Under Piotr Nowak's tenure as head coach, this was the first and only season where he did not lead D.C. United to a trophy of any kind.

D.C. United entered the 2005 season as the defending MLS Cup champions, earning their first league championship since 1999.

Their playoff run included a 4–0 aggregate series victory over their Atlantic Cup rivals, MetroStars in the conference semifinals.

In the conference final, United defeated the Eastern Conference regular season champions, New England Revolution in a penalty shoot-out, after a 3–3 draw in regulation and extra time.

Their playoff campaign culminated in MLS Cup 2004 defeating Kansas City Wizards 3–2 in the final.