MLS Cup 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 MLS Cup
was a soccer match that took place at 12:30 EST on November 14, 2004 at The Home Depot Center
in Carson
, California
to determine the champion of the 2004 Major League Soccer season. D.C. United
defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-2. The winning goal for United came from an own goal
by Kansas City defender, Alex Zotinca
. It was D.C. United's fourth MLS Cup victory and their first since MLS Cup '99.
as a player and head coach. As a player for the Chicago Fire, Nowak was named MLS Cup '98 MVP for his two assists during the Fire's 2-0 victory over United. He also started in the 2000 MLS Cup
against the Kansas City Wizards, which resulted in 0-1 loss. His teammate at the time, Josh Wolff
, who played as a substitute in that match, would score Kansas City Wizards's first goal in the 2004 MLS Cup.
While United barely surpassed a .500 record, the Wizards entered the playoffs as the most victorious team of the regular season.
United won 10 of their final 12 regular season games. Winning the MLS Cup completed a seven-game winning streak. Their last loss was on September 25, 2004 against the Columbus Crew
.
Final standing
class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; border-collapse: collapse; margin:0;">
Team
Kansas City Wizards
30
14
9
7
38
30
49
Los Angeles Galaxy
30
11
9
10
42
40
43
Colorado Rapids
30
10
9
11
29
32
41
San Jose Earthquakes
30
9
10
11
41
35
38
Dallas Burn
30
10
14
6
34
45
36
Opponent
Result
MLS Cup Playoffs
Opponent
Result
MetroStars
2–0, 2-0
Conference Semifinals
San Jose Earthquakes
3-0, 0-2
New England Revolution
4-3
Conference Finals
Los Angeles Galaxy
2-0
After dominating the league in the first four years of Major League Soccer's existence, D.C. United's entered a rough patch in the early 2000's, failing to make the playoffs in the next three seasons following their 1999 championship. The previous season, D.C. United made a return into the playoffs, but were immediately eliminated by Chicago Fire, losing both matches by 2–0 margins.
Entering the 2004 season, club management hired for Chicago Fire standout, Piotr Nowak
as the club's head coach, making Nowak the first ex-MLS player to subsequently manage a team. Throughout a majority season, the club was inconsistent on the field, failing to post back-to-back wins through the first 24 weeks of the campaign. However, following the team's 3–0 home victory to Dallas Burn
, the club won four of their remaining five matches, and climbed into second place in the Eastern Conference, and fourth place overall.
The second-seeded United played host to their Atlantic Cup rivals, MetroStars in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both matches of the two-legged aggregate series, ended in 2–0 victories for United, as they advanced to the Eastern Conference championship winning the semifinal series, 4–0.
Considered ones of the greatest matches in Major League Soccer history, the match ended drawn at 3–3 after New England's Pat Noonan
tied the game in the 85th minute. With no clear victor in extra time, the Eastern Conference championship was decided through the virtue of penalty kicks. In the first round of penalties, both United's Ben Olsen
and the Revolution's Steve Ralston
missed their penalties. The next two penalty takes from both sides scored in the shootout. The third round of penalties saw United's Alecko Eskandarian
score, but New England's Jay Heaps
miss. In the fourth round, the fortunes switched, as New England's Shalrie Joseph
scored, but United's Jaime Moreno
missing, causing the shootout to go to penalties. In the first round, New England's Clint Dempsey
had his shot hit the post, while United's Brian Carroll
scored the match-winning penalty kick, sending D.C. United into their fifth-ever MLS Cup final.
, in which they emerged victorious over Chicago Fire. It was the same year that the Wizards earned their first, so far only, "league double" earning the Supporters' Shield along with the MLS Cup title. During the regular season, the Wizards had the highest total number of regular season wins. Despite that, the Wizards fell short of the league premiership, due to tiebreakers, but emerged as Western Conference regular and postseason champions, while earning their first ever U.S. Open Cup
title.
Kansas City began their postseason campaign by playing the San Jose Earthquakes
, the defending defending MLS Cup champions
, in the Western Conference Semifinals. The first leg of the aggregate series was played in San Jose, and the match ended in the Earthquakes' favor, as the club posted a 2–0 victory over the Wizards. Since the away goals rule
is not used in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Wizards needed a at least a two-goal victory to send the series to extra time, or a three-goal win to advance to the Western Conference Final. An own goal from San Jose, along with goals from Khari Stephenson
and Jack Jewsbury
during regulation time gave Kansas City a 3–2 aggregate victory, and sent the Wizards to the Conference Final for the second straight year.
The 2004 Western Conference Final saw the the top-seeded Kansas City take on second-seed, Los Angeles Galaxy
. The series was a rematch of the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Galaxy defeated the Wizards 2–1 in a best-of-three series. However, during the 2004 regular season, Kansas City had not lost to Los Angeles during any of the four outings, winning and drawing twice, each. The Western Conference championship saw Kansas City's Davy Arnaud
netting twice to send the Wizards to their second straight league championship.
's The Home Depot Center
was selected to host the MLS Cup championship, making it, to date, the only time a stadium has hosted consecutive MLS Cup championships.
United responded with three goals in only seven minutes.
Dema Kovalenko received the first red card
in MLS Cup
history when he blocked a Kansas City shot with his arm while standing on the goal line. Josh Wolff
scored his first career playoff goal on the resulting penalty kick. It was the first penalty kick scored in MLS history.
Adu's substitution in the 65th minute made him the youngest member of an American professional championship team in modern sports history.
Second half
Overall
The Wizard's head coach, Bob Gansler
, complimented United's defensive performance:
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 a soccer match that took place at 12:30 EST on November 14, 2004 at The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot. The $150 million complex was...
in Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to determine the champion of the 2004 Major League Soccer season. 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...
defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-2. The winning goal for United came from an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
by Kansas City defender, Alex Zotinca
Alex Zotinca
Alexandru Zotincă is a Romanian-American soccer defender, who most recently played for C.D. Chivas USA of Major League Soccer in the United States.-Career:...
. It was D.C. United's fourth MLS Cup victory and their first since MLS Cup '99.
Route to the final
Peter Nowak's first season with United gave him the distinction of being the first person to win the MLS CupMLS 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...
as a player and head coach. As a player for the Chicago Fire, Nowak was named MLS Cup '98 MVP for his two assists during the Fire's 2-0 victory over United. He also started in the 2000 MLS Cup
MLS Cup 2000
The 2000 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2000 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 15, 2000, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. between the Kansas City Wizards and the Chicago Fire. Kansas City took advantage of an early breakdown by Chicago to net the game's only goal...
against the Kansas City Wizards, which resulted in 0-1 loss. His teammate at the time, Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff
Joshua David "Josh" Wolff is an American soccer player currently playing for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.-College:...
, who played as a substitute in that match, would score Kansas City Wizards's first goal in the 2004 MLS Cup.
While United barely surpassed a .500 record, the Wizards entered the playoffs as the most victorious team of the regular season.
United won 10 of their final 12 regular season games. Winning the MLS Cup completed a seven-game winning streak. Their last loss was on September 25, 2004 against the 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...
.
| D.C. United | Round | Kansas City Wizards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division Standings | Regular Season | Western Division Standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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... |
30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 40 | 32 | 49 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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... |
30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 42 | 42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MetroStars Metrostars Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila... |
30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 47 | 49 | 40 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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... |
30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 42 | 43 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago Fire | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 36 | 44 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
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...
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...
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....
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...
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....
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...
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...
D.C. United
Entering the 2004 season, club management hired for Chicago Fire standout, Piotr Nowak
Piotr Nowak
Piotr Nowak is a Polish former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.Nowak enjoyed a successful playing career in Europe, playing for Polish clubs such as Zawisza Bydgoszcz and Widzew Łódź, before going on to play in Turkey,...
as the club's head coach, making Nowak the first ex-MLS player to subsequently manage a team. Throughout a majority season, the club was inconsistent on the field, failing to post back-to-back wins through the first 24 weeks of the campaign. However, following the team's 3–0 home victory to 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...
, the club won four of their remaining five matches, and climbed into second place in the Eastern Conference, and fourth place overall.
The second-seeded United played host to their Atlantic Cup rivals, MetroStars in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both matches of the two-legged aggregate series, ended in 2–0 victories for United, as they advanced to the Eastern Conference championship winning the semifinal series, 4–0.
Considered ones of the greatest matches in Major League Soccer history, the match ended drawn at 3–3 after New England's Pat Noonan
Pat Noonan
Pat Noonan is an American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
tied the game in the 85th minute. With no clear victor in extra time, the Eastern Conference championship was decided through the virtue of penalty kicks. In the first round of penalties, both United's Ben Olsen
Ben Olsen
Benjamin Robert "Ben" Olsen is a former American professional soccer player and the current manager of D.C. United. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Olsen grew up playing for FC Delco, an elite club program near Philadelphia...
and the Revolution's Steve Ralston
Steve Ralston
Steve Ralston is a retired American soccer player and a current assistant coach for the Houston Dynamo.-Professional:...
missed their penalties. The next two penalty takes from both sides scored in the shootout. The third round of penalties saw United's Alecko Eskandarian
Alecko Eskandarian
Alecko Eskandarian is a former American soccer player who last played for Los Angeles Galaxy. He currently is the youth technical director for Philadelphia Union.-High School and College:...
score, but New England's Jay Heaps
Jay Heaps
Jay Heaps ) is a former American soccer player. He is the current head coach for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer....
miss. In the fourth round, the fortunes switched, as New England's Shalrie Joseph
Shalrie Joseph
Shalrie Jamal Joseph is a Grenadian footballer who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College:...
scored, but United's 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....
missing, causing the shootout to go to penalties. In the first round, New England's Clint Dempsey
Clint Dempsey
Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. Dempsey usually plays as either an attacking midfielder, or a striker....
had his shot hit the post, while United's Brian Carroll
Brian Carroll
Brian Carroll is an American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
scored the match-winning penalty kick, sending D.C. United into their fifth-ever MLS Cup final.
Kansas City Wizards
The Kansas City Wizards were returning to the MLS Cup final for the second time in club history, the last being in 2000MLS Cup 2000
The 2000 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2000 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 15, 2000, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. between the Kansas City Wizards and the Chicago Fire. Kansas City took advantage of an early breakdown by Chicago to net the game's only goal...
, in which they emerged victorious over Chicago Fire. It was the same year that the Wizards earned their first, so far only, "league double" earning the Supporters' Shield along with the MLS Cup title. During the regular season, the Wizards had the highest total number of regular season wins. Despite that, the Wizards fell short of the league premiership, due to tiebreakers, but emerged as Western Conference regular and postseason champions, while earning their first ever U.S. Open Cup
2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
-Schedule:Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.-First round:Eight PDL and eight USASA teams start.-----Second round:Six PSL and two A-League teams enter....
title.
Kansas City began their postseason campaign by playing the San Jose Earthquakes
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....
, the defending defending MLS Cup champions
MLS Cup 2001
The 2001 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2001 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 21, 2001, at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The San Jose Earthquakes won their first title, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 in overtime...
, in the Western Conference Semifinals. The first leg of the aggregate series was played in San Jose, and the match ended in the Earthquakes' favor, as the club posted a 2–0 victory over the Wizards. Since the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
is not used in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Wizards needed a at least a two-goal victory to send the series to extra time, or a three-goal win to advance to the Western Conference Final. An own goal from San Jose, along with goals from Khari Stephenson
Khari Stephenson
Khari Stephenson is a Jamaican footballer who currently plays for San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer.-Amateur and College:A product of the Real Mona youth system, Stephenson played college soccer at Williams College from 2000 to 2003, where he was named a Division III first-team...
and Jack Jewsbury
Jack Jewsbury
Jack Jewsbury is an American soccer player who currently plays for Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
during regulation time gave Kansas City a 3–2 aggregate victory, and sent the Wizards to the Conference Final for the second straight year.
The 2004 Western Conference Final saw the the top-seeded Kansas City take on second-seed, 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...
. The series was a rematch of the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Galaxy defeated the Wizards 2–1 in a best-of-three series. However, during the 2004 regular season, Kansas City had not lost to Los Angeles during any of the four outings, winning and drawing twice, each. The Western Conference championship saw Kansas City's Davy Arnaud
Davy Arnaud
Davy Arnaud is an American soccer player who currently plays for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer.-College:Arnaud played college soccer at West Texas A&M University from 1999 to 2001, finishing his career with 31 goals and 11 assists...
netting twice to send the Wizards to their second straight league championship.
Venue selection
For the second consecutive season, CarsonCarson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
's The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot. The $150 million complex was...
was selected to host the MLS Cup championship, making it, to date, the only time a stadium has hosted consecutive MLS Cup championships.
Match
Due to limited seating capacity it was the first MLS Cup sellout.United responded with three goals in only seven minutes.
Dema Kovalenko received the first red card
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
in MLS Cup
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...
history when he blocked a Kansas City shot with his arm while standing on the goal line. Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff
Joshua David "Josh" Wolff is an American soccer player currently playing for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.-College:...
scored his first career playoff goal on the resulting penalty kick. It was the first penalty kick scored in MLS history.
Adu's substitution in the 65th minute made him the youngest member of an American professional championship team in modern sports history.
Details
EWLINE
|
EWLINE
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Alecko Eskandarian Alecko Eskandarian Alecko Eskandarian is a former American soccer player who last played for Los Angeles Galaxy. He currently is the youth technical director for Philadelphia Union.-High School and College:... (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... ) |
Statistics
First half| Team A | Team B | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 0 |
| Total shots | 4 | 4 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 1 |
| Saves | 0 | 2 |
| Corner kicks | 1 | 0 |
| Fouls committed | 6 | 5 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Second half
| Team A | Team B | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 0 |
| Total shots | 6 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 0 |
| Saves | 1 | 1 |
| Corner kicks | 5 | 2 |
| Fouls committed | 5 | 5 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
Overall
| Team A | Team B | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 0 |
| Total shots | 10 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 1 |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
| Corner kicks | 6 | 2 |
| Fouls committed | 11 | 10 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
Post-match
After the game Eskandarian stated, "I didn't even know where the ball hit me. It was just what you learn in youth soccer; you keep going until you hear a whistle." On August 19, 2011 Eskandarian publicly stated that there was a handball on the play that led to his second goal.The Wizard's head coach, Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler is a Hungarian-born American soccer player and coach of German descent. He coached the US National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team's first appearance at the tournament since 1950....
, complimented United's defensive performance:
External links
- 2004 MLS CUP on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- MLS Cup 2004 - DC United vs Kansas City on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....