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'Annual event' L.A. returns to MLS Cup to face perennial power D.C.
Posted: Thursday November 18, 1999 08:52 PM
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- Making the Major League Soccer title game in the league's first year may have worked against the Los Angeles Galaxy. "When you're a young player and you get to a championship game in your first year, ... I'm sure there was an expectation in many of their minds that this is going to become an annual event," Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid said this week as his team prepared for the Sunday's MLS Cup against D.C. United. D.C. is making its fourth consecutive trip to the championship game, having gone every year of the league's existence. But Los Angeles, which blew a two-goal lead in the final 20 minutes of the first MLS Cup as D.C. won in overtime, 3-2, hasn't been back since. "Really, it only has become an annual event for D.C.," Schmid said. "They're a little more cognizant of the fact that this opportunity might not come next year." It almost didn't come this year. The Galaxy won just two of their first five games -- both shootout victories -- and fired head coach Octavio Zambrano. After Schmid, the former UCLA coach, took over, they won 17 of their last 26 regular-season games. After beating Colorado 2-0 in the best-of-3 first round, Los Angeles won the first game of the semifinal series against the Dallas Burn. The Galaxy dropped the second game 3-2 in a shootout, but they came back to win the clincher when Greg Vanney, Carlos Hermosillo and Mauricio Cienfuegos scored to beat Dallas 3-1. Washington swept the Miami Fusion in the first round. After beating Columbus 2-1 in the first game of the semifinals, the United dropped the second game 5-1. But D.C. won the clinching game 4-0 and now goes for its third MLS title. "The team is certainly looking forward for a fourth time to the MLS finals," coach Thomas Rongen said. "This organization has always set their goals very high and lofty. "We always talk about the MLS Cup. We always talk about trying to go as far as we can," said Rongen, who joined the team after Bruce Arena stepped down to lead the U.S. national team. "Getting there is easy, but staying there is very tough. This season has been quite a test for us. But a test that we've been able to weather."
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