Match meets stellar standards set by the league this season For the first time since the inaugural season, the MLS Cup game could easily rank among the top five games of the season. According to participants and observers, the lack of scoring in Kansas City’s victory did not detract from the entertainment value of the match. As an event, the season finale helped offset the ugly smudge of the abysmal playoff attendances and clearly stated that MLS continues to improve as an on-field product. “The league is much, much better,” Chicago midfielder Peter Nowak said. “You saw the domination of D.C. United, then we won the championship, now Kansas City, so there’s a lot of changing in the league right now, and of course it’s change for the better.” On a glorious, 70-degree day in the nation’s capital, 39,159 came to RFK Stadium. The attendance figure ranks fourth among the five MLS Cups, but this year’s finalists had no big-name Latin players and neither team’s fans were within driving distance. Furthermore, the game competed locally with the most ballyhooed NFL game of the season, Baltimore at Washington. IN YEARS PAST. Compared with the four other MLS Cup games, this year’s probably is second in drama behind D.C. United’s 3-2 overtime stunner over Los Angeles in the pouring rain at Foxboro Stadium in 1996. Last year’s final was a bit of a letdown when the L.A. Galaxy surrendered a clinching goal on a goalkeeper blunder. It was played on a horrendous field strafed with football lines. The Galaxy never truly threatened to tie and the champions, D.C. United, did not produce their most attractive soccer. The 1998 final was better, as Chicago proved its defensive label inaccurate, but a couple disputed calls left their mark and United never seemed ready. With United at home for the 1997 final, a boisterous crowd in a steady rain elevated the game’s aura. Colorado, an extreme underdog, put forth a gutsy effort, but the result was rarely in doubt. This year, the match crackled from start to finish. Miklos Molnar’s early goal was hardly a thing of beauty, but Chicago’s explosive, imaginative attacks prevented fans from reclining for long. When the final whistle sounded after six minutes of extra time, a massive sigh of disappointment from those fans not committed to either side indicated that the audience wanted more. “My initial thoughts of the game were that when Kansas City got the first goal that it would be a really defensive game, maybe drab,” U.S assistant Dave Sarachan said. “But I thought as the game went on and Chicago pushed the issue, to me, it was a good game to watch. … As a final goes, even though it was 1-0, it was quite entertaining.” Bruce Arena agreed that the quality of play by both teams spoke well for the progress the league has made. “This year, I think it’s a little better because from top to bottom, it was more competitive,” Arena said. “The league probably was strained a little bit due to expansion in 1998, maybe a little bit in 1999, but now they were able to put 12 solid teams on the field. … Obviously, in the 1996 final, you can’t write a better story than that one. Who can criticize finals? Hats off to all the champions. But I think it is getting better.” by Soccer America associate editor Will Kunhs in Washington, D.C.