List of MLS club post-season droughts
Longest all-time droughts -- MLS Cup Final
Table:
Club

Previous MLS Cup
appearance

Next MLS Cup
appearance

MLS Cup final
drought

Chicago Fire
2003

16 seasons

D.C. United
2004

15 seasons

Dallas Burn/FC Dallas
never (club entered MLS in 1996)
2010
14 seasons

San Jose Earthquakes
2003

14 seasons1

Columbus Crew SC
never (club entered MLS in 1996)
2008
12 seasons

MetroStars/New York Red Bulls
never (club entered MLS in 1996)
2008
12 seasons

Colorado Rapids
1997
2010
12 seasons

New York Red Bulls
2008

11 seasons

Chivas USA
never (club entered MLS in 2005)
never (club folded after 2014)
10 seasons

Philadelphia Union
never (club entered MLS in 2010)

10 seasons

Drawing on the following table together with the context paragraphs below.

State the answer to the question: What was the previous MLS cup appearance for the club that started in 1996 as the Clash ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

Chicago Fire Football Club is an American professional soccer franchise based in Chicago , Illinois . The team competes in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) as a member of the league 's Eastern Conference , having moved to the conference in 2002 . The franchise is named after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , and was founded as the Chicago Fire Soccer Club on October 8 , 1997 , the event 's 126th anniversary . The team began play in 1998 as one of the league 's first expansion teams . The Fire won the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup ( the double ) in their first season in 1998 . They also won U.S. Open Cups in 2000 , 2003 , and 2006 , in addition to the 2003 MLS Supporters ' Shield . In 2015 , the club won the first ever MLS Wooden Spoon , and repeated the feat in 2016 . The Fire maintains an extensive development system , consisting of the Chicago Fire Development Academy and the Chicago Fire Juniors youth organization . They also operate the Chicago Fire Foundation , the team 's community-based charitable division . The Fire 's home stadium is Soldier Field .
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington , D.C . The club competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) , the top level of professional American soccer . The franchise began play in 1996 as one of the ten charter clubs of the league . The club was one of the most successful clubs in the early years of MLS , winning eight of its thirteen titles between 1996 and 1998 under then head coach Bruce Arena . United holds the joint MLS record for most Supporters ' Shields , has four MLS Cups , and been crowned U.S. Open Cup champions three times . It is also the first club to win both the MLS Supporters ' Shield and MLS Cup consecutively . On the international stage , D.C. United has competed in both the CONCACAF Champions League and its predecessor , the CONCACAF Champions ' Cup . The club won the 1998 CONCACAF Champions ' Cup , making them one of only two MLS teams to ever win a CONCACAF tournament . Subsequently , United won the now-defunct Copa Interamericana in 1998 against Vasco da Gama of Brazil . This is the only intercontinental title won by an MLS club . The team 's home field from 1996 to 2017 was the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium , owned by the District of Columbia . The team moved into the new Audi Field , a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 20,000 at Buzzard Point just a few blocks from Nationals Park in July 2018 .
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco , Texas . The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) . The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the league . The club was founded in 1995 as the Dallas Burn before adopting its current name in 2004 . Dallas plays its home games at their 20,500-capacity soccer-specific Toyota Stadium , where they have played since 2005 . In the club 's early years , Dallas played their home games in the Cotton Bowl . The team is owned by the Hunt Sports Group led by brothers Clark Hunt and Dan Hunt , who is the team 's president . The Hunt family also owns the NFL 's Kansas City Chiefs and part of the Chicago Bulls . FC Dallas in 2016 won their first Supporters ' Shield . In 2010 they were runners-up in the MLS Cup , losing to the Colorado Rapids in extra time . The team has won the U.S. Open Cup on two occasions ( in 1997 and again in 2016 ) . Their fully owned USL affiliate , North Texas SC , won the 2019 USL League One regular season and overall championship titles , the third division title in American soccer .
The 1996 Major League Soccer season was the inaugural season of Major League Soccer . It was also the 84th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer , and the 18th with a national first-division league , in the United States and Canada .
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose , California , United States , that competes as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer ( MLS ) . The franchise began play in 1996 ( originally as the San Jose Clash ) as one of the charter clubs of the league . The Earthquakes took part in the first game in MLS history , defeating D.C. United 1-0 . The Earthquakes have won two MLS Cup titles , in 2001 and 2003 , and two Supporters ' Shields in 2005 and 2012 . In 2002 , the team played in its first CONCACAF Champions Cup ( now called the CONCACAF Champions League ) , making it to the quarterfinals . The team holds a fierce rivalry with the LA Galaxy known as the California Clásico . In 2005 , the then owner of the Earthquakes , Anschutz Entertainment Group , announced plans of the team relocating to Houston due to failing efforts to secure a soccer-specific stadium in San Jose . The organization in Houston would be considered an expansion team by the league , eventually becoming the Houston Dynamo , which began play in 2006 . The Earthquakes returned after a two-year hiatus , resuming play in 2008 . Argentinian Matías Almeyda is the Quakes ' current head coach . Since 2015 the Earthquakes play their home games at Avaya Stadium . The team previously played its home games at Buck Shaw Stadium on the Santa Clara University campus in Santa Clara , California from 2008 to 2014 .
Columbus Crew Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus , Ohio . The Crew competes in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) as a member of the league 's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one of the ten charter clubs of the league . The team is currently being operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family and former team doctor Pete Edwards . The Haslam/Edwards group is the third owner in club history . The franchise was founded in 1994 as simply the Columbus Crew . Since 1999 , the Crew has played home games at Mapfre Stadium , the first soccer-specific stadium ever built for an MLS team , with a seating capacity of 19,968 as of the 2015 season . From 1996 to 1998 , the Crew played its home games at Ohio Stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University . In 2014 , the team set club attendance records for both most cumulative attendance and most sellouts . Crew SC has won five major trophies : MLS Cup 2008 , the Supporters ' Shield in 2004 , 2008 , and 2009 , and the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup . The Crew have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League ( or its predecessor , the CONCACAF Champions ' Cup ) three times , reaching the quarterfinals each time .
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in Harrison , New Jersey . The Red Bulls compete as a member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer ( MLS ) . The club was established in October 1994 and began play in the league 's inaugural season in 1996 as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars . In 2006 , the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH and re-branded as part of the company 's global network of football clubs , leading to the team 's current name . The Red Bulls have played their home matches at Red Bull Arena since 2010 , having previously played at Giants Stadium . The club is one of two teams in MLS based in the New York metropolitan region along with New York City FC , which entered the league in 2015 . The two sides compete against each other in the Hudson River Derby . The team 's current head coach is former United States international midfielder Chris Armas . The Red Bulls have reached the MLS Cup final once in 2008 where they were defeated by the Columbus Crew . The club has won three regular season Supporters ' Shield titles in 2013 , 2015 and 2018 , and has also twice reached the final of the U.S. Open Cup in 2003 and 2017 , losing on both occasions .
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City , Colorado . The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) as a member of the Western Conference . The franchise began play in 1996 as one of the charter clubs in MLS . Colorado won the MLS Cup in 2010 , their second MLS Cup appearance . The first appearance was in 1997 , losing to D.C. United . They were also runners up of the U.S. Open Cup in the 1999 tournament , where they lost to the Rochester Raging Rhinos , the last time a non-MLS team has won the Cup . The Rapids play their home games at Dick 's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City , moving to the stadium after it opened during the 2007 season .
Club Deportivo Chivas USA was an American professional soccer team based in Carson , California , a suburb of Los Angeles . The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D . Guadalajara , sharing common ownership and branding . The club was the eleventh MLS team upon its entry into the league in 2004 . Chivas USA was intended to be seen as a little brother to its parent club C.D . Guadalajara , one of the most widely supported and successful teams in Mexico . Chiva is Latin American Spanish for goat , seen as a tough and resilient animal in Mexico , and is the nickname of C.D . Guadalajara . Chivas USA played its home games at the StubHub Center in Carson , which it shared with its rival , the LA Galaxy . The club was originally owned by Antonio Cue and Jorge Vergara , who also owns C.D . Guadalajara . In 2014 , MLS purchased the club from Vergara with plans to sell to new owners .
The 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of Major League Soccer . The season began on April 2 , 2005 , and concluded on November 13 , 2005 with the first Supporters ' Shield victory for the San Jose Earthquakes and a second MLS Cup victory for the Los Angeles Galaxy .
The 2014 Major League Soccer season was the 102nd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada , the 36th with a national first-division league , and the 19th season of Major League Soccer . This season featured 19 total clubs ( 16 from the United States and 3 from Canada ) , each playing 34 matches during the regular season . The 2014 Regular Season started on March 8 with Sporting Kansas City , the defending MLS Cup champion , playing at the Seattle Sounders FC . The 2014 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was held on August 6 in Providence Park in Portland , Oregon ( hosted by the Portland Timbers ) and featured a team of MLS All-Stars against Bayern Munich , the Bundesliga champions for the past two seasons . The game resulted in a 2-1 victory for the MLS All-Stars . The regular season ended on October 26 ; Seattle Sounders FC won the Supporters ' Shield and the LA Galaxy went on to win the MLS Cup .
The Philadelphia Union is an American professional soccer team based in Chester , Pennsylvania . The Union competes in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) as a member club of the league 's Eastern Conference . The club began play in 2010 as an expansion team of the league . The club plays their home matches at Subaru Park , a soccer-specific stadium located in Chester on the banks of the Delaware River . Jim Curtin is the Union 's head coach . The Union finished as runners-up in the 2014 , 2015 and 2018 U.S. Open Cup tournaments . In the 2014 edition , they lost to the Seattle Sounders FC 3-1 in extra time , and to Sporting Kansas City 6-7 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 2015 edition . They lost 3-0 to the Houston Dynamo in the final of the 2018 edition .
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer , the 32nd with a national first-division league , in the United States and Canada , and the 15th in MLS history . It began on March 25 at Seattle 's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion Philadelphia Union , 2-0 . The 2010 MLS All-Star Game was played at Reliant Stadium , hosted by the Houston Dynamo on July 28 as the MLS XI fell 5-2 to visiting Manchester United . The regular season concluded on October 24 , with Los Angeles Galaxy winning the Supporters ' Shield by one point over Real Salt Lake . Upon the completion of the regular season the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs culminated on November 21 with a 2-1 victory by the Colorado Rapids over FC Dallas at Toronto 's BMO Field . It was the first time the MLS Cup final was played outside the United States . The expiration of and failure to sign a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players ' union threatened the season . Negotiations resulted in a new contract being agreed to on March 20 , 2010 .