1997

The 1997 season begain with DC United holding the Unofficial MLS Championship for the first time. The title changed hands 15 times over the course of the season, with the last winner for the season being the New York/New Jersey Metrostars.

Storylines
During this period of MLS history, it was impossible to end a game in a draw, many of these games were contested under the rule that after 90 minutes, a tie game would result in a shootout. These shootouts were not notated as they currently are, so some scores may have been different than the actual result.