The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 53

1 tit, OUftlUlN mUHUlXl', IMMtShlt 'Z, 1 MLS Cup MLS Cup notebook League's bar has been raised Worthy standard set in final A zivarm A. JUL VJLIA, D.C. still the one By Frank Dell'Apa GLOBK STAFF 1 FOXBOROUGH Their locker room was an intriguing mix of ringing cell phones, Vif rr-x L-sf 7T cigar smoke, fi ill and pmntv bottles of Do-maine Ste. Mi FOXBOROUGH D.C. United still playing and succeeding with fhe same style that Bruce Arena established before he departed to coach the US national team this par.

i "This was a pretty good game ifiVen though it was a narrow and humpy field," said Arena, who celebrated United's 2-0 victory over Los Angeles by smoking a cigar in the D.C. locker room. "I'm not surprised about who won. D.C. is still the best tam in the league.

The Galaxy probably gave them too much room in the first half." WJ Arena said "the game was decided in one minute at the end of the first half," after the Galaxy's Cobi Jones failed to convince referee Tim Weyland of a penalty, and Kevin Hartman's failure to clear led to Ben Olsen scoring the second goal. Arena is having success with the US, but he must miss Marco Etcheverry, who has led D.C. to three MLS Cup titles. si "Marco is the best player in the league," Arena said. "He also has a tfealthy attitude.

He accepts all his responsibilities on and off the field. He has a special personality. Clau-dip Reyna Glasgow Rangers is the best American player, but he doesn't bring the kind of personality to the game that Marco does. But the American players are developing. Jhe mistake Kevin Hartman made is Jhe mistake a young goalkeeper makes.

But by the time he's 30, he will be a terrific goalkeeper." Asked about the dominance of D.C, Arena said: "If they do dominate, it's not bad for the league. Good soccer is good for the league. In the first three years, they were so adamant about not allowing anyone to dominate. But if you have a team that does dominate, the others have to catch up, and when that happens, then you will have a real league." the process." Although United general manager Kevin Payne said his team is one of the strongest in the hemisphere, the reality is that you could take this team to Mexico and find plenty of competition for it The beauty, though, is that the team's coaches and players are not satisfied with being dominant in MLS. They are constantly seeking improvement, constantly seeking an advantage, constantly looking for local and international talent.

That, too, makes them good. "I think we got a head start on a lot of teams from the very beginning," defender Eddie Pope said. "We have had coaches who know how to put teams together. And everything surrounding the team -like training facilities has always been first-class. We have done things that other teams don't even think about doing." At this moment, someone in LA is saying that the previous statements are ridiculous.

They are saying that the Galaxy could have won the title if defender of the year Robin Fraser hadn't been knocked out of the game with a fractured clavicle. Fraser was in the game for nine minutes before there was contact with United's Roy Lassiter. Depending on whom you ask, it was either excessive contact or an unfortunate circumstance. Not only that, the Galaxy were victims of one of the sloppiest plays I have seen in any sport this year. In the 45th minute, trailing 1-0, all Galaxy goalie Kevin Hartman had to do was pick up the ball and kick it to Walpole.

Instead incredibly -he fiddled with the ball like he was playing by himself in his backyard. Ben Olsen, the game's MVP, got the ball and put it into the net that Hartman was not defending. "A huge mistake," smiled Arena. "A young goalie will make mistakes like that." And a dynastic team will take advantage of those mistakes. "You can say he made a mistake," Pope said, "but we talked about things like that before the game.

We talked about chasing the back passes, putting pressure on those passes." The more you parted the thick cigar smoke in the champions' locker room and listened to their testimonials, the more you understood that they don't have any hidden secrets to their success. They are members of the most idealistic pro league in the country. Everyone has the same salary cap, which is under $1.5 rnillion per team (for perspective, the Bruins' Byron Dafoe makes over $3 million, the salary cap for two MLS teams). There is not a drastic large- and small-market disparity like there is in baseball. There are no six-year, $70-plus million contract extensions like the ones you see in basketball.

New England has just as much of a title chance as D.C. "They are not that far from being a playoff team," Arena said of the Revolution, "but they are a long way from being a championship team." Rongen agreed with that but insisted that he didn't have enough time to talk about it. The Revolution and the rest of the league had better find out what they don't know and what United does know. The sooner they find out, the stronger the league will be. GLOBE STAFF PHOTO MATTHEW J.

LEE D.C.'s Roy Lassiter (right) is chopped down by a vigorous slide from Galaxy defender Roy Myers. United roll to third crown Superior tactics, experience render Galaxy lost in space chelle, outrageous statements "I think we are one of the best teams in the hemisphere!" and smiling people, roughly 95 percent of whom did not take the pitch for D.C. United in their 2-0 MLS Cup win over the Los Angeles Galaxy yesterday. It was good to see so many happy people, but the postgame celebration was not the reason that yesterday afternoon was American soccer's best in four months. United coach, Thomas Rongen, sat on a Foxboro Stadium bench, crossed his legs, and tapped on a fresh pack of Camels.

He used to be the Revolution's head coach, but the team fired him. Now he is the coach of a three-time league champion. He was asked why New England has been a three-time playoff outsider. "There's too much to tell," he said. "I don't have enough time to tell you about it." He took a slow drag, exhaled, and said, "Right now, I'm just going to talk to my wife." Rongen then spotted his wife under a tree.

The couple hugged and laughed and kissed under the tree as if they were dating for the first time. It was good to see a coach win a title one year after he was fired, but his redemption was not the reason yesterday was American soccer's best afternoon in four months. A lot of people will tell you the day was great because 44,910 fans came to the stadium when they could have been at home watching Patriots-Dolphins on television. Those people are right, but that is only half the story. Having in the stadium is one thing, but you better make sure you have something good to show them.

D.C. United did that and simultaneously raised the ante in this four-year-old MLS game. And that is the reason American soccer had its best afternoon since July, when the women's national team defeated China and won the World Cup in a shootout. What D.C. United did yesterday was force the league to play catchup.

There have been four championship games in league history. United has won three and lost one. This is not a fluke. The truth is that the team Bruce Arena built (and the one Rongen coaches) is embarrassingly better than everyone else. In other words, the league is not strong enough.

The challenge from United is simple: Match our level of play, or watch us become the Cana-diens, Celtics, Bulls, Yankees, or 49ers. Any pro soccer league in the US needs this challenge. The concept of the MLS is good; now the overall play has to catch up to the concept. "Some people think dynasties are bad for the league," Arena said. "I think they're good.

To say the top team should be knocked down doesn't make any sense. It's stupid. You want to make the weak teams stronger, but you to make the strong teams weaker in MLS CUP Continued from Page El cess that began with a rain-soaked win over the Galaxy in the 1996 final at Foxboro Stadium. Afterward, there was talk of a D.C. dynasty, but considering the short history of the league, D.C.

dominance seems more accurate. United set the tone early and capitalized on the absence of the Galaxy's Robin Fraser, the league's top defender, who departed with a broken left collarbone in the ninth minute. The Galaxy thought United striker Roy Lassiter should have been cautioned on the play, but referee Tim Weyland did not call a foul. After that, United took command. Jaime Moreno capitalized on a misdirected header by Steve Jolley, Fraser's replacement, to score in the 19th minute.

Later, a minute after the Galaxy's Cobi Jones's appeals for a penalty kick were denied, Ben Olsen finished a poor clearance by goalkeeper Kevin Hartman for a two-goal lead in first-half injury time. The Galaxy probably deserved a slightly better fate, but Marco Etcheverry seemed capable of creating as many goals as necessary for United. "When Fraser went out, that changed things," said United's Thomas Rongen, a former Revolution coach. "But you have to roll with the punches, like both teams have done all year." Rongen was speaking figuratively, but this was an uneven, physical game, quite unlike the '96 final, which was wide open and produced a dramatic finish. It concluded with Rongen confronting the Galaxy's Jones and Roy Myers after a foul in front of the D.C.

bench. The tightness of the field 68 yards by 106 yards -detracted from the aesthetics of the match. But D.C, accustomed to wide-open RFK Stadium, adjusted, just as it had during an Eastern Conference final against Columbus. "The Columbus series was very physical, and that helped us prepare for this game," D.C. defender Eddie Pope said.

"But the referee got ahold of the game early. He called the diving and the fouls from behind. Most of the fouls we got were fouls. "This has been a long season, and we have been criticized, both the defense and the team. But we used that to get us mad.

That and the fact that we lost last year (to Chicago, 2-0) pushed us to win this game." And D.C. was made to feel at home by about 5,000 United supporters, who cheered continuously after Christina Aguilera concluded the national anthem. But the majority of the 44,910 were local fans, who by now have a great appreciation for United. D.C. has been setting standards throughout MLS but has not found a more welcoming stadium than at Foxboro, where it has won two titles and lost only once in regulation time in 10 games.

Etcheverry and Moreno placed their stamp on the game early. Moreno pressured Jolley, who surrendered a throw-in. Etcheverry's ensuing throw was headed back by Jolley, directly to Roy Lassiter, whose point-blank shot was kick-saved by Hartman directly to Moreno, who converted. The Galaxy's Danny Pena headed a corner off the post in the 32d minute, and Richie Williams cleared the rebound off the line. D.C.

clinched the victory three minutes into injury time, which MLS used for the first time in this game, conforming with FIFA regulations. Jolley played a long clear back to Hartman, who was being pressured by Lassiter. Hartman was fortunate his miskick slipped past Lassiter, then scuffed the clearance directly to Olsen. Jones pressured the D.C. defense in the second half.

But United's Richie Williams kept Mauricio Cienfuegos in check, and Galaxy striker Carlos Hermosillo seldom was in position to score. Midway through the second half, United put together a series of passes to go the length of the field before Olsen volleyed Etcheverry's pass off the side of the net. A few minutes later, Williams's 25-yard blast hit the crossbar. "Every championship is the same for me," Etcheverry said. "But I've been waiting a year for this one." Record crowd The crowd of 44,910 was an area record for a two club teams.

The jfrevious high was 38,633 for Columbus' 1-0 win over the Revolution Sept. 21, 1996. The match was marred by audio publicity announce-jnents, and the Foxboro Stadium field was discolored and marred by football markings. Etcheverry was among the few who was unaffected by the difficult bounces. "The field was so bad, it was like we were playing with bunnies instead of a ball because it was jumping all over," Etcheverry said.

Asked why he seemed to have no difficulty controlling the ball, Etcheverry said: "I am working becoming a better player." Eraser gets collared Galaxy captain Robin Fraser departed in the ninth minute with a bjrpken left collarbone after being hit from behind by Roy Lassiter. "It should have been a foul, but there was no malice behind it," Fraser said. "He didn't mean to break my collarbone. But forwards seem to be able to take more liberties with defenders." Jones said he deserved penalty kick after being taken down by John Maessner late in the first half. "He clipped me from behind, and that's obviously a penalty kick," Jones said.

"The referee said jtT wasn't a penalty. But it doesn't matter how you go down. If he hits you in the penalty area, it's a penalty, and a good referee calls it." Tom Hill, a member of the Revolution's Midnight Riders supporters elub, was arrested in the parking lot "for selling beer without a license." Hill said the group was providing beer and food free and collecting donations for the club and its Etcheverry again unites teammates in ultimate effort ByJimGreenidge GLOBE STAFF D.C. UNITED 2, LOS ANGELES 0 "Three rings, we had to work hard all year for them, and next season we'll get a fourth. I hope, I wish.

I want to win more rings. I love the rings," he added. "It was very hard last season, and now it's different. We feel we're the best; we showed we're the best team, working hard 100 percent in each practice." Etcheverry, the MVP of the 1998 MLS regular season, sees the game differently than most. He sees weird paths, strange entryways.

It's almost as though he's looking at the game from many different angles, much like Larry Bird when he had the basketball for the Celtics. "I love soccer; I try to learn every day," Etcheverry said. "I want to win in my heart. Every title we've won with this team is equal. And if you've won one, two, or three titles, you can win it one more time.

We dominated this "We knew we had the best team in that tournament, and I'm not sure why we lost," Etcheverry said. "I just know that I love to win. This is my role; I love to win." And that's what D.C. United did yesterday, beating the Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-0, at Foxboro Stadium to win the team's third MLS Cup in four attempts. It accomplished its feat with Etcheverry in control pressing the action and bringing the ball upfield.

"We have three championships, we work hard, we're a very good team, and everybody plays 100 percent to be the best team," said Etcheverry, who sent in the ball from a corner kick for D.C. United's first goal at the 19th minute. "Last year was very hard to lose the game, and I told the guys I was only happy for five minutes, I've been waiting for this championship ever since. game because this locker room is very compact, everybody is so close, and to be a member of the D.C. United is to be the best" In D.C.

United's 4-0 win against Columbus in the third game of its playoff series, Etcheverry had a goal and three assists. "He slid to the forefront, and he took control, carrying the team on his shoulders," said D.C. United defender Eddie Pope. The ball was at his feet, and he has incredible presence in the way he distributes the ball" Added D.C. United defender Geoff Aunger, a former Revolution player, "Marco has a lot of skill and ability; he has the heart of a lion as a champion.

You see can the pride and the desire in his eyes to be No. that's what separates him from a lot of players." That's Marco Etcheverry, three times an MLS Cup champion. FOXBOROUGH It left a sour taste with D.C. United captain Marco Etcheverry when his team went to the Major League Soccer Cup finals last season, only to lose to the Chicago Fire, 2-0. That was the first time in three MLS Cups that D.C.

had been denied. So Etcheverry, a D.C. midfielder, addressed veterans and newcomers alike about one thing and one thing only on the first day of the preseason. Etcheverry plays the MLS season for one reason: the title, nothing more. And then in late August, Etcheverry talked to his teammates again, after they had turned in a poor effort in losing, 3-1, to Nexaca, the Mexican team, during the Football Confederation Championship.

at Foxbere Stadtuai C. United 2 0-2 Angles 0-0 Scoring: DC. Moreno (Lassiter) 18rh minute; DC. Olsen (unassisted) 48rh. Goaties-DC.

PresthuS: LA, Hartman. Attendriace: 44.910. (30.000) LINEUPS: DC Tom Presttius: Carey Talley. Eddie Pope. Carlos Llamosa (Diego Sorara 74th minute).

Jeff Agoos: Ben Otsen. Richie Williams. Marco Etcheverry. John Maessner; Jaime Moreno. Woy Lassiter (Geoff Aunger 87th).

LA Kevin Hartman; Ezra Hendnckson. Paul Caligrtin. Robin Fraser (Steve Jolley 9th. lak Ibsen 80th). Greg Vanney; Roy Myers.

Danny Pena (Simon Elliott 73d). Mauri-cio Cienfuegos. CImt Mathts; Cobi Jones. Carlos Hermosillo..