the second goal a bomb from Hristo Stoitchkov -- but Adolfo Valencia scored two quick goals just before halftime and looked like he'd given the Metros the lead in the second half, only to have his would-be equalizer flagged for offside (a call Metro fans still agonize over). As the game neared the end of regulation, Chris Armas fed a barely onside Ante Razov who beat Ammann to win the series and send the Fire to the final.
5. Kansas City over Los Angeles, 2000 [0-0; 1-2; 1-0 (1-0 series OT)]
It was the year of the first-to-five format and of Tony Meola. The Wizards rode two Arrowhead Stadium shutouts by their 'keeper into the final (where Meola threw up one more fantastic clean sheet). We would also be remiss if we didn't mention the goal-scoring heroics of one Miklos Molnar, who scored on a PK to win Game 3 for the Wizards, then connected on the golden goal that decided the Series OT, which NASL fans like to refer to as the "mini-game."
4. D.C. United over Columbus, 1999 [2-1; 1-5; 4-0]
We rate this series high only because of the bizarre scorelines in Games 2 and 3. After D.C. took a 1-0 lead in Game 2 on a goal by Roy Lassiter, the Crew rampaged, scoring five unanswered goals, including a natural hat trick by the great Stern John. In Game 3, however, the Crew had the tables turned on them in a big way. Jaime Moreno, Lassiter twice and, finally, Marco Etcheverry and D.C. had a 4-0 victory and -- a week later -- their third MLS Cup.
3. Chicago over Los Angeles, 1998 [1-0; 1-1 (2-1 SO)]
A huge upset for the expansion Fire over the most prolific scoring team in MLS history. Jesse Marsch broke up a scoreless tie in the 86th minute of Game 1 at the Rose Bowl, when he pounced on the rebound of a Lubos Kubik free kick. In Game 2, in front of a frenzied Soldier Field crowd, the Fire prevailed in a shootout, with Zach Thornton making three successive saves and Marsch and Jerzy Podbrozny providing the winning shots. The sweep of L.A. is a huge break for the Fire as D.C. has to play a Game 3 vs. Columbus, which leaves them with too little in the tank for the final.
2. Los Angeles over Chicago, 2001 [1-1; 1-0; 2-1]
Tough to beat the excitement of three overtime contests in a row. The big play in the series turns out to be in the final moments of Game 2 (played at Cal State Fullerton) when Luis Hernandez makes a steal and finds Peter Vagenas for the game-winner. In Game 3, the Fire (needing to win to force series OT) get an early lead on a goal by DaMarcus Beasley, but the Galaxy get an equalizer from Danny Califf and a late golden goal from Mauricio Cienfuegos (a 35-yard lob of Thornton) to send the Galaxy to another final.
1. D.C. United - New England, 2004 [3-3 (4-3 PKs)]
With the possible exception of the Quakes' come-from-behind victory against the Galaxy in Game 2 of the 2003 first-round series, this could be the greatest game in league history. (If you don't believe me, well, there's this crazy, huge D.C. United expert who e-mails me all the time who will argue on its behalf. I'll put you in touch with him.) Back and forth game. Great crowd. Amazing goals by both teams. Christian Gomez scores on an amazing header to give D.C. the lead in the 67th minute only to have Pat Noonan level the game with a header in the 85th. Overtime could settle nothing, so it came down to PKs and "extra innings" where Brian Carroll converted and Nick Rimando turned away Clint Dempsey's effort to seal the win. D.C. United, a 42-point team (11-10-9 in the regular season), are on their way back to MLS Cup glory.
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.
