New Jersey opened 2000 with a five-game winning streak before suffering through a rough rid through midseason. The Stallions closed the year with an amazing nine-game winning streak to finish the season 14-3-1, capturing the regular season title and a bye to the semifinals.

The Stallions traveled to Ludlow, Massachusetts to take on the defending champion Western Mass Pioneers in the semifinals before a partisan crowd of 4,120 fans at Lusitano Stadium, coming away victorious 1-0. New Jersey, however, ran into a rebounding Eagles club the following week in Charlotte for the league championship.

Charlotte closed the season with just two wins in its last five matches, but got red hot during the playoffs. The Eagles dominated the regular season champs from the opening whistle before a packed house of 5,350 at Providence High School. In the end, the 5-0 score in favor of Charlotte may not have been a fair representation of New Jersey’s valiant efforts, but it showed how much the Eagles, who had failed in their previous two USL championship appearances, wanted the title.

Eagles forward Dustin Swinehart was an easy choice for the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Swinehart scored three second half goals within a 25-minute stretch. After scoring in the first game of the playoffs, he added an assist in each of the next two matches to help the Eagles advance to the championship.

The victory was not the end of Charlotte’s dream run. In the coming months, the Eagles’ presence in the A-League was requested. As a longstanding successful USL franchise, the Eagles were prime candidates for the move, and with a championship already in their possession, there was little holding them back.

The expansion Utah Blitzz had a stellar 2000 season, but their success of the field may have been slightly overshadowed by their prosperity off the field. Utah finished second in the league in attendance in its inaugural season and played host to several highly attended exhibition matches.

The first-year club won the Western Conference and reached the semifinals. It also was second to New Jersey in attendance, averaging nearly 3,000 fans per game at Rice-Eccles Field.