DC United has a new logo and San Jose is about to rebrand, making the Clash a thing of the past. Retraction looms but expansion offers a promising silver lining as we head into the early 2000s. This is where the MLS Timeline Series gets really exciting with things starting to pick up. Click on the tile to enhance the image. For more, check the season write-up below.

US Open Cup
That’s right, on September 13th of ‘99, Rochester Rhinos defeated Colorado Rapids 2-0 in front of 4,555 fans at Crew Stadium to take the famous old trophy. This Open Cup loss to an A-League club was not a highpoint for MLS, but the state of New York has an incredibly rich soccer history, with its various clubs combining to win 26 USOC championships, 11 more than any other state (Cali clubs have combined for 15).

All Star Game
After trying an International Stars v. American Stars format in ’98, the league went back to the East v. West format used in the ’96 and ’97 seasons. The match-up produced a goal scoring explosion as the West defeated the East 6-4 in San Diego. Wait a minute, why San Diego? It took MLS decision makers a very long time to figure out that an ASG in San Diego (not an MLS market) was a poor use of the event. We’ll get to that in a decade or so.

Regular Season
In the regular season tables, DC United (57 points) won a close race with LA Galaxy (54 points) for the Shield. Dallas Burn put together an impressive season as well, collecting 51 points from 32 matches and falling short of the Supporters’ Shield by just 6 points. At the bottom of the table, New England Revolution managed to finish bottom two in the east for the fourth straight time, setting a club low with only 26 points on the season. Fortunately for the Revs, their ineptitude was overshadowed by the New York MetroStars’ hilarious 15 point season. Out west, the KC Wizards’ poor play was nothing to shake a stick at, as they managed just 20 points from 32 matches. The 1999 season witnessed two of the worst teams in league history, statistically speaking. In MLS’ 19 seasons to date, I’ve counted four clubs that failed to reach the 20 point mark – I’ve listed them here below:

“Points? We don’t need no stinking points!”

• MetroStars (1999): 15 points, 32 matches = .47pts/game
• DC United (2013):16 points, 34 matches = .47pts/game
• TB Mutiny (2001): 14 points, 27 matches = .52pts/game
• Chivas USA (2005): 18 points, 32 matches = .56pts/game
• KC Wizards (1999): 20 points, 32 matches = .63pts/game

Some of the worst single season efforts in MLS history! Two of the above clubs have folded and two more have since re-branded, so being on this list is not a good omen (but I think DCU will be just fine). In terms of the list above, keep in mind that the 2001 regular season was ended prematurely after the events of 9/11 – thus, Tampa only played 27 matches.

There are some weird point totals in the table – like, why do the Rapids only have 48 points if they won 20 matches? Remember, draws were settled with shootouts, which netted the winning club one point rather than three. The 1999 season was the last in which MLS used shootouts to determine the outcome of draws as, the following year, the league adopted the standard W/L/D system most soccer fans are familiar with.

DC Dominance
After DCU’s double in ’96, double in ’97 and their continental title in ’98, they managed yet another double in ‘99, taking the Shield and MLS Cup. Current DCU coach Ben Olsen scored the insurance goal as he and his teammates defeated Sigi Schmid’s LA Galaxy 2-0 at Gillette Stadium.

Future Coaches
The 1999 season was marked by future MLS coaches every step of the way:
-Current NE Revs manager Jay Heaps took ROY honors in Miami
-MVP Jason Kreis managed RSL to an MLS Cup title in 2009 before taking over at NYCFC in 2014
-Current DC United head man Ben Olsen secured his club’s 3^rd league title with a goal in MLS Cup

Awards
-Dallas forward Jason Kreis took MVP honors with 18 goals and 15 assists in 32 matches
-Sigi Schmid earned Coach of the Year honors after leading LA Galaxy to the brink of a title
–Goal of the Year: Midfield blast from MLS legend Marco Etcheverry: watch here
-MLS lifer Kevin Hartman (LA Galaxy) took GK of the Year honors early in his HOF career