Why MLS’s Search for Parity Torpedoed DC United, the League’s First Dynasty | OneFootball

DC United was the standard-bearer of MLS in its early years. But in the league’s ever-bothersome search for parity, the team’s early success led to it being dismantled as other clubs were largely behind.

In 30 years of MLS, there has been one constant: parity. The league has never believed in the hierarchy system that has gripped global soccer for the last century. When MLS kicked off in 1996, the idea was to bring everyone along for the ride, as it was an “all for one and one for all” approach to soccer for over a decade, and arguably even to this day.

In those 30 years, some teams have had their eras: the LA Galaxy reigned supreme during the Beckham era, the Seattle Sounders had a nice run through the late 2010s, and the most recent expansion era has given birth to fast risers like Atlanta United and LAFC. But before them all, there was DC United — the first “dynasty” that MLS ever saw.

Still, for many reasons, be it salary cap constraints, constant player churn, or in the case of DC United, the league’s efforts to spread the wealth across all of its teams, winning in MLS at times has come at a price. Just ask the current reigning MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy, who saw a few of their players surplus to cap issues.

It’s hard to ask an MLS fan which team is the league’s version of Real Madrid, River Plate, or AC Milan — one that has stood out above the rest. The Galaxy have six MLS Cups, but they went a decade without one before winning in 2024.

In 1996, DC United started a winning tradition that eventually caught up with the club, and the team has never really recovered since.

The Foundation

Credit: Otto Greule Jr./Allsport

When DC United kicked off in 1996, they were guided by Bruce Arena and president Kevin Payne. One of the few clubs that made intelligent draft picks when the league first started, Arena and the DC brass made sure to bring in players that they were familiar with from the University of Virginia, where Arena had coached.

Richie Williams, Clint Peay, Raúl Díaz Arce, John Maessner, Steve Rammel, Eddie Pope, and Tony Sanneh were all key picks from the league’s inaugural draft and college draft. The league would allocate Jeff Agoos, Marco Etcheverry, and United States men’s national team captain John Harkes to the roster, giving DC United, on paper, a team that could do damage.

Also, DC United was the only team of the inaugural 10 in the league to have a “soccer” name, with most of the teams having distinctly American sports names like the Mutiny, MetroStars, Wiz, or Burn. DC United, who dabbled with possible names such as Spies, Americans, and Eagles, eventually kept it simple, and their crest was one of the most elegant of the new league.

The team got off to a rough start, and Arena leaving in the summer to coach the U.S. Olympic team in Atlanta didn’t help. However, the arrival of Bolivian international Jaime Moreno, combined with Etcheverry blossoming after convincing Arena not to cut him, turned things around, and the franchise became nearly unbeatable.

DC United would go on to win the first-ever MLS Cup with a come-from-behind victory over the flashier LA Galaxy, who had Cobi Jones, Jorge Campos, and Mauricio Cienfuegos. The goal, a golden goal, was scored by Pope, who’d go on to become one of the best American players of all time.

Ten days later, DC United would complete what is now an often-forgotten double, winning the U.S. Open Cup over the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League.

The club’s .500 regular season record was quickly forgotten with the pair of titles, and it would soon solidify itself as the class of the league thanks to good coaching and a cohesive roster.

1997: The Start of a Dynasty

When 1997 rolled around, many MLS teams were still trying to get their feet wet in running serious organizations, some with barely a clue on how to run a soccer club. DC United continued their good form from their inaugural year, and in 1997 were the most dominant team in the league.

United had several key additions, including goalkeeper Scott Garlick, future USMNT defender Carlos Llamosa, and on-again, off-again USMNT striker Roy Wegerle. The “magic triangle” of Diaz Arce, Etcheverry, and Moreno solidified the best attack in all of MLS, while Pope, Harkes, and Williams were the keys to keeping the team balanced.

In 1997, DC United won the Supporters’ Shield and would go on to repeat as MLS Cup champion. They almost pulled off a treble, losing in the U.S. Open Cup final to the Dallas Burn. On the international stage, Arena’s team made it to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, losing to the LA Galaxy.

Raul Diaz Arce, one of the most influential players in MLS history. Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT

Domestically, DC United had no equal. The team steamrolled to a 21-11 record, scoring 70 goals, by far the most in the league.

1998 would be the culmination of DC United’s dominance and MLS’ big alarm that their parity was being taken over in the nation’s capital.

A poor off-the-field relationship between Diaz Arce and Etcheverry led to the former being traded. Arce was a smash hit for the Salvadoran fanbase, and MLS made sure that Arce would eventually find his way a market where fans from El Salvador were a priority.

With Diaz Arce gone, DC United eventually obtained one of the league’s top scorers, Roy Lassiter, for Roy Wegerle — a steal considering the output of each. The team also welcomed Ben Olsen, a rookie from the University of Virginia.

Arena guided his stacked team to a 24-8 record, but with seven wins via shootout, which were less points than a win in regulation, they lost the Supporters’ Shield to the LA Galaxy despite having the same win-loss record.

DC United would eventually lose the MLS Cup, having been to the final for the third time in three years, to the expansion side Chicago Fire. A bitter pill to swallow, especially considering in the summer the team had defeated Mexican side Toluca to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The club would end the year winning the biggest international title an MLS club has won to date, defeating 1998 Copa Libertadores champion Vasco da Gama in a two-leg series for the Copa Interamericana.

It resulted in a “goodbye” for Arena, who took over the USMNT following the debacle that was the 1998 World Cup for the nation, and the beginning of the end of the DC United dynasty.

The Downfall

By the start of 1999, there were growing rumblings in MLS headquarters over the dominance of DC United. Despite the Galaxy having a decent side and the Chicago Fire having a great first season, there was real concern that DC’s dominance was resulting in many MLS fans tuning out as their teams did not seem to be viable contenders.

By this time, the MetroStars had already established a history of underperformance and poor signings, and the Dallas Burn, Columbus Crew, and Kansas City Wizards were good but never good enough to challenge for a crown.

The rest of the league had major concerns over their red numbers and survival, let alone trying to challenge DC United, while some teams had already begun talks of possibly ceasing operations as MLS’ red ink began to pile up and cost-cutting had already led many clubs to not push the league for players that could lift their sides.

John Harkes, captain of the DC United dynasty, was traded to New England in 1999 due to salary cap restrictions. Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty

One of the first major moves that DC United was “forced” to make was trading Harkes to the ailing yet decent-market New England Revolution in 1999.

By then, the Revs had decent attendance numbers but were not really a player in the league. Harkes, on the other hand, was the subject of much controversy. He was left off the 1998 USMNT World Cup roster for “leadership issues.” It was later revealed that those “issues” came in the form of an extramarital affair with the wife of his USMNT teammate Eric Wynalda.

The Harkes trade to New England was said to be made for salary cap reasons, but strangely enough, the trade happened in early February with little to no reports that DC United even had a salary cap concern.

Tony Sanneh left the club to play in Germany, and others like Mario Gori were also moved to make room for other players who may not have been up to the standard of those before.

Now coached by Thomas Rongen, DC United nonetheless continued their dominance, finishing first in the East in 1999, winning the Supporters’ Shield, advancing to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and then winning MLS Cup for a third time against the LA Galaxy.

Winners of three of the first four MLS Cups and eight trophies in four years, by 2000, MLS would make sure that DC’s reign over the league would end via the salary cap. Diego Soñora was forced to leave the team, and Roy Lassiter was also made surplus to cap restrictions.

A past-his-prime Diaz Arce would return, but in a league with little depth, the losses of Harkes, Lassiter, Soñora, and Sanneh over a two-year period hurt the club as the team did not have adequate replacements.

Marco Etcheverry, a key cog in the early DC United success. Credit: Stephen Dunn /Al

In 2000, United got off to a slow and horrific start, and would win only eight matches all season. The club did not reach the postseason for the first time in their history and were not contenders in any other cup competitions.

In 2001, the club, without adding new faces of importance to freshen the team, did not fare any better and would miss the playoffs until 2003, when in Etcheverry’s last season, the team was a shell of its former self.

DC United would rebound in 2004 however, winning the MLS Cup led by Argentine Cristian Gomez. A small resurgence from 2004-07 saw United as one of the best teams in the league once more, and the club would win the U.S. Open Cup in 2008.

Mismanagement and poor decisions also led DC United to lose its mojo of its early days, but MLS itself was a major factor in DC United not keeping its momentum.

How would MLS look today had DC United been allowed to naturally run its course and build off of its success, like so many other soccer clubs all around the world have done? Today, the club may have been one of the top teams in its region. Instead, DC United today is a trivia question, a team talked about in the past tense.

A lot has happened in the over 25 years since DC United dominated in its early days, but like so much about MLS, their downfall was unnatural. The wheels of their bus were purposely punctured to allow less ambitious and incompetent clubs to catch up.

While on paper it may have been a “smart” business decision to press DC United into breaking up its core for the benefit of the rest, the reality is, DC’s early success in MLS set a precedent that the league has yet to shake: “Do good, but not too good.”

In MLS’ world of parity, the first casualty is ambition.