, families and fans.[26]

After taking part in all four MLS Cups in the league's history, with their only loss coming in 1998 to the Chicago Fire, it was generally accepted that D.C. United had established a dynasty. After the game Cobi Jones stated that:

It's obviously a dynasty. It's disappointing for us, but it's great for them. They're showing they're a dominant force in the MLS.[27]

Journalists questioned MLS Commissioner Don Garber as to whether D.C. United's domination was hurting the league. The issue was notable since the league was designed from its outset to create parity among teams through a system in which investors would pay a stake in the league as a whole.[27] Garber responded by stating:

I think it's terrific to have a dominant team. There will be teams shooting after them all year.[19]

LA coach Sigi Schmid and defender Robin Fraser both criticized referee Tim Weyland over his leniency in rough play;[28] Schmid was later fined $1,000 and suspended one game for his comments.[29]

D.C. United was honored for their third MLS championship on December 14 with a ten-block parade through downtown Washington, D.C.[27] Following their third MLS Cup title in four years, the club went on a downturn, failing to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the next three seasons. United would not qualify for the playoffs again until 2003, and it would not be until 2004, that the team would win their next MLS Cup, which to this date is their most recent MLS Cup title.

As runners-up, Los Angeles Galaxy earned a berth for the 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup in California, where they would finish as the eventual champions after defeating United in the semifinals. To date, it was the last time an American soccer club won a CONCACAF club competition, with the closest coming with Real Salt Lake finishing as runners-up in 2011. As continental champion, the Galaxy were set to play in the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship in Spain, but the tournament was canceled after the marketing firm responsible declared bankruptcy.[30]

In MLS Cup play, Galaxy would reach the finals again in 2001, where they would, once again lose in the final, falling to their California Clasico rivals, San Jose Earthquakes. It was not until the following season that the Galaxy would win their first-ever MLS Cup championship, defeating New England Revolution, the club would also win their second championship three years later, again, against New England.

References
  1. "MLS Cup 1999 – D.C. United 2, Los Angeles Galaxy 0". Major League Soccer. September 30, 2011.
  2. Jones, Grahame L. (October 24, 1998). "D.C.'s Etcheverry Named MVP". Los Angeles Times. p. B5. Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Rusnak, Jeff (December 6, 1998). "D.C. stops Brazilians". Sun-Sentinel. p. C17. Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. McEwen, Tom (February 10, 1998). "Tampa Bay looks good for MLS Cup". The Tampa Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Ward, Bill (July 25, 1998). "MLS Cup in doubt for Tampa". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dell'Apa, Frank (October 24, 1998). "MLS Cup at Foxboro Stadium in 1999". The Boston Globe. p. G2. Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Goff, Steven (October 16, 1998). "United Prepares Bid For 1999 Title Game". The Washington Post. p. C3. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  8. Foltman, Bob (November 22, 1999). "New injury-time rule plays part in outcome". Chicago Tribune. sec. 3, p. 3. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Shoddy playing surface doesn't stop D.C. United". Hanford Sentinel. Associated Press. November 22, 1999. p. 13. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Davis, Steve (March 18, 1999). "Finally on a roll: Experience helps league smooth opening bumps". Dallas Morning News. p. B7.
  11. Jones, Grahame L. (March 19, 1999). "Excuse MLS Boss Logan if He Expects Big Things". Los Angeles Times. p. B4. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  12. "'Year of no excuses' for MLS, exec says". The Seattle Times. March 19, 1999. p. D5.
  13. Rodriguez, Alicia (October 21, 2015). "Audi MLS Cup Playoffs: Tracing the evolution of the postseason format since 1996". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  14. Dave Litterer. "The Year in American Soccer, 1999". The American Soccer History Archives. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  15. Alex Yannis (November 21, 1999). "Galaxy and United To Battle in Final". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  16. "Galaxy fires Zambrano". CNN/Sports Illustrated. April 22, 1999. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  17. Robledo, Fred J. (March 20, 1999). "Galaxy fields an unusual team: mostly Americans". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. p. C3. Retrieved July 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. Jones, Grahame L. (February 8, 1999). "Galaxy Focuses on Defense in MLS Draft". Los Angeles Times. p. D3. Retrieved July 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Alex Yannis (November 22, 1999). "It's No Contest in M.L.S. As United Takes 3rd Title". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  20. Castillo, Arielle (December 3, 2015). "MLS Cup 2015: a #TBT look at musical performers of Cups past". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  21. Jeff Green (December 19, 1999). "Goalkeeper's blunder puts MLS Cup out of reach". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  22. Jones, Grahame L. (November 18, 1999). "MLS Finally Recalls Roots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  23. Dell'Apa, Frank (November 22, 1999). "United get third title in shutout". The Boston Globe. p. E1. Retrieved May 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Top MLS defender spends game on sidelines". Sports Illustrated. CNN. December 19, 1999. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  25. "Top 50 MLS Cup Moments: #49 Broken Dreams". Major League Soccer. October 2, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  26. Michael Lewis (December 19, 1999). "United celebrates victory with cigars". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  27. "Rain doesn't dampen parade: Nation's capital honors MLS dynasty United". Sports Illustrated. December 19, 1999. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  28. Gutierrez, Paul (November 22, 1999). "Fraser Bitter, Dejected Over Roughness". Los Angeles Times. p. D10. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  29. Zeigler, Mark (March 19, 2000). "Stay-put Galaxy starts new season with win". San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C15.
  30. French, Scott (February 19, 2016). "How a FIFA scandal killed the 2001 LA Galaxy's Club World Cup dreams". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019.

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