The 2001 D.C. United season was the clubs' seventh year of existence, as well as their sixth season in Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

.

For the second-consecutive year in franchise history, United failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs

MLS Cup Playoffs

The MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. 10 teams in total from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualify for the tournament based on regular-season...

, previously winning in making the finals in the four tournaments beforehand. The club also played in the CONCACAF Giants Cup

CONCACAF Giants Cup

The CONCACAF Giants Cup was an international football club competition held in 2001 to replace CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup. The cup was for CONCACAF teams with the highest attendance in their national league, and was won by Mexico's Club América...

 where they finished second to Toluca of Mexico.