The 1997 DC United squad was one of the most dominant in league history. They would cap off the 1997 regular season (which saw them win the Supporters Shield) by repeating as MLS Cup Champion. They were the first to ever win the double, so they must be included in this list at #4.
DC was especially nasty at home, winning eleven games and scoring nearly 2.5 goals per game on average. Remarkably though, they also won ten games on the road, which I believe is an MLS record (though this was back in the no tie era, so some of those wins came in shootouts).
Offense was DC’s forte in 1997, as the team scored 70 goals in 32 games, thirteen more than the next closest team. Jaime Moreno led the league in goals, and Raul Diaz Arce, his teammate, was second, which may be the only time two players from the same team finished #1 and #2 in goals.
What was really remarkable about these two players’ goalscoring output though is that neither of them played in more than 22 games. Overall, DC simply had no equal in 1997, and their historic first double should be celebrated by all MLS fans. That’s why they belong at #4 on this list.
