MLS Cup 2004

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MLS Cup 2004
EventMLS Cup
DateNovember 14, 2004 (2004-11-14)
Venue
Home Depot Center, Carson, California, US
Man of the MatchAlecko Eskandarian
(D.C. United)
Attendance25,797
WeatherSunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
2003

MLS Cup 2004 was the ninth edition of the

Kansas City Wizards to decide the champion of the 2004 season
. The two teams had qualified for the playoffs after seasons with mixed results that ended in top-two finishes in their respective conferences.

D.C. United won the match 3–2, scoring all three of its goals in a seven-minute span during the first half after the Wizards had taken an early lead.

Peter Nowak
became the first person to win the MLS Cup as a player and coach.

Venue

The

Road to the final

The

aggregate score in the Conference Semifinals, a single-match Conference Final, and the MLS Cup final.[5]

MLS Cup 2004 was contested by

Columbus Crew on points,[8] while D.C. United rode late-season momentum to finish with a record slightly above .500.[6][9]

D.C. United

D.C. United players and coaches celebrating their win over the New England Revolution in the 2004 Eastern Conference Championship

D.C. United won three MLS Cup titles in the first four seasons of the league's existence, only finishing as runners-up in 1998, and established a dynasty under head coaches

Chicago Fire in the first round.[12][13]

In January 2004, D.C. hired recently retired Chicago Fire midfielder

MetroStars and drafted 14-year-old forward Freddy Adu, who had already agreed in November to sign with them.[16][17] Nowak implemented an aggressive playstyle that emphasized counterattacks and team-oriented play that took hold late in the season.[18]

The club earned a 5–5–5 record at the beginning of the season, including a 271-minute scoreless streak and a four-match unbeaten streak that was capped with a 6–2 win over the MetroStars.[19][20] After a four-match winless streak to start the second half of the season,[21] D.C. United found a more consistent rhythm and finished the season with a winning record and a ten-match home unbeaten streak.[22][23] The club signed Argentine midfielder Christian Gómez in the summer transfer window and paired him with forward Alecko Eskandarian, who lead D.C. in goals scored, to close out the season;[24] rookie goalkeeper Troy Perkins was promoted to the starting lineup and played in place of Nick Rimando before he returned later in the season.[25]

By winning five of their final six regular season matches, D.C. United clinched the second-place seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Columbus Crew.[22][26] In the Conference Semifinals, D.C. played host to their Atlantic Cup rivals, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, who they had played in the final week of the season.[27] D.C. United won 2–0 in the first leg at Giants Stadium on second-half goals by Earnie Stewart and Eskandarian.[28] In the second leg of the series at RFK Memorial Stadium, D.C. defeated the MetroStars 2–0, with late goals scored by Moreno and Bryan Namoff, and advanced to the Conference Final on an aggregate score of 4–0.[29]

D.C. United faced the fourth-seeded

penalty kick after the ball hit the arm of defender Brian Carroll, and Steve Ralston's shot deflected off the post and Nick Rimando before going into the net and tying the match 2–2 at halftime.[31][36] Gómez scored D.C.'s third goal in the 67th minute, heading a cross from Earnie Stewart, but New England's Pat Noonan responded with a headed goal in the 85th minute that tied the match at the end of regulation time.[36]

Despite several attempts at goal,

penalty shootout.[36][37] After an opening round in which neither penalty taker scored, five consecutive penalties were scored to give D.C. a 3–2 lead. In the fourth round, the shot by Jay Heaps for New England was saved by Rimando, but the follow-up by Moreno was saved by Reis to prevent the Revolution from being eliminated. New England's Shalrie Joseph scored his penalty to trigger a sudden death round, which saw Brian Carroll score and Clint Dempsey's shot saved by Nick Rimando.[31][35] The penalty shootout ended in a 4–3 victory for D.C. United, who clinched an appearance in their fifth MLS Cup final.[36]

Kansas City Wizards

Defender Jimmy Conrad, one of two Wizards players named to the 2004 MLS Best XI

The Kansas City Wizards had won the MLS Cup in 2000, defeating the Chicago Fire, in the same season that they had clinched the Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record.[38] The team qualified for the playoffs in six of their first eight seasons, including four consecutive appearances under manager Bob Gansler. The Wizards finished in second place in the Western Conference at the end of the 2003 season,[39] relying on 40-year-old forward Preki as he led the league in scoring and was named the most valuable player.[40] The team advanced past the Colorado Rapids and qualified for the Conference Finals, where they were defeated 3–2 by the San Jose Earthquakes in extra time.[41]

The Wizards began the 2004 season without Preki, who broke his leg during preseason and replaced with

Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference standings.[45] Veteran goalkeeper Tony Meola picked up an injury to his achilles tendon during a pre-game warm-up in August and was replaced by backup goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi, who would start for the rest of the season.[46][47] The Wizards also lost starting midfielder Chris Klein to a torn ligament in his knee, while Preki returned only for three matches before being sidelined for an additional ankle surgery.[48]

Kansas City returned from the All-Star break by continuing a four-match winless streak,

The Wizards began their playoff campaign in the Western Conference Semifinals against the San Jose Earthquakes, the defending MLS Cup champions. The team fell 2–0 in the first leg of the series in San Jose, conceding goals to

stoppage time, Kansas City midfielder Jack Jewsbury scored the winning goal to give his team a 3–2 win on aggregate that would clinch a berth in the Western Conference Final.[58] The Wizards then hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference Final, repeating similar playoff matchups that the Galaxy won in 1996 and 2002 and lost in 2000; the Galaxy, who were hosting the MLS Cup final, was also winless in four regular season matches against the Wizards in 2004.[59] With a strong defensive performance, Kansas City advanced to their second MLS Cup final on a 2–0 win over Los Angeles; both of the team's goals were scored by Davy Arnaud in the 24th and 69th minutes.[60][61]

Summary of results

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
D.C. United Round
Kansas City Wizards
2nd place in Eastern Conference
 
Team Pld W L D Pts
Columbus Crew (SS) 30 12 5 13 49
D.C. United 30 11 10 9 42
MetroStars
30 11 12 7 40
New England Revolution 30 8 13 9 33
Chicago Fire
30 8 13 9 33

Source: MLS

     Qualified for playoffs
     Supporters' Shield winner

Regular season 1st place in Western Conference
 
Team Pld W L D Pts
Kansas City Wizards
30 14 9 7 49
Los Angeles Galaxy
30 11 9 10 43
Colorado Rapids 30 10 9 11 41
San Jose Earthquakes 30 9 10 11 38
Dallas Burn
30 10 14 6 36

Source: MLS

     Qualified for playoffs

Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
MLS Cup Playoffs
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
MetroStars
4–0 2–0 (A) 2–0 (H) Conference Semifinals San Jose Earthquakes 3–2 0–2 (A) 3–0 (H)
New England Revolution 3–3 (4–3 p) (H) Conference Final
Los Angeles Galaxy
2–0 (H)

Broadcasting and entertainment

The MLS Cup final was televised in the United States on

Nielsen rating of 0.8 and averaged a local 2.4 rating in the Kansas City metropolitan area—far below the competing Kansas City Chiefs game.[63][64] The match's halftime show featured San Diego-based alternative rock band Switchfoot and a pyrotechnics display.[65][66][67]

Match

Summary

, near Los Angeles

The match kicked off at 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time on November 14, 2004, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, in front of a crowd of 25,797 spectators—including several hundred traveling D.C. United supporters.[68][69] At kickoff, the temperature measured 81 °F (27 °C), setting a new record for hottest MLS Cup final.[70] Kansas City took an early lead in the sixth minute after defender José Burciaga Jr. scored on a shot from 30 yards (27 m), following sustained offensive pressure from kickoff.[71][72]

D.C. United responded with its own offensive pressure and scored three goals within seven minutes to take a 3–1 lead by the 30th minute of play.

Alex Zotinca scored an own goal by deflecting a cross from Earnie Stewart into the goal with his chest.[72][76]

D.C. remained ahead by two goals at halftime, but Kansas City began the second half with an offensive push along the wings to narrow the lead.

red card in MLS Cup history for his handball.[76][79]

The resulting penalty kick was scored in the 58th minute by

stoppage time.[76][80] Nowak responded by making several defensive substitutions for D.C., also bringing on Freddy Adu in the 65th minute for Eskandarian, who suffered a leg injury, as the team held onto their lead to win the match 3–2 and clinch an MLS Cup.[76]

Details

Kansas City Wizards
Report

D.C. UNITED:
GK 18 United States Nick Rimando
DF 26 United States Bryan Namoff Yellow card 72'
DF 7 New Zealand Ryan Nelsen (c)
DF 12 United States Mike Petke
MF 8 United States Earnie Stewart Yellow card 55' downward-facing red arrow 82'
MF 16 United States Brian Carroll
MF 14 United States Ben Olsen Yellow card 89'
MF 21 Ukraine Dema Kovalenko Red card 57'
MF 13
Christian Gomez
downward-facing red arrow 59'
FW 99 Bolivia Jaime Moreno
FW 11 United States Alecko Eskandarian downward-facing red arrow 65'
Substitutions:
GK 22 United States Troy Perkins
DF 2 United States David Stokes
DF 4 United States Brandon Prideaux upward-facing green arrow 82'
DF 5 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ezra Hendrickson
MF 9 United States Freddy Adu upward-facing green arrow 65'
MF 17 United States Joshua Gros upward-facing green arrow 59'
MF 27 United States Tim Lawson
FW 25 United States Santino Quaranta
FW 3 United States Jason Thompson
Head Coach:
Peter Nowak

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS:
GK 25 United States Bo Oshoniyi
DF 12 United States Jimmy Conrad
DF 3 United States Nick Garcia
DF 23
Alex Zotinca
downward-facing red arrow 82'
DF 6 United States José Burciaga Jr.
MF 5 United States Kerry Zavagnin
MF 7 United States Diego Gutiérrez (c Yellow card 33'
MF 14 United States Jack Jewsbury downward-facing red arrow 66'
MF 24 Jamaica Khari Stephenson downward-facing red arrow 45'
FW 22 United States Davy Arnaud
FW 15 United States Josh Wolff
Substitutions:
GK 1 United States Tony Meola
GK 30
Will Hesmer
DF 4 Jamaica Shavar Thomas
DF 26 United States Taylor Graham
MF 8 Brazil Diego Walsh upward-facing green arrow 82'
MF 10 United States Francisco Gomez
MF 20 Russia Igor Simutenkov upward-facing green arrow 45'
FW 19 United States Matt Taylor upward-facing green arrow 66'
FW 27 United States Justin Detter
Head Coach:
United States Bob Gansler

MLS Cup Most Valuable Player:
United States Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United)

Assistant referees:
Nathan Clement (United States)
Kermit Quisenberry (United States)
Fourth official:
Abiodun Okulaja (United States)

Post-match

D.C. United forward Alecko Eskandarian was named the MLS Cup MVP for his two goals in the final

D.C. United won its fourth MLS Cup championship and its first since 1999, solidifying its place as the most successful sports franchise in

Peter Nowak became the first person to win the MLS Cup as both a player and as a head coach, as well as the first coach without American or Canadian citizenship to win the title.[76][82] He was the MLS Cup MVP during the Chicago Fire's 1998 victory against D.C. United and also played in their loss to Kansas City in 2000.[83] Josh Wolff, who scored Kansas City's second goal in the 2004 cup, was a teammate of Nowawk's and played in the 2000 cup.[84] 15-year-old substitute Freddy Adu became the youngest member of an American professional championship team in modern sports history, beating a record set by 18-year-old baseball pitcher Art Houtteman with the Detroit Tigers in 1945.[83][85]

Eskandarian was named the match's MVP for his two goals, capping a season of redemption after spending his rookie year on the bench.[86] After the match, he 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."[79] In 2011, Eskandarian publicly acknowledged that there was a handball on the play that led to his second goal in a Twitter roast of retiring defender Jimmy Conrad.[74] Wizards head coach Bob Gansler complimented United's defensive performance and lamented his team's defensive errors that lead to the three conceded goals.[87][88]

Both finalists qualified for the

UNAM Pumas and drew 1–1 in the home leg, but were eliminated after losing 5–0 in Mexico City.[94][95]

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