MLS Cup 2000
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| Date | 15 October 2000 | ||||||
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| Venue |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. |
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| Man of the Match |
Tony Meola (Kansas City Wizards) |
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| Attendance | 39,159 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C) | ||||||
MLS Cup 2000 was the final match of the 2000 MLS Season, and the 5th championship awarded in the history of Major League Soccer.
The match took place on Sunday, 15 October 2000, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., USA, between Kansas City Wizards and Chicago Fire Soccer Club. Kansas City won the match 1-0, with an 11th-minute goal from Danish international Miklos Molnar the difference on the afternoon. It was the first MLS Cup final to not feature an Eastern division club; the first to feature a Central team (Chicago), and the first won by a Western conference team.
The venue chosen to host MLS Cup 2000 was Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.. Home to D.C. United, the venerable stadium has played a significant role in the history of professional soccer in the United States. Soccer Bowl '80 was contested at RFK, which also hosted five games during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The site previously hosted MLS Cup '97 in which D.C. United bested Colorado Rapids 2-1 to raise their second league championship. Ironically the 2000 final was the first MLS final to not have DC United competing in it.
At the time of the match in October 2000, seating capacity within the confines of RFK Stadium was 56,454 spectators.
The match began with Chicago on the offensive early, with Ante Razov and Hristo Stoitchkov creating several attempts within the first ten minutes. In the 11th minute, however, Wizards midfielder Chris Klein stole the ball from Chicago's Diego Gutiérrez near midfield and stormed down the touch line. Klein's cross from the right wing made contact with Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch who failed to clear the ball, allowing Miklos Molnar to make light contact and roll the ball past keeper Zach Thornton for the only goal of the match. The 39,159 fans at RFK Stadium were treated to exciting soccer after Molnar's goal, with the league's best attacking corps hunting for an equalizer against the stout Kansas City defense. Ultimately, Chicago's efforts were stymied by Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola, who capped off a historic season by making 10 impressive saves in the playoff final, notching his 5th shutout of the tournament in addition to 16 clean sheets to his name in the regular season.
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