Oct. 5, 1997 – D.C. United 4:1 Revolution at RFK Stadium (Att.: 12,540). Revolution MLS playoff debut

After 64 games of existence in two seasons, the Revolution qualified for the MLS playoffs, then were routed by D.C. United. D.C. dominated, opening the scoring as Roy Wegerle headed in a 14^th-minute Jaime Moreno cross. Alexi Lalas nearly equalized, his header headed off the line by Tony Sanneh midway through the first half. Marco Antonio Etcheverry sent a long through ball to Sanneh, who crossed for Moreno to score the second goal past Walter Zenga in the 57^th minute. Moreno and Wegerle upped the United edge to 4-0 before Mike Burns’ 30-yard blast cut the deficit in the 89^th minute.

“You can only defend for so long,” said Burns, now the Revolution general manager. “D.C. has so much talent, and if you give them too much time and space, it doesn’t matter how good your goalkeeper or your defense is.”

D.C. United went on to win the MLS Cup for the second time, the lineup including Connecticut’s David Vaudreuil, plus future Revolution players John Harkes and Carlos Llamosa. The D.C. roster that season also included future Revolution members Mario Gori, Brian Kamler and Kris Kelderman.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY