Major League Soccerâs playoff format in the late 1990s and early 2000s was absolutely wild. Leading up to the single-match MLS Cup, postseason matchups were decided in a three-game series. The first team to five or more pointsâthree points for a victory, one for a tieâwon the series and advanced.
The 2000 conference finals between the Kansas City Wizards and LA Galaxy just might be the craziest series in Sportingâs playoff history. The teams scrapped to a 0-0 tie in Game 1 at Arrowhead Stadium before the Galaxy prevailed 2-1 in extra time in Game 2 at the Rose Bowl. Returning to Kansas City for Game 3, the Wizards trailed 4-1 on points and needed to win in regulation to force a sudden-death mini-game.
Enter Miklos Molnar, a true Kansas City cult hero who bagged 17 goals in 24 MLS appearances that season. Two of which came on Oct. 6, 2000, as he notched the lone goal in Kansas Cityâs 1-0 regulation victory before netting the golden goal in the mini-game. This epic encounter will stream exclusively on SportingKC.com at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, available to viewers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.
Molnar's legendary performance catapulted Kansas City to the 2000 MLS Cup, where they would knock off the vaunted Chicago Fire for the clubâs first league championship.
SportingKC.com will continue to stream classic matches every Thursday during the suspension of Major League Soccer's 2020 season.
