Pat Onstad, Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane (Kelly Gray 102), Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett, Brian Mullan, Dwayne De Rosario, Adrian Serioux (Stuart Holden 114), Brad Davis, Brian Ching, Paul Dalglish (Alejandro Moreno 81).
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION -- Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John, Andy Dorman (Clint Dempsey 62), Steve Ralston, Daniel Hernandez (Jeff Larentowicz 111), Shalrie Joseph, Joe Franchino (Khano Smith 53), Pat Noonan, Taylor Twellman.
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Of the other four teams that played in back-to-back finals, D.C. United carried over the second-largest number of players with nine who played in 1998 also playing in 1999. Both in 1997 (from the '96 final) and in '98 (from the 1997 final), D.C. United had eight players repeat, while the Los Angeles Galaxy also had eight players in both the 2001 and 2002 finals.
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Five players have the chance to play in their fourth MLS Cup Final. For New England, Jay Heaps, Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman and Joe Franchino all represented the club in its first three championship game appearances. While Heaps, Ralston and Twellman are all likely starters, Franchino is out with an injury. For Dynamo, Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Mullan have each appeared in three finals, playing the 2001 and 2003 games with the San Jose Earthquakes before moving with the club to Houston and playing in last year's final.
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A year ago, the teams came into the MLS Cup Playoffs going in opposite directions. The Revolution had won six of their last nine regular season games with two draws before the postseason while Dynamo had won just two of their final 10 (with five draws) - yet after each club won two of three playoff games, Houston won the final. This year, down the regular season home stretch, Dynamo lost just once in nine games with three draws, while the Revolution had just two wins (and two draws) in their last seven league matches.
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The injury to Dynamo forward Brian Ching could potentially rob Houston of their counterfoil to Revolution striker Taylor Twellman in being hot at playoff time. For New England, Twellman has scored in five of the last six playoff games, dating back to the second leg of the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Chicago. The only game he did not score in was the goalless draw with New York in this year's playoff opener. Ching has scored in four of Dynamo's seven playoff games all-time, netting five goals for the Orange, including two goals against FC Dallas this year. And, of course, each scored their team's goal from run of play in last year's MLS Cup Final.
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The 71 seconds that separated the goals in last year's MLS Cup Final was the second-shortest span between goals in championship game history. The 2003 final saw goals separated by 50 seconds, DaMarcus Beasley's 49th-minute goal for the Chicago Fire that was answered by Richard Mulrooney's goal for the San Jose Earthquakes (the forerunner of Houston Dynamo).
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The goal by Brian Ching last year was also the latest goal in MLS Cup Final history - barely. Eddie Pope's goal four minutes into extra time in the inaugural cup final stood as the latest until Carlos Ruiz's golden goal in the 113th minute gave the Los Angeles Galaxy their first cup in 2002. Taylor Twellman's goal last year also came in the 113th minute, until Ching's goal was credited to the 114th minute.
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This is the first time ever that the MLS Cup Final will feature a "Community Shield"-type matchup, with the current holders of the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup meeting in the league title game. In 1997, D.C. held both the MLS Cup and Open Cup at the time of the MLS Cup Final; in 1998, the Chicago Fire defeated the current MLS Cup holders D.C. United in the league final, but they did not win the U.S. Open Cup until after the MLS Cup Final was played. The Community Shield (formerly Charity Shield) is the traditional season kickoff match in England, matching the English top division champions against the holders of the FA Cup.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION ...
The Revolution are riding the second longest shutout streak in a single year in the MLS Cup Playoffs into the Final - and are within 35 minutes of making it the longest. Since the league went to the current playoff format in 2003, only one other team has posted shutouts in every game leading up to the MLS Cup Final - the 2003 Chicago Fire, who defeated D.C. United twice (2-0, 2-0) before knocking off New England 1-0 in overtime in the conference championship. The Fire then saw their shutout streak five minutes into MLS Cup 2003 when a Ronnie Ekelund goal sent the San Jose Earthquakes on their way to a 4-2 victory.
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The longest shutout streak in MLS Cup Playoffs history is 382 minutes - set by the Revolution in 2002. Next is the LA Galaxy's streak of 311 minutes, also in 2002, followed by the Chicago Fire's streak of 305 minutes in 2003.
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Of the seven active MLS Originals who have played in all 12 MLS seasons, only Steve Ralston has yet to win an MLS championship. The other seven active at the end of the year have all won titles: Chris Armas (CHI '98); Jesse Marsch (D.C. '96 and '97, CHI '98); Cobi Jones (LA '02, '05); Jaime Moreno (D.C. '96, '97, '99, '04); Ante Razov (CHI '98); Eddie Pope (D.C. '96, '97, '99)
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If he appears in the MLS Cup Final, Steve Ralston will become the new all-time leader for games played in the U.S. first division. After the Eastern Conference Championship, Ralston has played in 370 league and playoff games in Major League Soccer, tying him with Bill McPherson, who played from 1922 to 1931 in the American Soccer League. Compiled by the historians of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum, the all-time list includes all regular season and playoff games played in three major leagues: the American Soccer League (1921-1931), the North American Soccer League (1967-1984) and Major League Soccer.
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The Revolution are bidding to be the fourth team to win the U.S. domestic double of the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup. The Revolution captured the club's first major honor earlier this year when they defeated FC Dallas 3-2 in the Open Cup final. The last team to do the double was the Los Angeles Galaxy, in 2005 (defeating New England in the MLS Cup Final). D.C. United captured both the Alan I. Rothenberg and Dewar trophies in 1996 as the first team in history to achieve the honor; the Chicago Fire repeated the feat two years later.
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Four members of the Revolution are among the 10 players who have played on the losing side in three MLS Cup Finals: Joe Franchino, Jay Heaps, Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman. The others: Chris Armas, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Daniel Hernandez, Cobi Jones, Ante Razov and Greg Vanney.
HOUSTON DYNAMO ...
Before this season, just two teams had sailed through the regular season allowing less than one goal per game - the 1999 Los Angeles Galaxy (who lost to D.C. United in the MLS Cup Final) and the MLS Cup champion 2000 Kansas City Wizards. Both clubs allowed just 29 goals over 32 matches. This year, two more teams achieved the feat - Houston Dynamo, who allowed an astonishing 23 goals in 30 games (0.77 per match) and Chivas USA, who allowed 28 goals in their 30 games.
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For the second season in a row, influential Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark will miss the MLS Cup Final because of suspension. A year ago he missed the game because of yellow card accumulation; he was the first player to be suspended for an MLS Cup Final since Los Angeles Galaxy defender Dan Calichman missed the first championship game, also through yellow card accumulation.
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Dynamo could also be without first-choice striker Brian Ching, who suffered a left calf strain in the second half of the Western Conference Championship match. "At this point, it seems unlikely (that Ching will play)," Dynamo athletic trainer Bruce Morgan said to the Houston Chronicle on Sunday. "But I don't want to rule it out as a possibility. We're trying to be as optimistic as possible. It's a significant muscle injury, but I'd like to believe there's still a possibility that he might be available for selection come Sunday, as unlikely as that appears at this time." Ching also missed three weeks in late August and early September with a calf strain.
Pat Onstad could be the first goalkeeper to win three MLS Cup Finals. Onstad and Kevin Hartman are the only ones to have backstopped their teams to victory in two cups - Hartman in the Galaxy's victories in 2002 and 2005, while Onstad was behind San Jose's win in 2003 and Dynamo's a year ago.
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Dynamo forward Nate Jaqua could be starting the MLS championship game in the stadium where his father, Jon, was a kicker and free safety for the NFL's Washington Redskins from 1970-72. Other local connections: Both Corey Ashe and Wade Barrett of Dynamo hail from Virginia Beach, Va., while the Revolution's Adam Cristman is from Glen Ellen, Va. and Brad Knighton from Richmond, Va. Revolution defender Avery John attended American University, located in Washington, D.C., while Taylor Twellman attended the University of Maryland and Marshall Leonard the University of Virginia.
