Tuesday marks the 24th anniversary of one of the landmark historical moments in MLS history: The inaugural MLS Cup Final between the LA Galaxy and D.C. United that took place on Oct. 20, 1996.
To commemorate the occasion, MLSsoccer.com will be streaming the whole broadcast of the match today at 3:30 pm ET on YouTube and Facebook.
There's also an Instagram Live "postgame press conference" at 6 pm ET on the @MLSin96 Instagram account with John Harkes, Tony Sanneh and Richie Williams.
You can check out the stream below:
Aside from being the first edition of the league's championship event, the match certainly didn't lack for excitement. D.C. United stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to force extra time, thanks to the heroics of two second-half substitutes. The match was played in treacherous conditions due to storms that had been pummeling the East Coast throughout the day.
A full recap of the match from Steven Goff of The Washington Postcan be found here. Also be sure to check out this photo gallery from D.C. United's website that chronicles the action with some iconic imagery.
1996 MLS Cup highlights
It was a thrilling first championship bout, and also the start of what turned into D.C. United's early dynasty.
After the '96 championship triumph, D.C. dominated the early years of the league under the legendary Bruce Arena. He's remained a fixture in MLS when not coaching the US men's national team, winning three more MLS Cups with the Galaxy and currently manning the sidelines for the New England Revolution.
Under Arena, D.C. won MLS Cup the next season as well and captured the Supporters' Shield. With their U.S. Open Cup triumph in 1996, that gave the club all three major trophies in their first two years in MLS play.
For more on how D.C.'s early dynasty got rolling, check out the short film below:
Birth of a Dynasty: The Story of the 1996 MLS Cup Final
