MLS Cup 1999

MLS Cup 1999
Match logo, featuring the league trophy—a soccer ball on a curved pedestal—surrounded by a simplified American flag with the text "MLS Cup '99".
EventMLS Cup
Los Angeles Galaxy D.C. United
0 2
DateNovember 21, 1999
VenueFoxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, US
Man of the MatchBen Olsen
(D.C. United)
RefereeTim Weyland
Attendance44,910
WeatherSunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
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MLS Cup 1999 was the fourth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship soccer match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-level soccer league of the United States. 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 1996 final that had been played at the same venue. Both teams finished atop their respective conferences during the regular season under new head coaches and advanced through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

United won 2–0 with first-half goals from Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen for their third MLS Cup victory in four years. Galaxy defender Robin Fraser left the match with a broken collarbone during the opening minutes and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman collided with John Maessner at the end of the half. Olsen was named the most valuable player of the match for his winning goal, which was scored off a misplayed backpass.

The final was played in front of 44,910 spectators—a record for the MLS Cup. It was also the first MLS match to be played with a standard game clock and without a tiebreaker shootout following a rule change approved by the league days earlier. The Galaxy blamed their performance on decisions by referee Tim Weyland and the quality of the pitch at Foxboro Stadium, which had a narrowed width and was damaged by an earlier National Football League game.

Both finalists qualified for the 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, which was hosted in Southern California. The tournament's semifinals featured a rematch of the MLS Cup final and was decided in a penalty shootout that the Galaxy won. The Galaxy went on to win the tournament, becoming the second MLS team to do so.