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| Event | MLS Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | October 25, 1998 | ||||||
| Venue | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, US | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Piotr Nowak (Chicago Fire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 51,350 | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy, 74 °F (23 °C) | ||||||
MLS Cup 1998 was the third edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. It took place on October 25, 1998, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with an attendance of 51,350 people. The final was contested by two-time reigning champions D.C. United and the Chicago Fire, the first expansion team to reach the final. Chicago won the match 2–0, with goals scored by Jerzy Podbrożny and Diego Gutiérrez in the first half.
Chicago became the first expansion team to win the MLS Cup and the second to complete a domestic double by winning the U.S. Open Cup. D.C. in turn became the first team to reach three consecutive finals, which would be their last under manager Bruce Arena. The match was broadcast nationally on ABC, where it was watched by an estimated 1 million households.
As the top two finishers in the MLS Cup Playoffs, both D.C. and Chicago qualified for the 1999 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The clubs faced off once again in the third-place match of the continental tournament, which ended in a 2–2 draw.