Be it Marco Etcheverry, be it Eddie Pope, be it Jaime Moreno and the list goes on of players that I still put in my all-time Best MLS XI. Talking about the dynasty, which we all had created through ’99, which is something I’m still extremely proud of to say that I was part of a club that dominated MLS early on and still has, you know, two or three or four players that will fit into my Best MLS XI all time. United.Īnd at the end of the day, actually, Bruce had recommended me to Kevin Payne and said, ‘Based on what I’ve seen from other teams around the league, Thomas Rongen’s team comes the closest to what we’re trying to achieve in terms of playing style.’ So that was a huge compliment when Kevin reached out to me and said he was aligned with Bruce and thought that I was the best guy for the job.Īnd here we are in ’99, we start the season, fast forward and we win an MLS Cup in my first year, which was pretty special for me and obviously the third one for D.C. Those are all the things that attracted me to D.C. Bruce was very proactive, Bruce was attacking-minded, Bruce played a good brand of football, and that’s something that, you know, is in my genes as a Dutch-born player: 4-3-3, play in the half of the opponent. the first three years that I was with both the Mutiny and with the New England Revolution.Īt the end of the day, the attraction to me was the way that the club philosophically - off but more so on the field - fit well with my own way of thinking for how the game should be played. They were (one of the) best teams in ’96 with my team, the Tampa Bay Mutiny, but I was always attracted to D.C. Their own facility, players and management together at one facility, done right with a proper name, you know? They stuck to their guns when it came to originally naming the team. United from day one with Kevin (Payne) and Bruce (Arena) at the helm looked like a real team. What did you know about the club and what attracted you to that opportunity?Ī: As early trendsetters in MLS, D.C. Q: You were already coaching in MLS when you accepted the job with D.C. ITunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play | SoundCloud Rongen’s year-by-year league record with the Black-and-Red was as follows: His managerial career continued with stops at Chivas USA, American Samoa, Toronto FC (academy director) and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. United through 2001 before accepting a job with United States U-20 men’s national team. Rongen, a Dutchman, had spent the prior two seasons coaching the New England Revolution, from 1997-98, and spent the league’s inaugural season running the Tampa Bay Mutiny in ’96. Our next viewpoint comes from head coach Thomas Rongen, who joined the club prior to the ’99 season. Over the next few weeks, we will recreate the ’99 season through the memories of those who lived it: the players, coaches and staff members who exorcised their demons from a crushing defeat in the 1998 MLS Cup to hoist a trophy and parade it through the streets of Washington D.C., rewarding those faithful fans who had stuffed RFK Stadium to its capacity all year. Defender Jeff Agoos, midfielder Marco Etcheverry and forward Jaime Moreno were all named to the MLS Best XI, tied with the Galaxy for the most players from a single team. That season, under the direction of first-year coach Thomas Rongen, United posted the best record in MLS (23-9), scored the most goals in MLS (65) and finished with the best defensive performance in franchise history (43 goals conceded). And on that balmy November afternoon at Foxboro Stadium, before a raucous crowd of nearly 45,000 fans, United bested the LA Galaxy in a 2-0 victory that served as the capstone for a remarkable campaign. United captured its third MLS Cup in four seasons to cement its legacy as the first true dynasty in league history, a claim that would be strengthened when the Black-and-Red captured another title five years later.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |