FC Dallas may have conceded their earliest goal so far this season, but Je-Vaughn Watson had made a promise to his mother. He called his mom in Jamaica and told her he would score a Mother’s Day goal for her. Lucky for FCD, it proved to be the game winner too!

Watson and Woodberry celebrate the winning goal

With the oh-so-vital David Ferreira out injured, the line-up shifted to a 4-4-2 with Eric Hassli joining Blás Perez up front against DC United. It was the Frenchman’s first start and he put it to good use. After United managed to hit a ball off the post, Dallas seemed to wake up and go for it. Hassli found Jackson slipping behind the defense and assisted in Jackson’s third goal of the season. One of the funniest things I repeatedly heard the announcers calling was every time a DC player tried to get physical with Hassli. He’s a big dude and does not go down easily. Plus the tattoos with his newly shaved head look a bit menacing. Most of the time it left the United players on the ground with Hassli continuing on with the ball.

DC United equalized just before the halftime break. As frustrating as it was to concede off a set piece, there really was nothing Chris Seitz could do against De Rosario’s goal. There were just too many stationary bodies in the wall for Seitzy to see around. Anyways you do have to give De Ro props for scoring his 101st MLS goal. Dang!

The game might not have been the prettiest, but FCD keep their home unbeaten streak alive. Homegrown player London Woodberry got his second start and his second 90-minute outing for FC Dallas. With George John out on injury, it’s encouraging to see the young duo of Matt Hedges and Woodberry working out well.

Next weekend FC Dallas are on the road to take on the Seattle Sounders who romped over San Jose 4-0 this weekend. Should be an interesting match up! Till next time…DTID!

We have a soft spot around here for defenders. When we close our eyes, we daydream about hanging out with Carlos Bocanegra, having a laugh with Geoff Cameron, talking style with Maurice Edu, waiting for Zach Loyd to give us a call (it would help if I gave him my number). And then sometimes we just have lots of feels for Steve Cherundolo because you’d be crazy to overlook that level of greatness. But if we spent all our time talking about them – you’d never know about Mike Chabala!

Mike Chabala is currently with the Houston Dynamo. The 28-year-old Fresno native has previously played for the Dynamo (2006-2011), he would go on loan with the Timbers and Austin Aztex before finally joining the Portland Timbers in 2011 and in 2012 do a spot with DC United.

Here’s Mike giving his best smoldering stare…I’m sure I had other things to do but now they don’t even matter.

Now, Mike has model good looks as evidenced here from Portland’s Fashion Week…

Here he is in a suit and tie, I’m sure he’s being asked about important things…like his thoughts on the current socio-economic decisions in third world countries or maybe they just want to know what hair products he uses. Personally, I want to tap the girl’s shoulder behind her and ask why she is trying hard not to notice there is a likely demigod in her presence.

Mike became the first soccer player to join the NoH8 Campaign in 2011.

And in 2011 he also did a photoshoot with Out Magazine. When asked why he had done the NoH8 campaign he said, “I think all discrimination is completely wrong. I believe in equality, plain and simple.” Brb, moving to Houston.

But it’s not all runways and charitable causes, Mike likes to hang out with his friends. Yup, that is Stu Holden there along with Brian Ching, Bobby Boswell and Erik Ustruck for a boy’s night out.

Before we leave you this week, we found this gif (now, I know it is heartbreaking for any Galaxy fan to see since the game was a loss 3-0 but I just couldn’t ignore it). Not only is he doing great work for charities and helping kids but he also knows how to karate chop!

You can find our new favorite defender, Mike on Twitter at @MikeChabala. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter too at @AerysSoccer and like us on Facebook!

Don’t let anyone ever tell you the matches between Columbus Crew and D.C. United are friendly little rivalry games. The two teams may respect each other, but they still want to beat each other in these match ups. I, for one, always look forward to these matches. The D.C. United – Crew rivalry is one of the oldest and the best, in my humble opinion. And it always produces some of the best games from each team. Today was definitely no different.

Josh Williams, center, had a hell of a goal for the Crew today. Columbus would go on to beat DC United 2-1. Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew Facebook page.

I love how Frederico Higuain improves all the players around him. It’s definitely not one of those “your team is a one-player team” instances. Higuain just makes everyone better and provides the opportunities for, say, Josh Williams – a right back – to come up and score a goal. Which was what happened 16 minutes into the match. Get this, Williams’ goal was the first first-half goal for the Crew this season and makes the tally two for the defender. Oh and he’s got the most goals on the team for this season. Pretty cool, even if we’re only a few matches into the year.

Back on point, however. Higuain doesn’t just go for the goal on his own, he picks apart the opposing team and works in all these spaces that he opens up. Today he allowed Williams to come up, worked off the fantastic speed of Orudo and played off some fabulous passes from Ben Speas.

Speaking of, look at you Ben Speas. That kid was on fire today. His control, remarkable. The passing, gorgeous. The way he and Higuain worked the wide open spaces on the wings was great. And then the goal he got in the 60th minute; beautiful off the second ball after a free kick. Pretty awesome for his first Crew goal.

Oh, and can we talk about Andy Gruenebaum for a hot second? Holy crap. In the 74th minute, he had not one save, not two, but three saves that were just miracles. I couldn’t believe he pulled it off. Bill Hamid had his far share of miracle saves in the first half, but it seemed like Gruenebaum didn’t want to be out done. It was just brilliant to watch both of those keepers in this match.

As a whole though, I’m excitedly floored by the Crew’s performance today as a team. The pressing from the get-go was cool and collected. The whole unit had the game in hand very early on, and while D.C. did eventually settle and set on the pressure, Columbus responded well.

The two great bits from the Crew? Set pieces and counter attacks. Both of the goals came from set pieces or chances created by set pieces. There were maybe two instances through the entire match where Columbus didn’t look very dangerous on set pieces. Higuain was a big part of those as well, as you can imagine.

I love beautiful counter attacks. I love teams who constantly have dangerous counter attacks as well. That’s what the Crew pulled off today. It seemed like – especially in the second half – when the Crew got the break away, DC was scrambling to get back and stop them. The pressure was awesome and the movement of the ball lovely to see. I’m praying the Crew keep that up.

In the end, this is the type of game I love to see come out of MLS. A great rivalry, top players, amazing keepers and some gorgeous goals. There was some questionable referring, but hey, it happens. Over all, this match up gave fans a great afternoon of soccer. And as a Crew fan, the 2-1 win at RFK Stadium beating DC United’s home winning streak was just the icing on the cake.

Despite out-shooting DC United, 24-4, the New York Red Bulls settled for a 0-0 tie in their 2013 home opener at Red Bull Arena Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 22,022 spectators and many more watching on the main NBC network at home. New York now has two points off a 0-1-2 record.

Holgersson and Pontius battle on the pitch

The Red Bulls controlled most of the match and Fabian Espindola came closest in the opening 45 minutes, heading a Thierry Henry feed off the crossbar. Earlier eight minutes in, New York’s Eric Alexander slipped Henry in which forced goalkeeper Bill Hamid to make a full stop.

NYRB’s Thierry Henry

In the 56th minute, Espindola hit the crossbar again, this time from 15 yards out with a left-footed blast. Eric Alexander played it over the top to Henry and the forward volleyed it high. Bill Hamid came up for United later, making a point blank save on Tim Cahill to keep the score line even.

New York defender Brandon Barklage nearly earned three points for the hosts at the end, forcing Hamid to make a last save off the end line with a header.

Dax McCarty was named Man of the Match and rightly deserved. While the game was a draw, it still had the electric feel of a home opener and the team’s morale was optimistic in the end. The Red Bulls are hungry for a win and it is obvious in their play. With Mike Petke in place – the wins should start happening soon.

Dax is Man of the Match

 New York Red Bulls (0-1-2, 2 point) – Luis Robles, Brandon Barklage, Jamison Olave, Markus Holgersson, Heath Pearce, Eric Alexander (Connor Lade 89’), Dax McCarty, Tim Cahill, Jonny Steele (Juninho 68’), Fabian Espindola, Thierry Henry (Amando Moreno 92’+)

D.C. United  (1-1-1, 4 points) – Bill Hamid, James Riley, Brandon McDonald, Dejan Jakovic, Chris Korb, Chris Pontius, Perry Kitchen, Nick DeLeon, Marcelo Saragosa, Dwayne De Rosario (Marcos Sanchez 76’), Lionard Pajoy (Carlos Ruiz 71’)

The New York Red Bulls will hit the road to play against the Montreal Impact on March 23rd with the game airing on MSG.

Images courtesy of New York Red Bulls

Real Salt Lake have never won at DC United’s home stadium. That didn’t change tonight.

Choppy play, yellow cards and frustration just about summed up RSL’s game until, once again, the subs came in. United managed to pin Real into their half until around the 60th minute when Joao Plata came on for Robbie Findley, who has been almost invisible for these first two games, and whose speed hasn’t been utilized very much at all. Abdoulie Mensally came off for Lovell Palmer and draftee John Stertzer came on for Khari Stephenson. These subs unfortunately didn’t happen before DC’s unmarked Pajoy managed to head a rebound into the net putting the home team up 1-0. The subs provided a spark and helped the team conjure a response to the United goal, however, RSL failed to equalize.

You can tell that this defense is still learning how to play with each other. RSL normally plays out of the back through the midfield, and up to the forwards, with outside midfielders and defenders overlapping, but the passes to the midfielders were easily picked off by DCU, and the forwards remained basically disjointed.

Nick Rimando was his usual self. His height doesn’t normally factor into his keeping skills, but he could have used a couple more inches to parry away a shot from distance that he instead rebounded into the box leading to the goal. In his defense, the RSL players should have pulled out of the box and kept Pajoy offsides instead of leaving him open for the goal. Other than that, he was stellar! Good saves against his former team must make them regret ever trading him.

Credit needs to be given to DC United for their pressure and hard work, but inconsistent calls by the referee left RSL asking questions at the end of the game. Handballs that were called on RSL and not called on DCU left captain Kyle Beckerman scratching his head and then very carefully (to avoid a fine) stated so in his post-game interview.

RSL has their home opener next week against rivals Colorado Rapids. Retaining the Rocky Mountain Cup and a win over a team they don’t like may just be the best medicine for overcoming a frustrating loss.

We are four days away from First Kick for MLS and let’s just say that we couldn’t be happier. Sure we love other leagues and appreciate all they have to offer but MLS always has a special place in our hearts. Here are our favorites players in no particular order (well, a few just rank a little higher than others but we won’t say who), to help you get a bit more excited about the 2013 season!

Seattle Sounders’ Brad Evans is really under appreciated. Everyone should get to know him this 2013 season. And by everyone, I mean Jurgen Klinsman.

We know he might be dressed to play for Columbus Crew but that’s only because Dilly Duka did in fact play for them but has now been acquired by the Chicago Fire.

Justin Braun, what more can we say? Oh right, he’s wearing entirely too many clothes but give him a break – it is 36 degrees today in Toronto and what’s that? Oh, yeah they are expecting a blizzard. Bundle up, Justin – we wouldn’t want you to get sick and miss First Kick!

 Sporting KC’s Teal Bunbury is just giving us a preview and we like what we see…please don’t stop on our account, carry on!

 Dwayne De Rosario of DC United (and NYRB’s Thierry Henry)…sorry, I lost my train of thought…give me a moment.

I know…I know…but you have to admit that this is the best 2-for-1 special and let’s just say after two back-to-back championships,  will we be surprised if there is a third one in the future? Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan definitely hope so. And while we are aware that Landon is on “hiatus” – this is Hollywood afterall and everyone loves a great comeback.

Be sure to check in with the ladies of Aerys Soccer as we get pumped up for First Kick this weekend! And don’t forget to follow us on twitter at @AerysSoccer, where we post articles, morning headlines and more!

Well this is it! We’re are days, just days away from First Kick 2013 in Major League Soccer! Already, the expectations are high and the ladies here at Aerys Soccer cannot wait for the teams to hit the pitches again.

As we gear up for this season, we’re still looking for some writers to cover teams in MLS. Do you love talking about your favorite team? Feel the need to write up a rant or gush about a new player? Need to call out your coach or sing the praises of your favorite forward? Check out the graphic below listing the teams we have openings for and if you’re interested, let us know!

Hmmm, some great MLS teams listed! If you’re a fan of one or of the league in general, shoot me an e-mail at trista.lutgring@gmail.com! We’d love to bring you on board!

And as always, make sure to follow us at @AerysSoccer as we dive into MLS 2013

AH, IT’S ALMOST HERE!!!!!!

Excuse the freakout, but MLS 2013 SuperDraft is tomorrow, bringing us one step oh-so-closer to a new season and I’m completely pumped. Rumors are already swarming, team managers and coaches are licking their chops (so to speak) and fans are speculating on who is going to come away with the best picks for their squads.

One man who is probably just as geared up for tomorrow, as well as the new season, is D.C. United Head Coach and former player, Ben Olsen. Who, by the way, is quite dapper.

Okay, confession time. When I first started getting into MLS years and years ago, my team might have been the Crew, but there were two players who I always watched – Taylor Twellman and Ben Olsen. Ben, well, he’s one of those guys that takes and leaves everything on the pitch. When he hung up his boots at the end of D.C.’s season in 2009, it wasn’t long until he was back on the pitch … as his former team’s coach. And while there might have been some speculation on whether he could bring the Black and Red back to former glory, Ben proved that some times you just gotta ignore everyone and focus on your team; it pays off BIG time. He also came in last minute to coach the 2012 MLS All Stars, who would beat EPL side Chelsea in quite an entertaining match.

After two seasons, Ben has pretty much transformed D.C. United. And the changes keep coming. After a fantastic run in the playoffs in 2012, Olsen & Co. are promising fans for an even better season in 2013. And if anyone can do it, I think Ben can. He’ll look damn good in a suit doing it too.

Keep with Aerys Soccer as we get into the MLS SuperDraft and the 2013 season, kicking off in March!

Hey footy fans and HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE! Wow, 2012 has been pretty crazy, hasn’t it? I honestly can’t believe it’s over! We’ve had a lot of changes around here and there’s been a lot that’s happened in Major League Soccer and all around the world. So, to close out the year, the ladies of Aerys Soccer will take you back and share with you our favorite stories, games, events and more from this past year!

Toni Stone: Arsenal and DC United writer

Theirry Henry makes Arsenal history January 2012 with first appearance as a Gunner since 2007

When my editor Trista Lutgring asked me to write about my favorite soccer memory of 2012, one immediately popped into my head.  It was in early January, just after the transfer window had closed.  Not surprisingly, my favorite team Arsenal had not made a single trade despite a poor start to their season. But there was a silver lining to the new year.  The club borrowed a player on loan from the New York Redbulls.  That player was none other than the Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry. It was Henry’s first appearance as a player at Emirates Stadium and a who’s who guest list filled the stands to witness the historic event.  Even David Beckham, an obvious Manchester United former player and fan, was in attendance with his three boys in tow (one of which is an Arsenal fan).

Prior to writing this, I honestly didn’t remember that Arsneal played Leeds that night, or that it was an FA Cup match.  I do remember however, that Henry didn’t start, but when he stood up to warm up, it felt like the entire stadium took in a giant breath and held it.  All eyes widened and even the cameramen found it difficult to pull the camera away from the sidelines and follow match play. As the superstar striker came on to a standing ovation, the anticipation was so high, I look back now and realize that what was expected from him was too much pressure to put on any human.  Fortunately for all of us, Henry is no ordinary human. He touched the ball once maybe twice in the nearly eight minutes he was on the pitch, with fans standing and singing his praises the entire time.  Then Alex Song made a beautiful pass, which Thierry touched once to settle and once more to fire into the upper right corner of the net.

The adrenaline that must have been pumping through that man was contagious.  I can recall his reaction to that goal as if I were watching it in front of me, but I just watched a few thousand Youtube videos to hear the crowd celebrating with him, and well, just because. In his revelry, he ran around the edge of the stadium with his arms outstretched.  He made a quick pit stop to hug his mentor, Arsene Wenger, then continued the festivities along with everyone else wearing a red Arsenal jersey.  That moment was an incredible rush and an inspiring shot in the arm the team needed at that point in the season. Henry’s first appearance as an Arsenal player in many years concluded with a game-winning goal (1-0) and an historic night for all.  Thank you Thierry Henry (and Trista for prompting me to rememeber), for a tremendous 2012 soccer memory.

Tamara Rinehart: La Liga and Seattle Sounders writer

It’s been a crazy year in the football world and naming just one specific moment that stood out for me was tremendously difficult. First off, Real Madrid becoming La Liga champions and Spain winning Euro 2012 was pretty spectacular and a feat for future countries to compete with. But it was a match in Seattle on June 7th that caught me eye (hell, it even made me tear up a bit!)

Alyssa Olszewski: San Jose Earthquakes writer

There were several hugely exciting moments for the San Jose Earthquakes this past season. Ground was broken on their new stadium, the Supporters’ Shield was won, and there was no shortage of drama between the Quakes and their sworn rivals down in Southern California. However, one of my favorite moments came relatively early on in the season, when the Quakes played the Columbus Crew at Buck Shaw Stadium May 19. Columbus had gone up in the 47th minute thanks to a goal by Justin Meram. Crew keeper Andy Grunebaum made some massive saves, including a Wondo penalty kick, and it seemed San Jose was destined to end their unbeaten-at-Buck-Shaw streak earlier than hoped.

Then Gordon Time happened. This was the season of last-minute results for the Earthquakes, and Alan Gordon scored a disproportionate share of those late goals. He came on as a sub in this game in the 60th minute, but, true to form, waited until the 90th minute to score. And what a beauty it was. His first shot clanged off the crossbar but he followed the rebound, completely laying out his massive frame to beat the keeper with an acrobatic half volley.

The stadium erupted, Gordon was tackled by his teammates, and the Quakes managed to hold on for the remaining minutes of extra time to secure a draw.

Terry Munoz: English Premier League writer

The beginning of the 2011-12 EPL season started off great for my club, Manchester City. They were at the top of the table and it looked like the league was ours. Then in the middle of the season, City was no longer playing they way they had at the beginning of the year and Manchester United was at the top of the table, eight points ahead. Somehow, though, City was able to catch up and by the last match day, City and United were tied at the top of the table. The last match, against Queens Park Rangers, was a must win for City.  A loss or draw would mean that United would win the league. Rooney scored the goal for United, but City had also scored. However, QPR equalized much to the disappointment of City fans (and excitement of United fans).

QPR then scored another goal and were winning 2-1. With less than 10 minutes to go, United was winning against Sunderland and City was losing against QPR. Roberto Mancini decided it was time to sub in Edin Dzeko, who then scored for City in the last remaining minutes of the match. This wasn’t enough though. City would need one more goal if they wanted to win their first league title in 40-plus years. Kun Aguero came to the rescue when he scored the winning goal in extra time. City fans everywhere (including myself) were in shock, but excited and thrilled to see City win the league. Supporters of other clubs were also happy, they had wanted anyone but United to win the league. That match was one of the most exciting matches of the season for me, as a City fan, and a very memorable moment for 2012.

Kristian Russell: LA Galaxy writer

Oh man… Picking my favorite LA Galaxy moment this season is easier said than done! So I’ve narrowed it down to two; beating San Jose in the playoffs and winning the MLS Cup again. Beating San Jose was nothing short of epic. LA went in as the underdogs and came out the team to beat on the road to the cup. It was something of a dream! Winning the MLS Cup again was the icing in the cake to the whole season. The way the boys went from last in the league, to the best gave me cold chills… And it’s still does to this day! 2012 was a great season for LA, and 2013 will be right up there with it.

Frances Sullivan: La Liga writer

There were many candidates for my best moment of 2012. From living in Brazil for the Euros to Real Madrid winning their 32nd La Liga title, from watching the USMNT defeat Mexico in the Azteca Stadium to attending my first MLS game (Dallas vs LA), 2012 was a packed year. Nevertheless, I’m going to have to say the USWNT semifinal game against Canada in the Olympics takes the cake this year. I got to watch the game with a bunch of university friends on a giant screen. The thrill of enduring Christine Sinclair scoring three times against the U.S. and watching our girl come back each time was exhilarating! I was barely breathing by the time Alex Morgan’s header crossed the line four minutes into injury time after extra time was already exhausted. I was freaking out! I totally thought the game was going to penalty kicks. Whew! What. A. Game.

Liz Johnsen: Real Salt Lake writer

Late in the season, Real Salt Lake were playing DC United, and it was defiantly not a game for fair weather fans. Someone in Utah must have infuriated Mother Nature, because the rain and wind were vicious – so bad that the ref called a weather delay not even 20 minutes into the game, after an unsettlingly large lightning strike shook the building. But I like to think that’s how all other teams view the RioT when they come play here! I happened to be taking one of my friends who had never been to a game before, and who was skeptical that soccer was entertaining in the slightest way, shape, or form. We had an hour and a half to kill before the storm passed and the game started again, so I began telling her about everything Real Salt Lake and gave her the unofficial tour of the soggy stadium.

The Supporters Section drunks were great entertainment for us as they formed a dance circle (which in this case ended up being more of a who-could-make-dance-motions-the-longest-without-falling-over-circle), and sang some not so PG rated songs. I was shocked when my friend showed some interest in the team and asked about my favorite player, Will Johnson, and some other players who she had heard me talk about in the past. By the time the game had started again, and she was standing, and singing, and having a great time. She even picked out a favorite player! I kept telling her not to worry that the score was 0-0, and that Will would come through and score. It was really crazy because he actually did! Whenever I say someone is going to score, they usually never do, so of course calling that my favorite player would score the game winner was great, but by converting a baseball fan into a soccer fan, I felt accomplished and everyone went home happy. Except for maybe DC United… They just went home wet.

Trista Lutgring: Editor, Columbus Crew and USMNT writer

Okay, so wow. When I issued this assignment, I didn’t even take a second to think about what I would deem my favorite moment of 2012. There were so many around the league, with the United States Men’s National Team and well, just all over the world! But once I got to thinking about it, the Crew fan in me would only let me choose one moment.

Aug. 15, 2012. It was a game against the LA Galaxy that held a lot more meaning than the usual match ups between the Crew and the west-coast team. A week prior to that game, our rookie midfielder Kirk Urso died for reasons unknown at the time. A promising talent from the University of North Carolina, Kirk had played six games for the Crew, starting five of them. As fans, we were excited about his presence on the team. He was hard working, had talent and, more importantly, had a great, promising future with us. I never met Kirk, I didn’t know him personally and never got to sit at Crew Stadium and watch him take the pitch. But to this day, it still gets me that the Crew Nation lost Kirk just as we were getting to know him.

And Columbus didn’t mourn alone. Major League Soccer and its teams grieved with us. It was the first time in the league’s history that a young player had passed during the season. It was quite unreal for all of us. So when the Crew took to the field Aug. 15 for the first time at home since Kirk’s passing, it was pretty emotional. The number 15 was everywhere, commemorating our fallen player. And I’ll never forget when the 15 minute mark in the match happened and everyone fell silent. The supporter’s section, every person in a seat and on the sidelines dead quite for one minute that just stretched on as banners for Kirk were held high. The silence ended with a bagpipe lead rendition of “Amazing Grace,” which made me tear up and still does now that I am remembering it.

It was a moment I’ll never forget; all of MLS banning with the Crew Nation. Kirk was one of us, Forever Massive, and he will be greatly missed.

“Don’t count your time, make your time count.”

We wouldn’t be worth our salt around here if we didn’t take the prime opportunity of Throwback Thursday to talk about MLS Cup. But wait! I’m not talking about this weekend’s showdown between the LA Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. Come on, it’s Throwback Thursday! I’m talking about the very first, dramatic, crazy, insane MLS Cup back in 1996. Get ready for the awesomeness.

No, you aren’t imagining things. That really is John Harkes holding that trophy.

You’d probably wouldn’t be surprised if I told you the very first MLS Cup was between the LA Galaxy and D.C. United. It was a time of soccer excitement in America on the heels of the 1994 World Cup. The game was even broadcasted on ABC! Bill McDermott’s mustache was crazy and the graphics were even more so. The game went down on a rainy, late October night in front of almost 35,000 fans in Foxborough, Mass.

It was a gross night. The field was water logged. The rain wouldn’t let up. DC United had white kits and the Galaxy’s were kinda atrocious. Bruce Arena was actually coaching for United! And the match was touted as a huge face off between Cobi Jones (and his dreadlocks) and Captain America John Harkes.

For the better part of the match, it was the L.A. Galaxy who were proving to be steadfast. After only five minutes into the final – FIVE! – the west coasters found themselves on the board thanks to a goal notched by forward Eduardo Hurtado. DC United  felt their hopes at nabbing the first ever MLS Cup diminish even more when Chris Armas scored for the Galaxy after the start of the second half.

But 2-0 in the 56th minute doesn’t mean you’re out of the race yet. And DC United weren’t ready to back down. In a crazy miracle, the Black and Red army came storming back.

The first goal to put DC back in it came from Tony Sanneh in the 73rd minute. Late in the match, but that’s still just under 20 minutes. In the 81st minute, second-half substitute Shawn Medved grabbed an unassisted goal, tying up the match and effectively sending the two teams into over time.

That night, it would be Eddie Pope – on an assist from Marco Etcheverry – who would be the hero at Foxborough. In the 94th minute of overtime, he grabbed a goal and sealed the deal for DC United. The first MLS Cup trophy would find its first home in the nation’s capital, where it stayed until 1998.

Amid the downpour, DC fans celebrated. It was pretty epic. Got a few hours to kill? Watch KickTV’s youtube video of the ENTIRE MLS Cup 1996 match. If you don’t have that much time to watch some old school soccer – and old school graphics – skip to the hour mark to see Armas’ goal because it was some great footwork; then to 1:16:00 mark, where you can almost here Alexi Lalas in the back of your mind say “Set pieces, set pieces, set pieces” as Sanneh gets DC’s first goal off a free kick; then to 1:28:00 mark as DC tied it up, which wasn’t pretty, but was great all the same and then of course to 1:41 :00 for Eddie Pope’s header and his slide in the mud.