The
MLS Cup is the post-season championship of
Major League Soccer, a professional club soccer league based in the United States. The
2000 season was the fifth in the league's history and was contested by twelve teams organized into three divisions (later renamed conferences), each with four teams. The 32-match regular season, which ran for 26 weeks from March to September, was arranged to have each team play opponents within their division four times and six teams outside of their division twice; the regular season also had a set of four
home-and-away matches for two out-of-division teams, determined by standings from the opposite conference in the
1999 season. Prior to the season, MLS eliminated the previously used
countdown clock and shootout tiebreakers in favor of international rules. Referees would manage time on a count-up clock with
stoppage time and tied matches would be allowed following two periods of five-minute
golden goal overtime. The MLS Cup Playoffs ran from mid-September to October and was contested by the winners of the three divisions and five
wild card teams with the most points regardless of division, who were then seeded based on overall standings. The playoffs were organized into three rounds, the first two being a home-and-away series organized into a best-of-three format. Teams were awarded
three points for a win and one point for a draw, and the first team to earn five points would advance. The MLS Cup final remained a single match at a predetermined venue. MLS Cup 2000 was contested by the
Kansas City Wizards of the Western Division and the
Chicago Fire of the Central Division. Both teams finished atop their respective divisions with 57 points, but the Wizards clinched the
Supporters' Shield on the
goal difference tiebreaker by two goals. The Fire, who won the MLS Cup in
1998, were the top-scoring team during the 2000 season, while the Wizards conceded the fewest goals. Kansas City and Chicago met twice during the regular season, trading wins at home; the Wizards won 4–3 on March 25 and the Fire won 3–2 on June 4. MLS Cup 2000 was the first edition of the league's championship to not feature D.C. United, whose stadium was used for the match. The Wizards then finished with a 12–20 record in 1998 and failed to qualify for the playoffs under head coach
Ron Newman, who was fired after a 0–7 start the following year. Newman was replaced by
Bob Gansler, who finished the 1999 season with a 8–24 record, the second-worst in the league, while rebuilding the team's roster. Several members of the inaugural season's team, including forward
Vitalis Takawira and defenders
Sean Bowers and
Scott Uderitz, were waived by the Wizards at the end of the 1999 season, while
Alexi Lalas announced his retirement. Gansler and new general manager
Curt Johnson made several key signing in the offseason, beginning with the acquisition of Danish forward
Miklos Molnar from
Sevilla F.C. in January 2000. The Wizards traded defender
Scott Vermillion to the
Colorado Rapids in exchange for defenders
Peter Vermes and
Matt McKeon, who had previously played for the Wiz. The team signed two players they selected in the
2000 MLS SuperDraft: defender
Nick Garcia, the second-overall pick, and
Kerry Zavagnin, a third-round pick from the A-League. Kansas City finished their preseason with a 3–2–2 record, including two weeks in Bolivia, and saw the return of goalkeeper
Tony Meola from an injury that kept him from playing for most of the 1999 season. The Wizards opened the 2000 season with a 4–3 defeat of the Chicago Fire and went on an eleven-match unbeaten streak, amassing a 10–0–2 record through the end of May. The team's turnaround was credited to an improved defense, conceding only five goals and allowing Meola to earn a league-record shutout streak of 681 minutes, and consistent production from Molnar, who scored nine goals. The streak was broken by Chicago, who won 3–2 at Soldier Field on June 4, but Kansas City remained atop the league standings with an eight-point lead over the
Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Division. Kansas City went winless in four league matches for most of June, in part due to the absence of Molnar while playing for the
Danish national team, but maintained their home shutout streak. The team were also eliminated from the
U.S. Open Cup in a penalty shootout by the
Chicago Sockers of the
USL Premier Development League in the third tier. After a 2–0 defeat of the Galaxy and a scoreless draw with the
San Jose Earthquakes, the Wizards were shutout in three consecutive losses and ended July with a 3–1 victory against the
Columbus Crew. Kansas City was represented in the
2000 MLS All-Star Game with five players, including West captain
Preki, and manager Bob Gansler. Kansas City then lost Meola to a national team call-up and forwards Molnar and
Mo Johnston to injuries, but were able to win 3–0 in San Jose with a starting lineup of reserve players. Following a 2–1 loss to the
Miami Fusion at home, the Wizards began a five-match stretch to close out the season, including four matches played on the road. The team earned draws against the
MetroStars and Colorado Rapids, clinching a playoff spot, while four of its forwards were sidelined with injuries. Kansas City clinched the Western Division title with a 1–0 road victory against the
New England Revolution, which was followed by the Supporters' Shield through a draw against the
Tampa Bay Mutiny with several reserve players. Gansler was named
Coach of the Year for his team's improved record, while Tony Meola earned the
MLS MVP Award,
Goalkeeper of the Year, and
Comeback Player of the Year for his league-record 16 shutouts. Peter Vermes was also named
Defender of the Year for his role in the Wizards' league-best 29 goals conceded. In the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, Kansas City faced the eighth-seed Colorado Rapids, who had eliminated them in the first round of the
1997 playoffs. The Wizards opened their playoff run with a 1–0 victory at home through a Molnar goal in the 18th minute, but were held to a scoreless draw at
Mile High Stadium in Denver to force a third match in the series. The Rapids had the majority of scoring chances in both matches, but were denied by Meola's goalkeeping and a strong defensive performance from the Wizards. Kansas City advanced to the semifinals with a 3–2 victory at home in the third leg of the series, clinching a 7–1 lead on points. The Wizards took the lead in the 11th minute through a goal from
Chris Henderson and followed up with two goals early in the second half from Molnar in the 65th minute and
Francisco Gomez in the 69th minute;
Paul Bravo scored for the Rapids a minute after Gomez's goal, but the team failed to mount a comeback after
Junior Agogo was sent off with a red card. The Wizards played the semifinals against the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Galaxy, who had eliminated them in the
1996 playoffs and had finished as MLS Cup runners-up in 1999. The first leg at
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City ended in a scoreless draw as six
yellow cards were given to players, including three in overtime. The Wizards lost the second leg at the
Rose Bowl in overtime by a 2–1 scoreline, having earned a 1–1 draw in regulation time. Kansas City fell behind in the 16th minute from a shot by
Cobi Jones, but midfielder
Matt McKeon equalized in the 29th minute; substitute defender
Danny Califf, who had returned from the
Summer Olympics team, scored a header in the third minute of golden goal overtime to clinch a Galaxy victory. In the deciding third leg at Arrowhead Stadium, the Wizards went ahead in the 22nd minute through a Molnar
penalty kick and won 1–0 in regulation time, tying the series at four points apiece. During the sixth minute of the ensuing sudden-death overtime, Molnar scored the team's first golden goal of the season by collecting an errant ball from Danny Califf, who had also conceded the penalty kick in regulation time.
Chicago Fire (
pictured in 2016) signed a one-year contract to join the Chicago Fire in 2000 The Chicago Fire entered the league as an
expansion team in 1998 and won the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season under the direction of head coach
Bob Bradley and a core of veteran players from Eastern Europe. Their second season ended in the first round of the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the
Dallas Burn, who mounted a comeback in the third match of the series to win 3–2. The Fire were able to retain most of their starting players over the offseason, but released veterans
Roman Kosecki and
Jerzy Podbrożny to Polish clubs and lost
Frank Klopas to retirement. In early February, Chicago acquired midfielder
DaMarcus Beasley from Los Angeles and selected defender
Carlos Bocanegra with the fourth pick in the MLS SuperDraft to add younger talent to their starting lineup. Bulgarian forward
Hristo Stoichkov was signed to a one-year contract the following month to serve as a veteran star for the team; his signing required the trade of
Francis Okaroh to Miami for compliance with the league's
salary cap. After a month-long preseason in Florida and Costa Rica, the Fire began their regular season campaign with four consecutive away matches and played without goalkeeper
Zach Thornton due to a calf injury. Chicago were defeated in their first two matches, losing 4–2 to Dallas and 4–3 to Kansas City, while captain
Peter Nowak and midfielder
Chris Armas were sidelined with their own injuries. Backup goalkeeper
Greg Sutton was waived by the team after starting in the two losses and replaced by
Chris Snitko, acquired in a trade with Kansas City; Snitko's acquisition forced a further trade of forward
Junior Agogo to comply with the league's salary cap ahead of the signing of veteran midfielder
Mike Sorber from the
New England Revolution. The Fire closed out their road tour with a 2–0 victory against the Columbus Crew and a 2–3 loss to D.C. United in overtime. Chicago returned home to
Soldier Field with a 1–0 victory against the
Miami Fusion, due in part to Thornton's return from his injury and the debuts of Bocanegra and Sorber for the team. The Fire settled into a stretch of five home fixtures over seven matches, winning four times and improving their record to 6–5–1 to overtake Dallas and Tampa Bay for first place in the Central Division. Stoichkov was left out of the starting lineup for most of May due to a groin strain and replaced by
Ante Razov, who recorded 10 goals in 12 matches to lead MLS in scoring and earned the first
hat-trick in club history. Chicago also lost a trio of key players—Razov, Armas, and defender
C. J. Brown—to the U.S. national team for the
2000 U.S. Cup for two weeks in June; as a result, the team dipped into second in the Central Division before regaining their lead with a victories against Kansas City and Miami at home. The Fire stayed atop the Central Division and were five points behind Kansas City in the overall league standings by late June, but conceded late goals to tie Los Angeles and San Jose during a three-match road trip. As the team entered a crowded stretch of league and U.S. Open Cup matches, they lost several players to international call-ups as well as both Stoichkov to a torn groin muscle and defender
Luboš Kubík to a sprained knee for a month. Chicago fell behind Tampa Bay in the Central Division standings entering the All-Star break at the end of July after several draws and overtime matches. The Fire defeated Tampa Bay to draw level with them on points atop the Central Division and the two team stayed tied through two more matches in mid-August. With four of six remaining matches against Central Division rivals, the Fire began an unbeaten streak to clinch the division title and earn a 17–9–6 overall record for the regular season. Following a victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy and tie with Tampa Bay, the latter ending with two injured defenders, Chicago won three consecutive home matches to reach second place in the overall league standings. The Fire finished the regular season with a 3–2 victory in Columbus and tied Kansas City atop the league standings with 57 points, but lost the Supporters' Shield through a tiebreaker. Chicago would enter the playoffs without several injured players as well as Olympic call-ups Josh Wolff and
Evan Whitfield, requiring additional lineup changes. Bocanegra won the
MLS Rookie of the Year Award, while the midfield trio of Armas, Nowak, and Stoichkov were named to the
MLS Best XI for their regular season performances. In the playoff quarterfinals, Chicago faced the seventh-seeded New England Revolution, the only team they hadn't defeated during the regular season. The first leg, played on damaged turf at Soldier Field after a
National Football League game, remained scoreless at half-time but opened with a goal in the 50th minute by
Wolde Harris to give the visiting Revolution a lead. The Fire responded with an equalizer four minutes later through an
own goal by
Mauricio Wright and a second goal in the 73rd minute from
Dema Kovalenko to win 2–1. The series was tied at three points apiece after New England won 2–1 in the second leg at
Foxboro Stadium, taking the lead through a goal from
Eric Wynalda in the 18th minute. A penalty from Stoichkov was saved in first-half stoppage time, but Kovalenko managed to score an equalizer for Chicago in the 83rd minute; the Revolution responded two minutes later with a header from Wright to force a decisive third match. The Fire hosted the final quarterfinal leg and set an MLS record for largest margin of victory in the playoffs by winning 6–0, scoring four times during the first half. Stoichkov and Razov each scored twice, the latter earning four assists to set a team record, while Nowak added a first-half stoppage time shot and
Sam George finished off the match in the 75th minute with his goal. The Fire opened their semifinal series against the New York/New Jersey MetroStars with a 3–0 victory at Soldier Field despite missing Nowak to a hamstring injury. Stoichkov and Kovalenko each scored in the first half, while Razov added an insurance goal late in the second half and Thornton made eight saves to keep a shutout. The MetroStars played the second leg with first-choice goalkeeper
Mike Ammann, who had returned from injury, and shutout the Fire 2–0 at
Giants Stadium to force a third match in the series.
Mark Chung opened the scoring in the 40th minute and
Adolfo Valencia added an insurance goal in the 84th minute, while the Fire offense were stifled and unable to create scoring chances until late in the second half. Chicago clinched a series victory and their second MLS Cup berth by defeating the MetroStars 3–2 at Soldier Field. Following goals from Brown and Stoichkov in the first half-hour of the match, the MetroStars rallied with a pair of goals from Valencia within four minutes to tie the match at 2–2 heading into half-time. The winning goal came in the 88th minute from Razov, who received a long pass from Armas and dribbled around Ammann to break the second-half deadlock.
Summary of results :
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). Playoffs were in best-of-three format requiring five points to advance and sudden death extra time as a tiebreaker. ==Broadcasting==