MLS News

Relive MLS Cup 1996 on its 24th anniversary

On October 20, 1996, the first-ever MLS Cup was held at Foxboro Stadium. The match pitted D.C. United against the LA Galaxy, who put on a thrilling performance in a torrential downpour. The Galaxy, led by Cobi Jones and Jorge Campos, took a 2-goal lead midway through the second half. But D.C. United, then coached by Bruce Arena and led by stars Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno, came back late to force the game into extratime, during which rookie Eddie Pope scored a "golden goalā€ to give United the title.


Today, October 20th, MLS will celebrate this momentous occasion with a day of content, anchored by a livestream replay of the match at 3:30PM ET on YouTube and Facebook. In addition, MLSsoccer.com will bring back the 2017 minidoc Birth of a Dynasty: The Story of the 1996 MLS Cup Final and the unique @MLSin96 on Instagram handle will showcase classic images and content all day, culminating in a special IG Live with former D.C. United stars John Harkes, Tony Sanneh, and Richie Williams.