MLS Cup '96. Those were the days...

As I ask myself, “Who is Rosel Mateus?” while delving into the annals of netnography, I take a stroll down memory lane.

I am currently watching a flash from the past: MLS Cup 96, the first edition of Major League Soccer’s championship game. I am looking at the players the Galaxy had on that team. It was 1996, and Foxboro Stadium was the venue. I can notice some key differences. Back in 1996…

MLS used the countdown method that the NCAA uses. No stoppage time. No two extra time periods followed by a shootout. Only overtime sudden death periods.

The Galaxians were the only support group for the Galaxy. The Riot Squad would not be created until a few years later.

The G’s played at the Rose Bowl. The Home Depot Center would not be built for nearly a decade.

The introductions of the teams did not follow FIFA protocol back then.

Chivas USA was just an idea that someone would come up with. They would not be around until about a decade later.

Landon Donovan was still in high school.

David Beckham was at his peak down at Manchester United.

I only followed them every now and then. I was just starting middle school.

DC United would defeat LA in overtime, 3-2. But I saw some of the people that have since retired. Eduardo Hurtado was the ace of the G’s at the time. Robin Fraser was the captain. Harut Karapetyan was playing, as well as some unknowns that new Galaxy fans may not have heard of. Tampa Bay had a number of award winners. The Mutiny, after a few seasons, folded.

Fast forward to this year, and Cobi Jones is retiring at the end of this season. This will be the end of an era when the final home game is done. After a decade of success, the Galaxy fell on tough times, and now my team enters a period of transition.

I will miss Cobi Jones. I’m not kidding.