1998 Major League Soccer season

Last updated

1998 Major League Soccer season
Season1998
MLS Cup Chicago Fire (1st title)
Supporters' Shield Los Angeles Galaxy (1st shield)
CONCACAF Champions' Cup Chicago Fire
D.C. United
Los Angeles Galaxy
Matches played192
Goals scored701 (3.65 per match)
Top goalscorer Stern John
(26 goals)
Longest winning run Chicago Fire
Games: 11
(05/16 – 07/09)
Longest losing run New England Revolution
Games: 9
(05/13 – 07/04)
Highest attendance56,404
MET 4–2 MIA
(May 23, 1998)
Lowest attendance4,130
KC 1–0 CHI
(April 8, 1998)
Total attendance2,747,897
Average attendance14,312
← 1997
1999 →
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Locations of teams for the 1998 Major League Soccer season
ButtonRed.svg Western Conference   ButtonBlue.svg Eastern Conference

The 1998 Major League Soccer season was the third season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 86th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 20th with a national first-division league.

Contents

The Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion played their inaugural seasons as the league's first two expansion teams.

The NY/NJ MetroStars dropped the New York/New Jersey from their name and rebranded as just MetroStars, with no city, state or regional name attached to it.

The regular season began on March 15, and concluded on September 27. The MLS Cup Playoffs began on September 30, and concluded with MLS Cup on October 25. Chicago became the first expansion team to win MLS Cup and the first to win it in its inaugural season.

Overview

Season format

The season began on March 15 and concluded with MLS Cup on October 25. The 12 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 32 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in their conference four times, for a total of 20 games. The remaining schedule consisted of two games against each team from the opposite conference.

The top four teams from each conference qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The conference semifinals and finals were played as a best-of-three series, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken by penalty shootout if necessary. The away goals rule was not used in any round.

The team with the most points in the regular season was awarded the MLS Supporters' Shield and qualified automatically for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, also qualified for the Champions' Cup.

Stadiums and locations

TeamStadiumCapacity
Chicago Fire Soldier Field 66,944
Colorado Rapids Mile High Stadium 76,273
Columbus Crew Ohio Stadium 102,329
D.C. United RFK Stadium 46,000
Dallas Burn Cotton Bowl 92,100
Kansas City Wizards Arrowhead Stadium 81,425
Los Angeles Galaxy Rose Bowl 92,542
MetroStars Giants Stadium 80,200
Miami Fusion Lockhart Stadium 20,450
New England Revolution Foxboro Stadium 60,292
San Jose Clash Spartan Stadium 30,456
Tampa Bay Mutiny Houlihan's Stadium 74,301

Personnel and sponsorships

TeamHead coachCaptainShirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Bob Bradley —
Colorado Rapids Flag of the United States.svg Glenn Myernick
Columbus Crew Flag of the United States.svg Tom Fitzgerald Snickers
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Arena MasterCard
Dallas Burn Flag of the United States.svg Dave Dir
Kansas City Wizards Flag of England.svg Ron Newman —
Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of Ecuador.svg Octavio Zambrano —
MetroStars Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Bora Milutinović Flag of the United States.svg Tony Meola
Miami Fusion Flag of Brazil.svg Ivo Wortmann —
New England Revolution Flag of Italy.svg Walter Zenga —
San Jose Clash Flag of Ireland.svg Brian Quinn Flag of the United States.svg John Doyle Honda
Tampa Bay Mutiny Flag of the United States.svg Tim Hankinson

Coaching changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment
Tampa Bay Mutiny Flag of Poland.svg John Kowalski ResignedJune 6, 1998 Flag of the United States.svg Tim Hankinson June 8, 1998
Miami Fusion Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Cordoba FiredJuly 24, 1998 Flag of Brazil.svg Ivo Wortmann July 25, 1998
New England Revolution Flag of the Netherlands.svg Thomas Rongen FiredAugust 24, 1998 Flag of Italy.svg Walter Zenga August 24, 1998
MetroStars Flag of Spain.svg Alfonso Mondelo FiredSeptember 21, 1998 Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Bora Milutinović September 21, 1998

Standings

Eastern Conference

PosTeam
PldWSOWLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 D.C. United 3217787448+2658 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Columbus Crew 32150176756+1145
3 MetroStars 32123175463−939
4 Miami Fusion 32105174668−2235
5 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32111204657−1134
6 New England Revolution 3292215366−1329
Source: MLS

Western Conference

PosTeam
PldWSOWLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 3222288544+4168 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Chicago Fire 32182126245+1756
3 Colorado Rapids 32142166269−744
4 Dallas Burn 32114174359−1637
5 San Jose Clash 32103194860−1233
6 Kansas City Wizards 32102204550−532
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeam
PldWSOWLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (S)3222288544+4168 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 D.C. United 3217787448+2658
3 Chicago Fire (C)32182126245+1756
4 Columbus Crew 32150176756+1145
5 Colorado Rapids 32142166269−744
6 MetroStars 32123175463−939
7 Dallas Burn 32114174359−1637
8 Miami Fusion 32105174668−2235
9 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32111204657−1134
10 San Jose Clash 32103194860−1233
11 Kansas City Wizards 32102204550−532
12 New England Revolution 3292215366−1329
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield

MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket

Conference semifinals Conference finals MLS Cup
             
E1 D.C. United 2 0 (3) x
E4 Miami 1 0 (2) x
E1 D.C. United 2 2 3
Eastern Conference
E2 Columbus 0 4 0
E2 Columbus 5 1 (3) x
E3 MetroStars 3 1 (2) x
E1 D.C. United 0
W2 Chicago 2
W1 Los Angeles 6 3 x
W4 Dallas 1 2 x
W1 Los Angeles 0 1 (1) x
Western Conference
W2 Chicago 1 1 (2) x
W2 Chicago 1 (3) 1 x
W3 Colorado 1 (2) 0 x

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
D.C. United 2–1 Miami Fusion
Report
RFK Stadium , Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 15,187
Referee: Brian Hall
Game 1
Columbus Crew 5–3 MetroStars
Report
Ohio Stadium , Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 10,996
Referee: Ali Saheli
Game 2
MetroStars 1–1 Columbus Crew
Report
Penalties
2–3
Giants Stadium , East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 11,686
Referee: Michael Kennedy

Western Conference

Game 1
Los Angeles Galaxy 6–1 Dallas Burn
Report
Rose Bowl , Pasadena, California
Attendance: 10,047
Referee: Ted Covaciu
Game 2
Dallas Burn 2–3 Los Angeles Galaxy
Report
Cotton Bowl , Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 8,130
Referee: Brian Hall
Game 2
Colorado Rapids 0–1 Chicago Fire
Report
Mile High Stadium , Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 6,582
Referee: Noel Kenny

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
D.C. United 2–0 Columbus Crew
Report
RFK Stadium , Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 17,755
Referee: Kevin Stott
Game 2
Columbus Crew 4–2 D.C. United
Report
Ohio Stadium , Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 13,193
Referee: Rich Grady
Game 3
D.C. United 3–0 Columbus Crew
Report
RFK Stadium , Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 21,453
Referee: Noel Kenny

Western Conference

Game 1
Los Angeles Galaxy 0–1 Chicago Fire
Report
Rose Bowl , Pasadena, California
Attendance: 25,107
Referee: Kevin Terry

MLS Cup

Chicago Fire 2–0 D.C. United
Report
Rose Bowl , Pasadena, California
Attendance: 51,350
Referee: Kevin Terry

Player statistics

Goals

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew 26
2 Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy 19
3 Flag of the United States.svg Roy Lassiter D.C. United 18
Flag of El Salvador.svg Raúl Díaz Arce New England Revolution
5 Flag of Brazil.svg Wélton Los Angeles Galaxy 17
6 Flag of Bolivia.svg Jaime Moreno D.C. United 16
7 Flag of Venezuela.svg Giovanni Savarese MetroStars 14
8 Flag of Jamaica.svg Wolde Harris Colorado Rapids 13
Flag of El Salvador.svg Mauricio Cienfuegos Los Angeles Galaxy
Flag of El Salvador.svg Ronald Cerritos San Jose Clash

Hat-tricks

PlayerClubAgainstResultDate
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew Miami Fusion 5–1April 18
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy Colorado Rapids 7–4May 6
Flag of Liberia.svg Musa Shannon Tampa Bay Mutiny New England Revolution 3–4May 10
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Vitalis Takawira Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution 3–1May 16
Flag of Guatemala.svg Martín Machón Los Angeles Galaxy Columbus Crew 3–1May 17
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew Chicago Fire 5–1May 30
Flag of Armenia.svg Harut Karapetyan Los Angeles Galaxy Dallas Burn 8–1June 4
Flag of the United States.svg Roy Lassiter D.C. United Chicago Fire 4–1July 18
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy Colorado Rapids 6–1August 5
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew Kansas City Wizards 5–3August 16
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution 5–1August 22
Flag of Colombia.svg Diego Serna Miami Fusion New England Revolution 3–2August 30
Flag of the United States.svg Preki Kansas City Wizards San Jose Clash 5–1September 5

Assists

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Flag of Ecuador.svg Eduardo Hurtado MetroStars 14
2 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Etcheverry D.C. United 13
3 Flag of Poland.svg Jerzy Podbrożny Chicago Fire 12
4 Flag of the United States.svg Joe-Max Moore New England Revolution 11
5 Flag of Uruguay.svg Adrián Paz Colorado Rapids 10
6 Flag of El Salvador.svg Ronald Cerritos San Jose Clash 9
Flag of England.svg Paul Dougherty MetroStars
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
910 players8

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Flag of the United States.svg Zach Thornton Chicago Fire 8
2 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Garlick D.C. United 7
Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman Los Angeles Galaxy
4 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Dodd Dallas Burn 6
5 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Ammann Kansas City Wizards 5
Flag of the United States.svg Ian Feuer New England Revolution
Flag of the United States.svg David Kramer San Jose Clash
8 Flag of the United States.svg Marcus Hahnemann Colorado Rapids 4
Flag of the United States.svg Tony Meola MetroStars
Flag of the United States.svg Juergen Sommer Columbus Crew

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Most Valuable Player Flag of Bolivia.svg Marco Etcheverry D.C. United
Defender of the Year Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Luboš Kubík Chicago Fire
Goalkeeper of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Zach Thornton Chicago Fire
Coach of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Bob Bradley Chicago Fire
Rookie of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen D.C. United
Scoring Champion Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew
Goal of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Brian McBride Columbus Crew
Fair Play Award Flag of the United States.svg Thomas Dooley Columbus Crew

Best XI

GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards
Flag of the United States.svg Zach Thornton, Chicago Flag of the United States.svg Thomas Dooley, Columbus
Flag of the United States.svg Robin Fraser, LA Galaxy
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Luboš Kubík, Chicago
Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Pope, D.C. United 		Flag of the United States.svg Chris Armas, Chicago
Flag of El Salvador.svg Mauricio Cienfuegos, LA Galaxy
Flag of Bolivia.svg Marco Etcheverry, D.C. United
Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Nowak, Chicago 		Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John, Columbus
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones, LA Galaxy

Player of the Month

WeekPlayerClub
March Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
April Flag of the United States.svg Juergen Sommer Columbus Crew
May Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Nowak Chicago Fire
June Flag of the United States.svg Ross Paule Colorado Rapids
July Flag of the United States.svg Roy Lassiter D.C. United
August Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Stern John Columbus Crew
September Flag of Colombia.svg Diego Serna Miami Fusion

Weekly awards

Attendance

RankTeamGPCumulativeHighLowMean
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 16348,54953,6559,11321,784
2 New England Revolution 16307,00435,46213,07419,188
3 Chicago Fire 16286,19037,1227,59817,887
4 MetroStars 16264,31656,4048,82616,520
5 D.C. United 16256,12723,6319,75516,008
6 Colorado Rapids 16236,99546,7225,48514,812
7 San Jose Clash 16218,45022,6949,10213,653
8 Columbus Crew 16196,39415,6289,16612,275
9 Dallas Burn 16175,16215,2809,19711,769
10 Tampa Bay Mutiny 16164,99922,7044,47310,312
11 Miami Fusion 16164,54820,4506,12710,284
12 Kansas City Wizards 16129,16313,1464,1308,073
Total1922,747,89756,4044,13014,312

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References

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