2010 Major League Soccer season

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer MLS wordmark 2007.svg
Season2010
MLS Cup Colorado Rapids (1st title)
Supporters' Shield Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd shield)
Champions League Los Angeles Galaxy
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
Seattle Sounders FC
SuperLiga Real Salt Lake
New York Red Bulls
Columbus Crew
S.J. Earthquakes
Matches played240
Goals scored591 (2.46 per match)
Top goalscorer Chris Wondolowski (18 goals)
Biggest home win NE 0–5 RSL
(July 2) [1]
Biggest away win CHV 4–0 NE
(May 5)[ citation needed ]
LA 4–0 SEA
(May 8)[ citation needed ]
SEA 4–0 CLB
(Sept 18)[ citation needed ]
Highest scoring7 goals:
HOU 4–3 CHI
(August 21)[ citation needed ]
KCW 4–3 HOU
(September 22)[ citation needed ]
Longest winning run5 wins:[ citation needed ]
Real Salt Lake
(May 1 – May 29)[ citation needed ]
Seattle Sounders FC
(Sep 18 – Oct 15)[ citation needed ]
Longest unbeaten run18 matches:[ citation needed ]
FC Dallas
(May 27 – Oct 16)[ citation needed ]
Longest winless run10 matches:[ citation needed ]
Houston Dynamo
(May 22 – Aug 21)[ citation needed ]
Longest losing run6 losses:[ citation needed ]
C.D. Chivas USA
(May 8 – June 26)[ citation needed ]
Highest attendance CHI @ SEA: 36,386
Lowest attendance CHV @ NE: 5,990
Total attendance4,002,053
Average attendance16,675
2009
2011

The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 15th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 32nd with a national first-division league.

Contents

Negotiations between the league and the players' union resulted in a new collective bargaining agreement being agreed to on March 20, 2010. The new Designated Player Rule permitted teams to sign two such players, up from one under the previous rule, and pay a luxury tax of $250,000 for the right to sign a third.

The Philadelphia Union joined the league as its 16th team. The club's first two home games were played at Lincoln Financial Field while the construction of their permanent home, PPL Park in Chester, was being completed. The New York Red Bulls opened their new stadium, Red Bull Arena, on March 27 against the Chicago Fire.

The regular season began on March 25, and concluded on October 24. The LA Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield by one point over Real Salt Lake. The 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 28, and concluded with MLS Cup 2010 on November 21. The Colorado Rapids won their first MLS Cup by defeating the FC Dallas, 2-1, at BMO Field in Toronto. It was the first MLS Cup to be played outside the United States.

Overview

Season format

The season began on March 25 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 21. The 16 teams were split evenly into two conferences. For the first time in league history, the season had a balanced schedule where each team played every other team in the league once at home and once away for a total of 30 games.

The top two teams from each conference automatically qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the four 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 League. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. An additional berth in the Champions League was also awarded to the winner of the U.S. Open Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions League, 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 six overall finishers. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.

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 CommunityAmerica Ballpark 10,385
LA Galaxy Home Depot Center 27,000
New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 68,756
New York Red Bulls Red Bull Arena 25,000
Philadelphia Union Lincoln Financial Field
PPL Park
67,594
18,500
Real Salt Lake Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213
San Jose Earthquakes Buck Shaw Stadium 10,525
Seattle Sounders FC Qwest Field 68,740
Toronto FC BMO Field 21,566

Personnel and sponsorships

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

TeamManagerCaptainShirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Flag of Mexico.svg Carlos de los Cobos Flag of the United States.svg Brian McBride Best Buy
Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Martin Vasquez Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Bornstein Tiendas Extra
Colorado Rapids Flag of England.svg Gary Smith Flag of the United States.svg Pablo Mastroeni
Columbus Crew Flag of Poland.svg Robert Warzycha Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Hejduk Glidden
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen Flag of Bolivia.svg Jaime Moreno Volkswagen
FC Dallas Flag of the United States.svg Schellas Hyndman Flag of the United States.svg Daniel Hernández
Houston Dynamo Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Kinnear Flag of the United States.svg Brian Ching Amigo Energy
Kansas City Wizards Flag of the United States.svg Peter Vermes Flag of the United States.svg Davy Arnaud
LA Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Arena Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan Herbalife
New England Revolution Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol Flag of Grenada.svg Shalrie Joseph
New York Red Bulls Flag of Sweden.svg Hans Backe Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel Red Bull
Philadelphia Union Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Nowak Flag of the United States.svg Danny Califf
Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Jason Kreis Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Beckerman XanGo
San Jose Earthquakes Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Frank Yallop Flag of the United States.svg Ramiro Corrales Amway Global
Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Sigi Schmid Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Xbox LIVE
Toronto FC Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nick Dasovic Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario Bank of Montreal

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming coachDate of appointmentTable
Philadelphia Union Expansion Team Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Nowak May 29, 2009Pre-season
New York Red Bulls Flag of the United States.svg Richie Williams End of interim periodAugust 21, 20097th East ('09) Flag of Sweden.svg Hans Backe January 7, 2010Pre-season
Toronto FC Flag of England.svg Chris Cummins Contract expirationOctober 27, 20095th East ('09) Flag of the United States.svg Preki November 18, 2009Pre-season
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Tom Soehn ResignedNovember 3, 20094th East ('09) Flag of the United States.svg Curt Onalfo December 28, 2009Pre-season
Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Preki Mutual consentNovember 12, 20094th West ('09) Flag of the United States.svg Martín Vásquez December 2, 2009Pre-season
Chicago Fire Flag of Costa Rica.svg Denis Hamlett FiredNovember 24, 20092nd East ('09) Flag of Mexico.svg Carlos de los Cobos January 11, 2010Pre-season
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Curt Onalfo FiredAugust 4, 20108th East Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen August 4, 20108th East
Toronto FC Flag of the United States.svg Preki FiredSeptember 14, 20103rd East Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nick Dasovic September 14, 20103rd East

Results table

Home \ Away CHI CHV COL CLB DCU FCD HOU KCW LAG NER NY PHI RSL SJE SEA TOR
Chicago Fire 1–12–22–00–01–12–00–21–12–10–02–10–11–20–10–0
Chivas USA 1–40–13–11–01–20–21–2 1–2 2–02–01–11–23–20–03–0
Colorado Rapids 2–23–01–00–11–13–01–10–13–01–14–1 2–2 1–01–03–1
Columbus Crew 2–11–03–12–00–03–00–10–23–22–03–11–00–00–4 2–0
D.C. United 0–23–20–10–11–31–32–11–20–2 0–2 2–0 0–00–20–12–3
FC Dallas 3–01–02–22–21–0 1–1 1–00–12–22–23–12–02–02–21–0
Houston Dynamo 4–33–02–20–02–0 0–1 0–23–01–22–22–32–11–22–11–2
Kansas City Wizards 2–20–11–00–14–01–34–30–04–10–32–01–14–11–21–0
LA Galaxy 2–3 2–0 1–33–12–12–14–10–21–00–23–12–1 2–2 3–10–0
New England Revolution 0–10–41–22–21–01–11–01–02–03–21–21–20–03–14–1
New York Red Bulls 1–01–03–11–3 0–0 2–12–11–00–12–02–10–02–00–11–0
Philadelphia Union 1–03–01–11–2 3–2 1–11–11–10–11–12–11–11–23–12–1
Real Salt Lake 1–01–1 1–1 2–03–02–03–14–11–05–00–03–00–03–12–1
San Jose Earthquakes 0–33–01–02–21–10–00–11–0 1–0 2–04–01–00–3 0–1 1–3
Seattle Sounders FC 2–12–11–11–12–31–12–01–00–43–00–12–00–0 0–1 3–2
Toronto FC 4–12–11–0 2–2 0–11–11–10–00–01–01–42–10–02–32–0
Updated to match(es) played on March 15, 2011. Source: official website
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Standings

Eastern Conference

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 New York Red Bulls 3015963829+951 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Columbus Crew 3014884034+650
3 Kansas City Wizards 30111363635+139
4 Chicago Fire 3091293738136
5 Toronto FC 3091383341835
6 New England Revolution 30916532501832
7 Philadelphia Union 30815735491431
8 D.C. United 30620421472622
Source: MLS

Western Conference

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy 3018754426+1859 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Real Salt Lake 30154114520+2556
3 FC Dallas 30124144228+1450
4 Seattle Sounders FC 30141063935+448
5 Colorado Rapids 30128104432+1246
6 San Jose Earthquakes 30131073433+146
7 Houston Dynamo 3091564049933
8 Chivas USA 30818431451428
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy (S)3018754426+1859 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Real Salt Lake 30154114520+2556
3 New York Red Bulls 3015963829+951
4 FC Dallas 30124144228+1450 CONCACAF Champions League
5 Columbus Crew 3014884034+650
6 Seattle Sounders FC 30141063935+448 CONCACAF Champions League
7 Colorado Rapids (C)30128104432+1246
8 San Jose Earthquakes 30131073433+146
9 Kansas City Wizards 30111363635+139
10 Chicago Fire 3091293738136
11 Toronto FC 3091383341835 CONCACAF Champions League
12 Houston Dynamo 3091564049933
13 New England Revolution 30916532501832
14 Philadelphia Union 30815735491431
15 Chivas USA 30818431451428
16 D.C. United 30620421472622
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 New York 1 1
E4 San Jose 03
E4 San Jose 0
Eastern Conference
E3 Colorado 1
E2 Columbus 0 2
E3 Colorado (54, PSO)11
E3 Colorado 2
W3 Dallas 1
W1 Los Angeles 12
W4 Seattle 0 1
W1 Los Angeles 0
Western Conference
W3 Dallas 3
W2 Salt Lake 1 1
W3 Dallas 21

Player statistics

Goals

RankScorerClubGoals
1 Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 18
2 Flag of the United States.svg Edson Buddle LA Galaxy 17
3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC 15
4 Flag of Jamaica.svg Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids 14
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
6 Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 13
Flag of the United States.svg Conor Casey Colorado Rapids
8 Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake 12
9 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 11
10 Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Kei Kamara Kansas City Wizards 10
Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC

Assists

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 16
2 Flag of Colombia.svg David Ferreira FC Dallas 13
3 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 12
4 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union 11
5 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Convey San Jose Earthquakes 10
Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Flag of Ghana.svg Patrick Nyarko Chicago Fire
8 Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 9
Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake
10 Flag of Scotland.svg Jamie Smith Colorado Rapids 8
Flag of Jamaica.svg Ryan Johnson San Jose Earthquakes
Flag of the United States.svg Michael Stephens LA Galaxy

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 14
2 Flag of Senegal.svg Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls 11
Flag of the United States.svg Will Hesmer Columbus Crew
Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts LA Galaxy
6 Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards 10
7 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 9
8 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stefan Frei Kansas City Wizards 8
9 Flag of the United States.svg Jon Busch San Jose Earthquakes 7
Flag of the United States.svg Matt Pickens Colorado Rapids

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Flag of Colombia.svg David Ferreira FC Dallas
Defender of the Year Flag of Colombia.svg Jámison Olave Real Salt Lake
Goalkeeper of the Year Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts LA Galaxy
Coach of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Schellas Hyndman FC Dallas
Rookie of the Year Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg Andy Najar D.C. United
Newcomer of the Year Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake
Comeback Player of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Convey San Jose Earthquakes
Golden Boot Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes
Goal of the Year Flag of Guatemala.svg Marco Pappa Chicago Fire
Save of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Fair Play Award Flag of France.svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
Humanitarian of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Seth Stammler New York Red Bulls

Best XI

GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards
Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts, LA Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Nat Borchers, Salt Lake
Flag of the United States.svg Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy
Flag of Colombia.svg Jámison Olave, Salt Lake
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto
Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy
Flag of Colombia.svg David Ferreira, Dallas
Flag of France.svg Sébastien Le Toux, Philadelphia
Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales, Salt Lake
Flag of the United States.svg Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy
Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski, San Jose

Monthly awards

Month MLS Player of the Month MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month
PlayerClubLinkPlayerClubLink
April Flag of the United States.svg Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy 7G 4–0–1 Flag of The Gambia.svg Sanna Nyassi Seattle Sounders FC April Humanitarian Archived April 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
May Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake 4G 3A 5–0–0 Archived November 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Chris Tierney New England Revolution May Humanitarian Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
June Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 0G Allowed 1–0–2 Archived July 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Craig Waibel Houston Dynamo June Humanitarian Archived June 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
July Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 2G 3A 3–1–1 Archived October 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Jed Zayner Columbus Crew July Humanitarian Archived July 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
August Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 2G Allowed 2–0–2 Archived October 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Michael Lahoud Chivas USA August Humanitarian Archived August 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
September Flag of Jamaica.svg Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids 6G 1A 3–1–1 Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Kei Kamara Kansas City Wizards September Humanitarian Archived October 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
October Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 6G 2–2–1 Archived October 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg James Riley Seattle Sounders FC October Humanitarian Archived November 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Weekly awards

WeekPlayer of the WeekAT&T Goal of the Week [2] NAPA Save of the Week [3]
PlayerClubPlayerClubPlayerClub
Week 1 [4] Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 2 [5] Flag of The Gambia.svg Kenny Mansally New England Revolution Flag of The Gambia.svg Kenny Mansally New England Revolution Flag of the United States.svg Preston Burpo New England Revolution
Week 3 [6] Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Flag of Guatemala.svg Marco Pappa Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Jason Hernandez San Jose Earthquakes
Week 4 [7] Flag of the United States.svg Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of Jamaica.svg Lovel Palmer Houston Dynamo Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 5 [8] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Andrew Dykstra Chicago Fire
Week 6 [9] Flag of the United States.svg Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg Joe Cannon San Jose Earthquakes
Week 7 [10] Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Logan Pause Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman FC Dallas
Week 8 [11] Flag of Costa Rica.svg Alvaro Saborio Real Salt Lake Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Danny Mwanga Philadelphia Union Flag of Argentina.svg Gino Padula Columbus Crew
Week 9 [12] Flag of Venezuela.svg Emilio Rentería Columbus Crew Flag of Ghana.svg Dominic Oduro Houston Dynamo Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 10 [13] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC Flag of the United States.svg Shea Salinas Philadelphia Union Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 11 [14] Flag of the United States.svg Brek Shea FC Dallas Flag of Costa Rica.svg Leo González Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Chris Seitz Philadelphia Union
Week 12 [15] Flag of the United States.svg Chris Pontius D.C. United Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Kei Kamara Kansas City Wizards Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 13 [16] Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 14 [17] Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake Flag of Brazil.svg Juninho Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 15 [18] Flag of the United States.svg Justin Braun Chivas USA Flag of Colombia.svg David Ferreira FC Dallas Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stefan Frei Toronto FC
Week 16 [19] Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Roger Levesque Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 17 [20] Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Ned Grabavoy Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 18 [21] Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 19 [22] Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 20 [23] Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 21 [24] Flag of the United States.svg Brian Ching Houston Dynamo Flag of Mexico.svg Rafael Márquez New York Red Bulls Flag of the United States.svg Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 22 [25] Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Jamaica.svg Dane Richards New York Red Bulls Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 23 [26] Flag of Jamaica.svg Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids Flag of Brazil.svg Geovanni San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 24 [27] Flag of the United States.svg Alan Gordon Chivas USA Flag of Jamaica.svg Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 25 [28] Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Blaise Nkufo Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Blaise Nkufo Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 26 [29] Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg Nat Borchers Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 27 [30] Flag of Senegal.svg Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Senegal.svg Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls
Week 28 [31] Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Flag of Uruguay.svg Álvaro Fernández Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Brad Knighton Philadelphia Union
Week 29 [32] Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Brazil.svg Fred Philadelphia Union
Week 30 [33] Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg James Riley Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Gaven Columbus Crew

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League

The Columbus Crew continued their 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League campaign that began during the previous season. They were defeated by Mexican club Toluca in the quarterfinals, 5–4 on aggregate.

Seattle Sounders FC became the first team to qualify for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League by winning the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Columbus Crew qualified next by winning the 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake also qualified by being the two 2009 MLS Cup finalists, while Toronto FC took the Canadian berth by virtue of their Canadian Championship win. Los Angeles, Seattle, and Toronto entered the competition in the preliminary round, while RSL and Columbus were seeded directly into the group stage.

Seattle and Toronto won their preliminary round ties, beating Isidro Metapán of El Salvador and Motagua of Honduras, respectively. Los Angeles crashed out of the preliminary round after losing their home match 4–1 to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF D-2 Pro League and failing to make up the deficit in the away leg.

The group stage was held August 17 – Oct 21. Real Salt Lake won Group A with 13 points over Cruz Azul, Toronto, and Arabe Unido of Panama. Toronto finished in 3rd place with 8 points. Columbus finished 2nd in Group B behind Club Santos Laguna but ahead of C.S.D. Municipal of Guatemala and Joe Public F.C. of Trinidad. Seattle finished 4th in Group C with 3 points behind C.F. Monterrey, C.D. Saprissa of Costa Rica, and C.D. Marathón of Honduras.

On November 1, the draw for the Championship round was held. Real Salt Lake will face Columbus in the quarterfinal in February/March 2011, immediately prior to the 2011 MLS Regular Season.

SuperLiga

As was the case for the 2009 SuperLiga, the top four overall finishers in MLS in 2009 that hadn't already qualified for the Champions League qualified for SuperLiga. This year's competition was contested by the Houston Dynamo, the Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, and the New England Revolution from MLS. The four Mexican teams were Pachuca, Morelia, Puebla, and UNAM. [34]

New England, Houston, Morelia and Puebla advanced from their groups, with the Revolution beating Puebla on penalties in one semifinal, and Morelia defeating Houston in the other. Morelia defeated New England 2–1 in the final at Gillette Stadium on September 1.

Domestic competitions

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The top six overall teams from the 2009 MLS season (Columbus, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Chicago, and Chivas USA) received automatic berths into the third round of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup, while the eight remaining U.S.-based MLS teams and the expansion Philadelphia Union competed in a single-elimination qualification tournament to determine the MLS's final two official entrants into the competition. Teams were seeded one through nine, with the seventh-place MLS team from 2009 earning the first seed (and would play the winner of the eight v. nine play-in game), while each following team would receive its respective seed. The New York Red Bulls and D.C. United earned the final two MLS spots in the third round.

For the first time since 2006, the semifinals were contested exclusively by MLS teams, with Seattle beating Chivas USA and Columbus defeating D.C. United. The final was played October 5 at Qwest Field in Seattle with the defending cup holders, the Sounders, defeating the Crew 2–1. The Sounders became the first MLS team ever to successfully defend the U.S. Open Cup, and the first team from any league to do so since New York Pancyprian-Freedoms in 1983.

Canadian championship

Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based MLS team, is not eligible to compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and instead contested the Canadian Championship with the two Canadian-based teams in the Division-2 Pro League, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact. Toronto FC won the tournament, claiming the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's entry into the preliminary round of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2009</span> 2009 edition of the MLS Cup

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The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 16th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 33rd with a national first-division league.

The 2012 Major League Soccer season was the 17th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 100th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 34th with a national first-division league.

The 2010 FC Dallas season was the fifteenth season of the team's existence.

The 2010 Real Salt Lake season was the sixth year of the club's existence. It was also the sixth year for the club in Major League Soccer and the sixth-consecutive year for the club in the top-flight of American soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2010</span> 2010 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2010 was the 15th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight soccer league in the United States and Canada. The match took place on November 21, 2010, at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, the first Canadian city to host. It was contested by the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas to determine the champion of the 2010 season. The 2010 edition was the fourth MLS Cup to feature two teams from the same conference and the third played between two Western Conference teams.

The 2010 Season was the 98th season of competitive soccer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joao Plata</span> Ecuadorian footballer (born 1992)

Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays as a forward for C.D. FAS in the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador.

The 2011 Real Salt Lake season was the club's seventh year of existence, as well as their seventh season in Major League Soccer, and their seventh consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer.

The 2011 Colorado Rapids season was the club's seventeenth year of existence, as well as its sixteenth season in Major League Soccer, and its sixteenth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer.

This article presents a detailed, year-by-year history of Real Salt Lake (2004–present). For other information about the professional soccer club based in Utah, please see the main article.

Major League Soccer teams have participated in the CONCACAF Champions Cup each season since 1997. MLS may send up to ten teams to the CONCACAF Champions Cup each season — up to six from the United States, up to one from Canada, and up to three through the Leagues Cup berths.

References

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  34. "SuperLiga 2010 dates and venues announced". Chicago-fire.com. April 28, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2012.