With the 2018 regular season officially complete, D.C. United are preparing to enter the postseason for the 14th time in the club's 23 seasons. In those 14 playoff appearances, the Black-and-Red have brought four MLS Cups back to the District and have created countless exciting memories for the United faithful. Take a look back at D.C. United's playoff history before they start another postseason run this Thursday, Nov. 1 against the Columbus Crew at Audi Field.
The Beginning: 1996-1999
Between 1996 and 1999, United qualified for the postseason four times and won three MLS Cups in what was a dominant beginning for one of the league's original clubs.
In the inaugural MLS Cup final, United went down 2-0 to the LA Galaxy, but completed a 3-2 comeback to hoist their first of many trophies. In 1997, they won both the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup, defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-1 at RFK Stadium in front of a raucous home crowd.
In 1998, the Black-and-Red went on to win the Eastern Conference Championship and returned to the MLS Cup, but fell 2-0 to the Chicago Fire. They returned to the MLS Cup again in 1999, though, and defeated the LA Galaxy 2-0, finishing their fourth season with a third MLS Cup.
Ray Hudson and the Nowak Years: 2003-2007
United didn’t qualify for the MLS postseason again until 2003, when they were defeated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Chicago Fire. The following season, head coach Ray Hudson was replaced by Piotr Nowak, who would return D.C. United to the top of the league. In 2004, the Black-and-Red won their fourth MLS Cup with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards.
United again made a playoff appearance in 2005, but were eliminated by an aggregate scoreline of 4-0 over the two legs against the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In 2006, United finished top of the league, earning another Supporters’ Shield after a record-setting campaign, but exited the postseason in the Conference Finals. In 2007, they defended their Supporters’ Shield, but again fell out of the postseason early.
Resurgence under Ben Olsen: 2012-Present
Ben Olsen took over as head coach for D.C. United in 2010 and began his coaching era following his successful playing career with the Black-and-Red. When Olsen took the reigns, Homegrown goalkeeper Bill Hamid had already been brought into the first team, and was an important core piece in United's roster build. In 2012, the team added Nick DeLeon and the season finished similarly to how United earned their playoff spot this year—the Black-and-Red went on a seven-game unbeaten streak at the end of the season to surge into the playoffs. United carried that momentum over into the postseason, defeating the New York Red Bulls in dramatic fashion in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but ultimately lost in the conference finals to the Houston Dynamo.
United missed the playoffs in 2013, but returned in 2014 after completing a turnaround from the worst team in the league to first place in the Eastern Conference. The squad qualified for the postseason, but exited early against the New York Red Bulls. The Black-and-Red went on to qualify for the playoffs again in 2015 and 2016, but didn’t advance past the conference semifinals either year.
Now, after an unforgettable 2018 campaign, United are looking to change the recent narrative of early exits and make their deepest postseason run in recent history. Having completed a climb from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a playoff spot and the No. 4 seed in the East, the Black-and-Red will now look to capitalize on their postseason opportunity as they take the field for the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
