2007 Major League Soccer season

Last updated

Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer MLS wordmark 2007.svg
Season2007
MLS Cup Houston Dynamo (2nd title)
Supporters' Shield D.C. United (4th shield)
2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League Houston Dynamo
D.C. United
N.E. Revolution
Chivas USA
2008 SuperLiga D.C. United
Chivas USA
Houston Dynamo
N.E. Revolution
2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup Houston Dynamo
D.C. United
Matches played195
Goals scored518 (2.66 per match)
Top goalscorer Luciano Emilio
D.C. United
Goals: 20
Biggest home win CHV 4–0 RSL
NY 4–0 CLB
TOR 4–0 FCD
Biggest away win CHI 0–4 HOU
FCD 0–4 DCU
Highest scoring NY 5–4 LA
Longest winning run D.C. United
Games: 6
(08/05/ – 09/01)
Longest unbeaten run D.C. United
Games: 13
(08/05 – 10/13)
Longest losing run Los Angeles Galaxy
Games: 6
(08/09 – 09/01)
Highest attendance Los Angeles Galaxy
Season: 363,782
Game Avg.: 24,252
Lowest attendance K.C. Wizards
Season:173,784
Game Avg.: 11,586
Total attendance3,270,210
Average attendance16,770
← 2006
2008 →
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Locations of teams for the 2007 Major League Soccer season
ButtonRed.svg Western Conference   ButtonBlue.svg Eastern Conference

The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 95th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 29th with a national first-division league.

Contents

This year marked the inaugural season for expansion franchise, Toronto FC who began play in the Eastern Conference. Two new soccer-specific stadiums opened as well. The Colorado Rapids moved into Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver-suburb of Commerce City and, before the season began, BMO Field opened for expansion side, Toronto FC.

This season is often cited as the first in the modern-era of Major League Soccer because of the introduction of the Designated Player Rule which permitted each team to sign one big-ticket player without it counting against the salary cap. Six such players were signed for the 2007 season: David Beckham, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Ángel, Luciano Emilio, Denílson and Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

The regular season began on April 7, and concluded on October 21. The 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 25, and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18. For the first time in league history, the same two clubs consecutively won the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield. The Houston Dynamo repeated as MLS Cup Champions by defeating the New England Revolution in the final and D.C. United won the Supporters' Shield by edging Chivas USA by two points in the standings.

Overview

Season format

The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 18. The 13 teams were split into two conferences with 7 playing the Eastern Conference and 6 playing in the Western Conference. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games. The remaining four games were played against four regional rivals, two at home and two away.

The top three teams from each conference automatically qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the two highest remaining point totals, regardless of conference, also qualified. In the first round, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners. The conference finals were played as a single match, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken with two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks 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 for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions' Cup, then additional berths were awarded to the highest overall finishing MLS team(s) not already qualified. Also, Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based team, could not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS, and had to instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.

Automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup was awarded to the top three finishers in each conference. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.

Qualification for the SuperLiga was determined by the overall table with the top four overall finishers qualifying for the 2008 edition.

Stadiums and locations

TeamStadiumCapacity
Chicago Fire Toyota Park 20,000
Chivas USA Home Depot Center 27,000
Colorado Rapids Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061
Columbus Crew Columbus Crew Stadium 22,555
D.C. United RFK Stadium 46,000
FC Dallas Pizza Hut Park 21,193
Houston Dynamo Robertson Stadium 32,000
Kansas City Wizards Arrowhead Stadium 81,425
LA Galaxy Home Depot Center 27,000
New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 68,756
New York Red Bulls Giants Stadium 80,200
Real Salt Lake Rice-Eccles Stadium 45,017
Toronto FC BMO Field 21,566

Personnel and sponsorships

TeamHead coachCaptainShirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Carlos Osorio —
Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Preki Comex
Colorado Rapids Flag of the United States.svg Fernando Clavijo —
Columbus Crew Flag of the United States.svg Sigi Schmid Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Hejduk —
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Tom Soehn —
FC Dallas Ulster Banner.svg Steve Morrow —
Houston Dynamo Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Kinnear Flag of the United States.svg Wade Barrett —
Kansas City Wizards Flag of the United States.svg Curt Onalfo —
LA Galaxy Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Frank Yallop Herbalife
New England Revolution Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol —
New York Red Bulls Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Arena Flag of the United States.svg Claudio Reyna Red Bull
Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Jason Kreis Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Pope —
Toronto FC Flag of Scotland.svg Mo Johnston —

Coaching changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment
Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Dave Sarachan FiredJune 20, 2007 Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Carlos Osorio July 1, 2007
Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg John Ellinger FiredMay 3, 2007 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Kreis May 3, 2007

Standings

Eastern Conference

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 D.C. United 3016775634+2255 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 New England Revolution 3014885143+850
3 New York Red Bulls 30121174745+243
4 Chicago Fire 301010103136−540
5 Kansas City Wizards 30111274545040
6 Columbus Crew 30911103944−537
7 Toronto FC 3061772549−2425
Source: MLS

Western Conference

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Chivas USA 3015784628+1853 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Houston Dynamo 3015874323+2052
3 FC Dallas 30131253744−744
4 Colorado Rapids 3091382934−535
5 LA Galaxy 3091473848−1034
6 Real Salt Lake 3061593145−1427
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 D.C. United (S)3016775634+2255 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 Chivas USA 3015784628+1853 North American SuperLiga
3 Houston Dynamo (C)3015874323+2052 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
4 New England Revolution 3014885143+850 North American SuperLiga
5 FC Dallas 30131253744−744
6 New York Red Bulls 30121174745+243
7 Chicago Fire 301010103136−540
8 Kansas City Wizards 30111274545040
9 Columbus Crew 30911103944−537
10 Colorado Rapids 3091382934−535
11 LA Galaxy 3091473848−1034
12 Real Salt Lake 3061593145−1427
13 Toronto FC 3061772549−2425
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

Conference semifinals Conference finals MLS Cup
          
E1 D.C. United 0 2
E4 Chicago Fire 1 2
E4 Chicago Fire 0
Eastern Conference
E2 New England Revolution 1
E3 New York Red Bulls 0 0
E2 New England Revolution 0 1
E2 New England Revolution 1
W2 Houston Dynamo 2
W1 Chivas USA 0 0
W4 Kansas City Wizards 11 0
W4 Kansas City Wizards 0
Western Conference
W2 Houston Dynamo 2
W3 FC Dallas 1 1
W2 Houston Dynamo (AET) 0 4

1 The Kansas City Wizards earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference.
They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.

Player statistics

Goals

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emilio D.C. United 20
2 Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 19
3 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 16
4 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards 15
5 Flag of Cuba.svg Maykel Galindo Chivas USA 12
6 Flag of the United States.svg Ante Razov Chivas USA 11
7 Flag of Argentina.svg Christian Gómez D.C. United 10
8 Flag of the United States.svg Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls 9
9 Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 8
Flag of the United States.svg Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake

Hat-tricks

PlayerClubAgainstResultDate
Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution 4–3May 26
Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards New York Red Bulls 3–2June 2
Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen D.C. United New York Red Bulls 4–2June 9
Flag of the United States.svg Brad Davis Houston Dynamo Chivas USA 4–0June 21
Flag of the United States.svg Nate Jaqua Houston Dynamo Real Salt Lake 4–3September 8

Assists

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 11
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Ralston New England Revolution
3 Flag of the United States.svg Davy Arnaud Kansas City Wizards 9
Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew
Flag of the United States.svg Sacha Kljestan Chivas USA
6 Flag of Mexico.svg Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago Fire 7
Flag of Argentina.svg Christian Gómez D.C. United
Flag of Venezuela.svg Alejandro Moreno Columbus Crew
9 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Gaven Columbus Crew 6
Flag of the United States.svg Stuart Holden Houston Dynamo
Flag of the United States.svg Dax McCarty FC Dallas

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Guzan Chivas USA 13
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo 11
3 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Pickens Chicago Fire 10
Flag of the United States.svg Matt Reis New England Revolution
5 Flag of Senegal.svg Bouna Coundoul Colorado Rapids 9
6 Flag of the United States.svg Troy Perkins D.C. United 8
7 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 7
8 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Cannon LA Galaxy 5
Flag of the United States.svg Jon Conway New York Red Bulls
Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman Kansas City Wizards
Flag of the United States.svg Will Hesmer Columbus Crew
Flag of Argentina.svg Darío Sala FC Dallas
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Ronald Waterreus New York Red Bulls

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Defender of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Michael Parkhurst New England Revolution
Goalkeeper of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Brad Guzan Chivas USA
Coach of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Preki Chivas USA
Rookie of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Maurice Edu Toronto FC
Newcomer of the Year Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Comeback Player of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
Golden Boot Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Fair Play Award Flag of the United States.svg Michael Parkhurst New England Revolution
Humanitarian of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Diego Gutiérrez Chicago Fire
Goal of the Year Flag of Mexico.svg Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago Fire

Best XI

GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards
Flag of the United States.svg Brad Guzan, Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Michael Parkhurst, New England
Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Robinson, Houston Dynamo
Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA 		Flag of Argentina.svg Christian Gómez, D.C. United
Flag of Grenada.svg Shalrie Joseph, New England
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo
Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen, D.C. United
Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus 		Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emílio, D.C. United
Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel, New York Red Bulls

Player of the Month

WeekPlayerClubStats
April Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards 3G, 2A
May Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 3G, 2A
June Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 6G
July Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 3G, 1A
August Flag of the United States.svg Troy Perkins D.C. United 1GA
September Flag of Brazil.svg Luciano Emilio D.C. United 6G
October Flag of the United States.svg Matt Pickens Chicago Fire 1GA

Weekly awards

Attendance

ClubGamesSeasonGame Avg.
LA Galaxy 15363,78224,252
D.C. United 15314,50620,967
Toronto FC 15301,94720,130
New England Revolution 15251,13216,742
New York Red Bulls 15247,94816,530
Chicago Fire 15247,53616,502
Real Salt Lake 15239,39515,960
Houston Dynamo 15238,24015,883
Columbus Crew 15228,45115,230
FC Dallas 15227,18215,145
Colorado Rapids 15221,20914,747
Chivas USA 15214,57814,305
Kansas City Wizards 15173,78411,586
OVERALL1953,269,69016,768

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