MLS Cup 1997

The MLS Cup 1997 was the second time that the best teams in Major League Soccer played to see who would be the champion of the 1997 season. The game was played on October 26, 1997, between D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids. It happened in front of 57,431 excited fans at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C..

D.C. United were the team that had won the year before and were the top team in the Eastern Conference and the overall league standings. The Colorado Rapids had made big changes to their team after a tough year and managed to get into the playoffs even though they didn’t win many games. Both teams got to play in the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup just by being in the final.

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

Venue

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

Aerial view of RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., the host venue of MLS Cup 1997

When D.C. United made it to the conference finals, the league sold 32,000 tickets. After they reached the final, the rest of the stadium’s 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 playing 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 that went to a shootout.

Broadcasting

The match was shown on ABC in the United States, where about 2.2 million people watched it. This was a record until the 2016 final. Phil Schoen and Ty Keough were the commentators, just like in the previous final. The game was also broadcast in over 100 other countries by ESPN International, and it was the first MLS Cup to be shown in the United Kingdom on Eurosport.

Match

Summary

The MLS Cup final began at 3:30 p.m. with a crowd of 57,431 people at RFK Memorial Stadium. The weather was rainy and cold, which made some fans stay home. D.C. United scored the first goal in the 37th minute when Jaime Moreno shot the ball past the goalie. Tony Sanneh added another goal in the 68th minute. Colorado Rapids scored one goal later, but D.C. United won 2–1 to win their second MLS Cup title. Moreno was chosen as the most valuable player for his great play.

Details

October 26, 1997

3:30 p.m. EDT

D.C. forward Jaime Moreno scored the opening goal and was named the match's most valuable player.

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

Attendance: 57,431

Referee: Brian Hall

D.C. United

Colorado Rapids

MLS Cup Most Valuable Player:
Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)

Assistant referees:
Steve Olson
Greg Barkey
Fourth official:
Paul Tamberino

Match rules

90 minutes of regulation time with a countdown clock.

Two 15-minute periods of extra time with golden goals to decide a winner.

Penalty shootout from 35 yards if scores still tied.

Maximum of three substitutions.

Post-match

The MLS Cup 1997 was an important win for the Washington, D.C., area, as it was the first sports championship held in the city at RFK Memorial Stadium. Many fans attended, 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.