In 1997, the only honor in FC Dallas club history came when they defeated D.C. United to claim the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. But just two seasons ago, the Hoops made their second appearance in the championship game, losing to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 at The Home Depot Center.
The Galaxy got a goal from Herculez Gomez in the 25th minute and held on for the victory in front of a partisan crowd. Now the Hoops are again in the Open Cup final, and Wednesday night they will get the chance to play host, this time taking on the New England Revolution at Pizza Hut Park.
Just 12 members of the current FCD roster were on that team and only seven who played in that game remain. Five of those (Arturo Alvarez, Clarence Goodson, Bobby Rhine, David Wagenfuhr and the injured Roberto Mina) were starters while the other two (Aaron Pitchkolan and Abe Thompson) were second-half substitutes. Their memories of that disappointing day remain vivid for several of these holdovers.
"I remember that it was disappointing losing 1-0 to LA," Alvarez said. "I remember they got an early goal and we fought through it. We put everything we had into it but unfortunately, we didn't come out with the result we wanted. We have another chance [Wednesday] night to win the Open Cup and it's really important for us. I think we're ready for it."
Goodson, for one, remembers how tough that loss was to stomach for he and his teammates.
"I remember it was a cup final," he said. "It was a hard-fought game where Herculez Gomez got an early goal. I remember we were down 1-0 in a hard-fought game and it was heartbreaking to lose. I remember feeling awful when it was over. We had put so much effort into it and to not win, it was a feeling that you want to forget."
Tomorrow night's match will be especially meaningful for Rhine, who is FCD's longest-tenured player, having been here since 1999.
"I remember we were a little bit of a depleted squad for that game," he said. "But we did fight hard, gave it everything we had and performed very well. We were unlucky to lose that game 1-0 to an LA team that was very good at that time of the season."
Rhine hopes that FCD can use a win against the Revolution as a springboard to a good run in the playoffs much like the Galaxy did just two seasons ago.
"Winning the Open Cup gave them momentum to go on and win MLS Cup," he said. "We can draw some positives from what that team was able to do that year in terms of how we're looking to really turn things around."
Losing in that 2005 final would make a victory on Wednesday even more meaningful for several of the players.
"I'm fortunate enough to be playing in this cup final again," Goodson said. "Just playing in a final is very prestigious and you have to be lucky to get there. It's a big deal and you don't want to feel that way again (like we did in 2005). You want to be on the winning side this time and be the one hoisting up the trophy."
Rhine is also relishing a second shot at the USOC title.
"It's incredible," he said. "This is only the second final we've played in since I've been here. That just shows you how difficult it is to get there. It's been 10 years since we've won a trophy here. That's something we know, it's in the back of our minds and we hope to remedy that [Wednesday]."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
