John Harkes - Played In The Mls

When MLS began playing in 1996, Harkes was released by West Ham so he could return to the United States. He played for D.C. United, coached by Arena, and was named captain of both United and the U.S. national team. The amount of games Harkes had been playing began to catch up him. In 1996, he had some injury problems, primarily with his right ankle, which led to him to take a two-month hiatus from soccer in the MLS off-season in 1997. When Harkes returned, he had a great season in 1997, and D.C. United repeated as MLS champions. Harkes had a similar experience in 1998, though D.C. lost in the finals to the Chicago Fire.