So, what is there to be learned from two games? Should D.C. United be afraid they're headed down into the depths of despair? Should Toronto FC be worried that it may end up threatening Chivas USA '05 for worst record in league history? Should our unbeaten-through-two-games teams be clearing space in the trophy case? So much to consider in this week's First XI, as we take a trip down memory lane ... two games in the books.
11. Let's begin in the beginning. The Los Angeles Galaxy busted out of the gates with victories in each of their first two games in the MLS inaugural campaign. What did we learn? A lot. The Galaxy, with Mauricio Cienfuegos pulling the strings, Cobi Jones running the right side, a youngster named Chris Armas holding down the defensive midfield and Eduardo Hurtado banging in goals, were a machine that would roll all season long, en route to a spot in the final.
10. And more from Season 1. The Tampa Bay Mutiny also proved that you could learn a lot from two games. With Carlos Valderrama in the center of the field, one-touching and connecting his teammates beautifully, the chlorophyll-green-clad Mutes were (by 1996 vintage) a wonderful team to watch. Roy Lassiter would get two or three breakaway chances per game and would finish enough to set the single-season scoring mark, 27 goals, that still stands today. The Mutiny had only one problem, which brings us to ...
9. D.C. United dropped their first two games in 1996, losing the inaugural match in San Jose on Eric Wynalda's historic first goal, and their second game 4-0 to the Crew, who seemed to love their narrow field at the Big Horseshoe. And they weren't done losing yet. D.C. started the year 0-4 before putting up their first victory, beating Dallas at RFK, by a 3-1 score. It seems no one quite knew what D.C. would be like (massive roster turnover did not help anyone figure it out) until July, when they beat the Mutiny 1-0 at home on a 72nd minute goal by Marco Etcheverry. From that moment on, it seemed D.C. had Tampa Bay's number, so much so that they took care of the Mutiny in two games in the conference finals, and would go on to win the very first MLS Cup
8. The other team I will reference from the inaugural season is the MetroStars, who opened with losses at L.A. and home to Columbus. Roberto Donadoni had not yet arrived on the scene and coach Eddie Firmani was already looking like a lame duck. But by the time the dust settled in 1996, the MetroStars were a very competitive team that nearly eliminated D.C. United from the playoffs in the first round. Getting back to No. 11, however, the Metros were absolutely owned by the Galaxy and Mutiny. So there.
7. In 1998, MLS invited expansion teams from Miami and Chicago into the mix. The Fusion would start out, like TFC, 0-2. The Fire would start out 2-0. What would we learn? Well, if you're any kind of MLS historian, you know that the Fire went on to win the whole thing that year. In the final, Chicago hooked up with - who else? - D.C. United, who also began the 1998 campaign with a 2-0 mark. So, again, fast starts can mean a lot, as can slow starts. Of course, that's not always the case, as we'll learn ...
6. The Chicago Fire of the Year 2000 started out with back-to-back losses. Remember that was the year they introduced Hristo Stoitckhov and bid adieu to Poles Jerzy Podbronzy and Roman Kosecki and U.S. veteran Frank Klopas. The Fire dropped their opener in Dallas, getting torched by Ariel Graziani, and lost again, in a 4-3 goalfest, to eventual champion Kansas City (more on them in No. 5). Long story short, the 2000 Fire did not win the title, as you know, losing 1-0 at RFK to the Wizards (again, more to come, Wizards fans), but many Section 8 aficionados will tell you that, when fully-operational, the 2000 Fire were the best team ever fielded in Chicago.
5. Which brings us to the Wizards, who were a pitiful bunch in 1999. So bad, in fact, were the '99 Wiz, that it was hard to fathom that their 2-0 start to the 2000 season would mean anything. None of us knew much of Miklos Molnar or had any premonition that Tony Meola would return from injury to record the single-best season by a goalkeeper in league history. Perhaps we should've seen it coming after two games. Perhaps it's not always wrong to jump to conclusions at an early stage. Then again ...
4. No one was ready to bury D.C. United when they began the 2000 season (three-time defending champions remember) with an 0-2 mark. I do mean no one, not with a lineup that included Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno, Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope, not to mention a kid named Benny Olsen. But D.C.'s 0-2 beginning in 2000 was indeed ominous and was the beginning of the stretch in United history that my friends in the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava would rather forget ... the three-year playoff drought.
3. And, who in their right mind, thought that the Revolution would reverse history in 2002? No one, that's who. The Revs, always a team on the playoff bubble, began the season 0-2, which drew a yawn in Foxborough. They'd grown used to rollercoaster rides already and knew the season would come down to the final stretch, as always. But no one knew just how wild the final quarter of the season would be for the 2002 Revs. On the brink of extinction on the night of August 24 in Naperville, the Revs got late goals from Wolde Harris and Daouda Kante, and rode a wave all the way into the MLS Cup Final. So, from 0-2, through a drab four months, and on to the final. What we learned from the 2002 season was, mainly, that 1996 was a long, long time ago. The lay of the land in MLS was radically changed. Basically, every game was now an adventure.
2. Of course, we have to throw props to the 2002 Los Angeles Galaxy, who began 2-0, with new striker Carlos Ruiz providing the ignition. They would not only go on to another final, they'd finally snap their curse and raise their first MLS Cup trophy. And it all started with a pair of home wins in overtime, with Ruiz providing four goals total (and two golden goals).
1. And let's bring this whole thing up to date. How could you not be impressed with Curt Onalfo's first game at the helm of the Wizards, beating United 4-2 at RFK. Now yes, it's only one game, and yes, the Wizards started out 2-0 last year and still missed the playoffs. So yes, we'll need to check back after this weekend's trip to Chicago. But you just never know what can be learned from two games. Sometimes a lot, and sometimes very little. Maybe we should check in again after two more games.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
