MLS Cup 1996
Encyclopedia
The 1996 MLS Cup
was the first championship match in Major League Soccer
history. The game was played in very heavy rain on October 20, 1996, at Foxboro Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
. D.C. United
beat the Los Angeles Galaxy
3-2 in extra-time, after trailing 2-0, with 17 minutes remaining.
D.C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy earned a berth in the 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Regular season
Opponent
Result1
Series
Playoffs
Opponent
Result1
Series
NY/NJ MetroStars
2–1
Game 1: L 2–3 Game 2: W 1–0 Game 3: W 2–1
Conference semifinals
San Jose Clash
2–0
Game 1: L 0–1 Game 2: W 2–0 Game 3: W 2–0
Tampa Bay Mutiny
2–0
Game 1: W 4–1 Game 2: W 2–1
Conference finals
Kansas City Wiz
2–0
Game 1: W 2–1 Game 2: W 2–1
Notes
}
DF
18
Greg Vanney
MF
19
Arash Noamouz
MF
14
Chris Armas
MF
10
Mauricio Cienfuegos
MF
13
Cobi Jones
FW
11
Harut Karapetyan
}
|-
|FW ||29 ||
Eduardo Hurtado
||
|-
|colspan=3|Substitutes:
|-
|DF ||20|| Curt Onalfo
||
|-
|FW ||7|| Ante Razov
||
|-
|colspan=3|Head Coach:
|-
|colspan=4|
Lothar Osiander
|}
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Most Valuable Player:
Marco Etcheverry
(D.C. United)
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
was the first championship match in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
history. The game was played in very heavy rain on October 20, 1996, at Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
. D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
beat the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
3-2 in extra-time, after trailing 2-0, with 17 minutes remaining.
D.C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy earned a berth in the 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Route to the championship
| D.C. United | Round | Los Angeles Galaxy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in... |
32 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 66 | 51 | 15 | 58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | D.C. United | 32 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 62 | 56 | 6 | 46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | NY/NJ MetroStars | 32 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 45 | 47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Columbus Crew Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada... |
32 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 59 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | New England Revolution New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada... |
32 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 43 | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L.A. Galaxy | 32 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 49 | 10 | 49 |
| 2 | Dallas Burn FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada... |
32 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 50 | 48 | 2 | 41 |
| 3 | Kansas City Wiz | 32 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 61 | 63 | ||
| 41 | ||||||||||
| 4 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 39 |
| 5 | Colorado Rapids Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league... |
32 | 11 | <2 | 4> | 16 | 44 | 59 | ||
| 29 |
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
Notes
- Note 1: Results listed in amount of games won.
Match details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | LOS ANGELES GALAXY: | |||
| GK | 9 |  Jorge Campos |
||
| DF | 3 | Mark Semioli Mark Semioli Mark Semioli is a retired American soccer defender who played six seasons in Major Soccer League, four in American Professional Soccer League and three in USISL. He won the 1994 U.S. Open Cup with the San Francisco Greek-Americans.-College:Semioli attended Stanford University, playing on the... |
||
| DF | 4 | Robin Fraser Robin Fraser Robin Fraser is a retired Jamaican-born American soccer player. He is currently head coach of Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.... (c) |
||
| DF | 5 | Jorge Salcedo Jorge Salcedo Jorge Salcedo is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in Mexico and Major League Soccer. He earned three caps with the United States men's national soccer team and has coached the UCLA Bruins men's soccer team since 2004.-High school and college:Salcedo, son of Hugo... |
Greg VanneyGreg Vanney
Greg Vanney is retired American soccer defender who last played for the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS...
Arash Noamouz Chris ArmasChris Armas
Chris Armas is a retired American soccer player. He is currently the head women's soccer coach at Adelphi University. He was also a teacher of physical education at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York.-College:Armas is of Puerto Rican descent...
Mauricio CienfuegosMauricio Cienfuegos
Mauricio Cienfuegos is a retired Salvadoran soccer player.-Club career:Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior...
Cobi JonesCobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones is a retired American soccer player who formerly served as assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer , with whom he had been involved as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
Harut KarapetyanHarut Karapetyan
Harutyun Karapetyan is a retired Armenian football forward who played in the MLS for Los Angeles Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes and Tampa Bay Mutiny...
|-
|FW ||29 ||
Eduardo HurtadoEduardo Hurtado
Eduardo Estíguar Hurtado Roa is a footballer who play as a striker. He has the record of being the 2nd all-time leading scorer for the Ecuador national football team with 26 goals in 74 caps.-Early history:...
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|colspan=3|Substitutes:
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|DF ||20||
Curt OnalfoCurt Onalfo
Curt Onalfo is an American former soccer player.As a player, he played two seasons in France, two in the USISL, one in Mexico and four in Major League Soccer, achieving his most success with Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United. He earned also earned one caps with the United States national team...
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|FW ||7||
Ante RazovAnte Razov
Ante Razov is a retired American soccer player of Croatian descent who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Club:...
||
|-
|colspan=3|Head Coach:
|-
|colspan=4|
Lothar OsianderLothar Osiander
Lothar Osiander is a U.S.-German soccer coach who has served as head coach to the U.S. national and Olympic teams as well as the Atlanta Ruckus, Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Clash....
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| D.C. UNITED: | ||||
| GK | 1 | Mark Simpson Mark Simpson (soccer) Mark Simpson is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who spent six seasons with D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He backstopped the team to the MLS Cup 1996. He also spent one season in the American Professional Soccer League, two in the USISL and six in the National Professional Soccer... |
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| DF | 2 | Clint Peay Clint Peay Clint Peay is a retired U.S. soccer defender who is currently the head coach with the University of Richmond men's soccer team. He was a regular on the U.S. junior national teams and U.S. Olympic team in the mid-1990s. He also spent several years with D.C... |
||
| DF | 16 | Eddie Pope Eddie Pope George Edward Pope is a retired American soccer player who last played for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and spent eleven years as a defender for the United States national team. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.-Youth:Born in Greensboro, he attended Southwest Guilford... |
||
| DF | 4 | Jeff Agoos Jeff Agoos Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Agoos is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team.... |
||
| DF | 28 |  Mario GoriMario Gori Mario Gori is an Argentine football midfielder who played professionally in Argentina and Major League Soccer.... |
||
| MF | 23 | Richie Williams Richie Williams Richie Williams is an American former professional soccer player and coach.Known for his diminutive height and his dogged tackling, Williams spent the vast majority of his playing career in the United States, playing one season in the National Professional Soccer League, two in USISL, two in the... |
||
| MF | 18 | John Maessner John Maessner John Maessner who spent six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in France, two in USISL, two in the National Professional Soccer League and one in Germany. He is currently the Director of Youth Development for D.C. United.-Youth:Maessner was a 1987 Parade Magazine High School All American soccer... |
||
| MF | 33 | John Harkes John Harkes John Harkes is an American former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup tournaments, and won two MLS Cup... (c) |
||
| MF | 10 |  Marco EtcheverryMarco Etcheverry Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas is a retired Bolivian footballer, considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time.-Career:... |
||
| FW | 99 | Jaime Moreno Jaime Moreno Jaime Moreno Morales is a former Bolivian footballer now serving as Youth Academy Technical Training Coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer, and as the head coach of D.C. United's U-23 side.... |
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| FW | 22 | Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce is a retired Salvadoran football player.He is El Salvador's second most prolific goal scorer behind Jorge "Mágico" González, with 39 goals in just 68 appearances.-Early career:... |
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| Substitutes: | ||||
| MF | 12 | Shawn Medved Shawn Medved Shawn Medved is a retired American soccer forward and midfielder. He coaches youth soccer.-Youth:Medved was born and grew up in Issaquah, Washington. His father, Ron Medved, was a noted American football player for the University of Washington and Philadelphia Eagles. Despite his father's success... |
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| MF | 7 | Tony Sanneh Tony Sanneh Anthony "Tony" Sanneh is an American soccer player who most recently played for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:... |
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| Head Coach: | ||||
| Bruce Arena Bruce Arena Bruce Arena is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player... |
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Assistant referees: C.J. Morgante Rob FeredayFourth official: Baldomero Toledo |
Most Valuable Player:
Marco Etcheverry
Marco Etcheverry
Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas is a retired Bolivian footballer, considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time.-Career:...
(D.C. United)