San Jose were appearing in their first MLS Cup , while Los Angeles had lost two previous finals ; the two teams finished at the top of the Western Division in regular season play , which was cut short by the September 11 attacks . The Earthquakes , under their first season with manager Frank Yallop , won their quarterfinals series against the Columbus Crew over two legs and defeated the league-leading Miami Fusion after extra time in the third leg of the semifinals . The Galaxy defeated the MetroStars in the quarterfinals and Chicago Fire in the semifinals with a golden goal scored in extra time of the third leg for both series
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
MLS Cup 2001