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11/13/2005 8:31PM
MLS Cup 2005 postgame notes
It was the third final decided by just the one goal, and two have featured Los Angeles-New England matchups. The other was in 2000 (Kansas City 1, Chicago 0).
The 10 yellow cards were, by far, the most ever in an MLS Cup Final. The previous high was five, on four occasions, last in 2001.
Joe Franchino was given a yellow card in the 22nd minute, for a foul on Cobi Jones. In his only other appearance in the MLS Cup Final, in 2002 when he played for the Revs against the Galaxy, he was given a yellow card in the 25th minute - for a foul on Cobi Jones.
Herculez Gomez tied an MLS Cup Final record with nine shots, equaling the total by Carlos Ruiz, also for the Galaxy in the 2002 final against New England. Ante Razov has the next-highest total, eight in 2003 for the Chicago Fire.
Just one of the shots were on target from Gomez though, the poorest accuracy in MLS Cup history. In the 1998 Final, D.C. United's Marco Etcheverry had six shots, just one on target, for the previous low mark.
The Revolution didn't have a shot on goal until the 62nd minute, the second-longest wait before troubling a goalkeeper in MLS Cup history. New England has the longest wait, going into extra time (93 minutes) before their first shot on goal in the 2002 Final against Los Angeles.
Cup Final hero Guillermo Ramirez had by far the poorest season, shooting accuracy-wise, in MLS history. He had 62 shots, 30 on goal, and only one goal (and that from a penalty kick). The next most shots with fewer rewards in 2005 was Simon Elliott of the Columbus Crew, with 31 shots and just one goals. Francisco Mendoza of Chivas USA had the most shots without a goal -- 26. In MLS history, the next closest mark is Ronnie O'Brien, who had 67 shots, 30 on goal, but two goals, in 2004. In 1998, Mark Chung of Kansas City had 60 shots, 23 on goal, and also just two goals.
The Galaxy became just the second team with a regular season record of .500 or worse to win MLS Cup. They were 13-13-6; in 1996, D.C. United finished the inaugural season at 16-16. No team has won the Cup after finishing the regular campaign below .500.
The Galaxy became the lowest "seed" to ever win the MLS Cup. They tied for the seventh-best record in MLS this season, but were the eighth seed, falling behind the Colorado Rapids on a tiebreaker. The lowest seed to previously win MLS Cup was the San Jose Earthquakes, the No. 5 seed in 2001.
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MLS Headlines
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MVP Pando scores: 
Pando's goal: 
