2011 Major League Soccer season

Last updated

Major League Soccer
Season2011
MLS Cup Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd title)
Supporters' Shield Los Angeles Galaxy (4th shield)
Champions League (U.S.) Los Angeles Galaxy
Seattle Sounders FC (via U.S. Open Cup)
Real Salt Lake
Houston Dynamo
Champions League (Canada) Toronto FC (via Canadian Championship)
Matches played306
Goals scored791 (2.58 per match)
Top goalscorer Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski (16 goals)
Biggest home win NY 5–0 TOR
(July 6)
Biggest away win DCU 0–4 NY
(April 21)
TOR 2–6 PHI
(May 28)
VAN 0–4 LA
(July 30)
Highest scoring8 goals:
TOR 2–6 PHI
(May 28)
SEA 6–2 CLB
(August 27)
PHI 4–4 NE
(September 7)
Longest winning run5 matches:
Real Salt Lake [1]
(August 27 – Sep 21)
Longest unbeaten run14 matches:
Los Angeles Galaxy [1]
(May 7 – July 30)
Sporting KC [1]
(May 28 – August 3)
Longest winless run14 matches:
Vancouver Whitecaps FC [1]
(March 26 – June 11)
Longest losing run5 matches:
Sporting KC [1]
(April 16 – May 21)
New England Revolution [1] (September 16 – October 15)
Highest attendance64,140 [2]
SJ @ SEA
Lowest attendance6,680 [3]
TOR @ NE
Average attendance17,872 [4]
2010
2012
Usa edcp location map.svg
ButtonBlue.svg
D.C.
United
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New York
Red Bulls
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Columbus Crew
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New England Revolution
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Chicago
Fire
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Sporting Kansas City
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Toronto FC
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Philadelphia Union
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Houston Dynamo
ButtonRed.svg
Colorado Rapids
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FC Dallas
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Chivas USA
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LA Galaxy
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Portland Timbers
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Real
Salt Lake
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San Jose Earthquakes
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Seattle
Sounders FC
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Vancouver
Whitecaps FC
Locations of teams for the 2011 Major League Soccer season
ButtonRed.svg Western Conference   ButtonBlue.svg Eastern Conference

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.

Contents

This season marked the arrival of two new clubs, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who replaced two clubs of the same name that last played in the USSF D2 Pro League. The addition of those two clubs led to a realignment of the league's conferences, with the Houston Dynamo moving to the Eastern Conference to create two conferences of nine teams each.

The Kansas City Wizards rebranded as Sporting Kansas City, which coincided with its move to its new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park.

The MLS Reserve League returned this season after previously disbanding following the 2008 season.

The regular season began on March 15 and concluded on October 23. The MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 26 and ended on November 20, when the LA Galaxy claimed their third league title by defeating the Houston Dynamo, 1–0, in MLS Cup.

Overview

Season format

The season began on March 15 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 20. The 18 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 34 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in the league twice.

This was the first playoffs to include ten teams. The top three teams in each conference earned a bye to the conference semifinals, while the next four teams with the most points earned wild card berths. The wild card round included two single-elimination matches where the winners advanced to the conference semifinals. 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 and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, as Canadian-based teams, could not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS, and had to instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.

Roster rule changes

Team rosters were expanded to 30 players in order to accommodate the re-introduction of the MLS Reserve League. Of these 30 players, 18–20 count against a club's salary cap of $2,675,000. Clubs may still have a maximum of three Designated Players per club, each of whom counts $335,000 for salary cap purposes. The transfer windows for acquisition of players under contract in another country run from January 21 to April 15 and from July 15 to August 14.

Other key roster rule changes were the introduction of Off-Budget players who do not count against a club's salary cap; the ability of clubs to forgo fielding a full roster of 30 players for salary reasons; the introduction of roster slots paid below last year's league minimum; the ability of the two Canadian clubs to count U.S. domestic players as domestic players for roster purposes; and the ability of clubs to buy out one guaranteed player contract during the off-season and free up the corresponding budget space. [5]

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 45,596
FC Dallas Pizza Hut Park 21,193
Houston Dynamo Robertson Stadium 32,000
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 PPL Park 18,500
Portland Timbers Jeld-Wen Field 18,627
Real Salt Lake Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213
San Jose Earthquakes Buck Shaw Stadium 10,525
Seattle Sounders FC Qwest Field 68,740
Sporting Kansas City Livestrong Sporting Park 18,467
Toronto FC BMO Field 21,566
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Empire Field
BC Place
27,528
22,120

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.

TeamHead CoachCaptainShirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Frank Klopas Flag of the United States.svg Logan Pause
Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Robin Fraser Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Elliott Corona
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 Chad Marshall
D.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Ben Olsen Flag of the United States.svg Josh Wolff 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 Greenstar Recycling
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 UnitedHealthcare
New York Red Bulls Flag of Sweden.svg Hans Backe Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Thierry Henry Red Bull
Philadelphia Union Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Nowak Flag of Colombia.svg Faryd Mondragón Bimbo
Portland Timbers Flag of Scotland.svg John Spencer Flag of the United States.svg Jack Jewsbury Alaska Airlines
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
Sporting Kansas City Flag of the United States.svg Peter Vermes Flag of the United States.svg Davy Arnaud
Toronto FC Flag of the Netherlands.svg Aron Winter Flag of Germany.svg Torsten Frings Bank of Montreal
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Flag of the United States.svg Tom Soehn Flag of the United States.svg Jay DeMerit Bell Canada

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming coachDate of appointmentTable
Portland Timbers Expansion club Flag of Scotland.svg John Spencer August 10, 2010Pre-season
Chivas USA Flag of the United States.svg Martín Vásquez FiredOctober 27, 20108th West ('10) Flag of the United States.svg Robin Fraser January 4, 2011Pre-season
Toronto FC Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nick Dasovic End of interim periodSeptember 14, 20105th East ('09) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Aron Winter January 6, 2011Pre-season
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Flag of Iceland.svg Teitur Thordarson FiredMay 29, 20119th West ('11) Flag of the United States.svg Tom Soehn May 29, 20119th West ('11)
Chicago Fire Flag of Mexico.svg Carlos de los Cobos FiredMay 30, 20118th East ('11) Flag of the United States.svg Frank Klopas May 30, 20118th East ('11)

Standings

Eastern Conference

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Sporting Kansas City 34139125040+1051 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Houston Dynamo 34129134541+449
3 Philadelphia Union 34118154436+848
4 Columbus Crew 34131384344147 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 New York Red Bulls 34108165044+646
6 Chicago Fire 3499164645+143
7 D.C. United 34913124952339
8 Toronto FC 346131536592333
9 New England Revolution 345161338582028
Source: MLS

Western Conference

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy 34195104828+2067 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Seattle Sounders FC 3418795637+1963
3 Real Salt Lake 34151184436+853
4 FC Dallas 34151274239+352 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 Colorado Rapids 34129134642+449
6 Portland Timbers 34111494048842
7 San Jose Earthquakes 34812144045538
8 Chivas USA 34814124143236
9 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 346181035552028
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeamPldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy (S, C)34195104828+2067 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Seattle Sounders FC 3418795637+1963
3 Real Salt Lake 34151184436+853
4 FC Dallas 34151274239+352
5 Sporting Kansas City 34139125040+1051
6 Houston Dynamo 34129134541+449 CONCACAF Champions League
7 Colorado Rapids 34129134441+349
8 Philadelphia Union 34118154436+848
9 Columbus Crew 34131384344147
10 New York Red Bulls 34108165044+646
11 Chicago Fire 3499164645+143
12 Portland Timbers 34111494048842
13 D.C. United 34913124952339
14 San Jose Earthquakes 34812144045538
15 Chivas USA 34814124143236
16 Toronto FC 346131536592333 CONCACAF Champions League
17 New England Revolution 345161338582028
18 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 346181035552028
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

Results

For the second year in a row, the league uses a balanced schedule. Each team will play every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 34 games. [6]

Home \ Away CHI CHV COL CLB DCU FCD HOU LAG NER NY PHI POR RSL SJE SEA SKC TOR VAN
Chicago Fire 3–22–03–21–1 1–2 1–11–23–21–11–10–10–02–20–03–22–00–0
Chivas USA 1–10–10–00–31–23–0 0–1 3–00–01–11–00–12–01–32–33–01–1
Colorado Rapids 1–12–22–04–11–00–01–32–24–11–13–1 0–0 1–10–11–10–02–1
Columbus Crew 0–13–34–12–1 2–0 2–20–13–10–02–11–02–10–01–11–0 2–4 2–1
D.C. United 1–22–21–13–10–02–21–10–1 0–4 2–21–14–12–42–10–13–34–0
FC Dallas 1–1 1–03–0 2–0 0–0 0–1 2–11–00–12–04–00–00–20–11–41–02–0
Houston Dynamo 1–12–11–20–24–1 2–2 3–11–02–20–12–13–22–13–11–12–03–1
LA Galaxy 2–1 1–0 1–01–00–03–11–01–11–11–03–02–1 2–0 0–04–12–23–0
New England Revolution 1–12–30–00–32–12–01–10–12–24–41–10–21–21–23–20–01–0
New York Red Bulls 2–22–32–21–1 0–1 2–21–12–02–11–02–01–33–01–01–05–01–1
Philadelphia Union 2–13–21–21–03–22–21–11–13–01–00–01–11–01–10–01–11–0
Portland Timbers 4–21–00–11–02–33–20–23–03–03–31–01–01–1 2–3 1–22–2 2–1
Real Salt Lake 0–31–0 1–0 0–21–12–00–04–13–33–02–11–14–01–21–03–12–0
San Jose Earthquakes 2–01–21–23–00–24–22–0 0–0 2–12–20–01–10–1 2–2 1–11–12–2
Seattle Sounders FC 2–10–04–36–23–00–11–10–12–14–20–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–03–0 2–2
Sporting Kansas City 0–01–11–12–11–02–33–02–21–12–01–13–12–01–01–24–22–1
Toronto FC 2–21–12–1 1–1 0–30–12–10–02–21–12–62–01–01–10–10–01–0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4–20–01–20–12–11–21–00–41–11–11–0 0–1 3–01–1 1–3 3–34–2
Updated to match(es) played on October 20, 2011. Source: official website
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

MLS Cup Playoffs

Play-in round Conference semifinals Conference finals MLS Cup
E1 Sporting Kansas City 22
8 Colorado Rapids 1WC Colorado Rapids 0 0
9 Columbus Crew 0 Eastern Conference E1 Sporting Kansas City 0
E2 Houston Dynamo 2
E2 Houston Dynamo 21
E3 Philadelphia Union 1 0
E2 Houston Dynamo 0
W1 LA Galaxy 1
W2 Seattle Sounders FC 0 2
7 FC Dallas 0 W3 Real Salt Lake 30
10 New York Red Bulls 2 Western Conference W3 Real Salt Lake 1
W1 LA Galaxy 3
W1 LA Galaxy 12
WC New York Red Bulls 0 1

Player statistics

Goals

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 16
Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes
3 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry New York Red Bulls 14
4 Flag of Peru.svg Andrés Mendoza Columbus Crew 13
5 Flag of Brazil.svg Camilo Sanvezzo Vancouver Whitecaps FC 12
Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan LA Galaxy
Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Flag of Ghana.svg Dominic Oduro Chicago Fire
9 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Davies D.C. United 11
Flag of France.svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake
Flag of the United States.svg Brek Shea FC Dallas

Assists

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 16
2 Flag of England.svg David Beckham LA Galaxy 15
3 Flag of Argentina.svg Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC 13
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 12
5 Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Beckerman Real Salt Lake 9
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Davide Chiumiento Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Flag of France.svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Flag of Ghana.svg Patrick Nyarko Chicago Fire
10 Flag of the United States.svg Jack Jewsbury Portland Timbers 8

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 13
Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
3 Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC 9
Flag of the United States.svg Dan Kennedy Chivas USA
Flag of the United States.svg Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
6 Flag of the United States.svg Will Hesmer Columbus Crew 8
Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City
Flag of the United States.svg Matt Pickens Colorado Rapids
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Josh Saunders LA Galaxy
10 Flag of the United States.svg Jon Busch San Jose Earthquakes 7
Flag of the United States.svg Bill Hamid D.C. United
Flag of the United States.svg Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Flag of Colombia.svg Faryd Mondragón Philadelphia Union
Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts LA Galaxy

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United
Defender of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Omar Gonzalez LA Galaxy
Goalkeeper of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Coach of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Arena LA Galaxy
Rookie of the Year Flag of the United States.svg C.J. Sapong Sporting Kansas City
Newcomer of the Year Flag of Argentina.svg Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC
Comeback Player of the Year Flag of England.svg David Beckham LA Galaxy
Golden Boot Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United
Goal of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Darlington Nagbe Portland Timbers
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 Zak Boggs New England Revolution

Monthly awards

Month MLS Player of the Month MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month
PlayerClubLinkPlayerClubLink
March Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 1GA 2–0–0 Archived August 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC March Humanitarian Archived January 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
April Flag of the United States.svg Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 6A 3–0–2 Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Daniel Hernández FC Dallas April Humanitarian Archived April 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
May Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 6G Archived October 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Danny Cruz Houston Dynamo May Humanitarian
June Flag of the United States.svg Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City 2G 3GWA 3–0–3 Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Zak Boggs New England Revolution June Humanitarian
July Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 4SO 6GS Archived October 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Jeb Brovsky Vancouver Whitecaps FC July Humanitarian
August Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 3G 2A Archived October 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Flag of the United States.svg Jack Jewsbury Portland Timbers August Humanitarian
September Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union 7G Archived May 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Flag of Morocco.svg Mehdi Ballouchy
Flag of the United States.svg Jason Hernandez
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Michael Lahoud
Flag of the United States.svg Logan Pause
New York Red Bulls
San Jose Earthquakes
Chivas USA
Chicago Fire
September Humanitarians
October Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 5G Flag of the United States.svg Geoff Cameron Houston Dynamo October Humanitarian

Weekly awards

WeekPlayer of the Week AT&T Goal of the Week [7] MLS Save of the Week [8]
PlayerClubPlayerClubPlayerClub
Week 1 [9] Flag of Mexico.svg Omar Bravo Sporting Kansas City Flag of the United States.svg Juan Agudelo New York Red Bulls Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 2 [10] Flag of Argentina.svg Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Flag of the Netherlands.svg Javier Martina Toronto FC Flag of New Zealand.svg Jake Gleeson Portland Timbers
Week 3 [11] Flag of Brazil.svg Camilo Vancouver Whitecaps FC Flag of Jamaica.svg Khari Stephenson San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 4 [12] Flag of Colombia.svg David Ferreira FC Dallas Flag of Jamaica.svg O'Brian White Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Kasey KellerSeattle Sounders FC
Week 5 [13] Flag of England.svg Luke Rodgers New York Red Bulls Flag of Colombia.svg Jorge Perlaza Portland Timbers Flag of New Zealand.svg Jake Gleeson Portland Timbers
Week 6 [14] Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Juan Agudelo New York Red Bulls Flag of Jamaica.svg Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 7 [15] Flag of the United States.svg Will Bruin Houston Dynamo Flag of the United States.svg Brek Shea FC Dallas Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Shuttleworth New England Revolution
Week 8 [16] Flag of Ecuador.svg Joao Plata Toronto FC Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Thierry Henry New York Red Bulls Flag of the United States.svg Tim Ream New York Red Bulls
Week 9 [17] Flag of the United States.svg Justin Braun Chivas USA Flag of England.svg David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stefan Frei Toronto FC
Week 10 [18] Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Parke Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
Week 11 [19] Flag of the United States.svg Justin Mapp Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Donovan & DeLaGarza Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 12 [20] Flag of Haiti.svg Jean Alexandre Real Salt Lake Flag of Haiti.svg Jean Alexandre Real Salt Lake Flag of the United States.svg Kasey KellerSeattle Sounders FC
Week 13 [21] Flag of the United States.svg Steven Lenhart San Jose Earthquakes Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Eric Hassli Vancouver Whitecaps FC Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Greg Sutton New York Red Bulls
Week 14 [22] Flag of Venezuela.svg Bernardo Anor Columbus Crew Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Finland.svg Teemu Tainio New York Red Bulls
Week 15 [23] Flag of the United States.svg Mike Magee Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Tyson Wahl Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Mike Magee Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 16 [24] Flag of Estonia.svg Joel Lindpere New York Red Bulls Flag of Liberia.svg Darlington Nagbe Portland Timbers Flag of the United States.svg Brian Perk Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 17 [25] Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of England.svg David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Troy PerkinsPortland Timbers
Week 18 [26] Flag of Argentina.svg Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Troy PerkinsPortland Timbers
Week 19 [27] Flag of The Gambia.svg Sanna Nyassi Colorado Rapids Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Kei Kamara Sporting Kansas City Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City
Week 20 [28] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United Flag of Colombia.svg Roger Torres Philadelphia Union Flag of the United States.svg Andy Gruenebaum Columbus Crew
Week 21 [29] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De RosarioD.C. United Flag of the United States.svg Luis Gil Real Salt Lake Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy NielsenSporting Kansas City
Week 22 [30] Flag of the United States.svg Chris Pontius D.C. United Flag of Scotland.svg Adam Moffat Houston Dynamo Flag of Serbia.svg Miloš Kocić Toronto FC
Week 23 [31] Flag of the United States.svg Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City Flag of the United States.svg Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City Flag of the United States.svg Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 24 [32] Flag of the United States.svg Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Nick RimandoReal Salt Lake
Week 25 [33] No award given Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Beckerman Real Salt Lake Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy NielsenSporting Kansas City
Week 26 [34] Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Davies D.C. United Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Davide Chiumiento Vancouver Whitecaps FC Flag of the United States.svg Joe Cannon Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Week 27 [35] Flag of the Netherlands.svg Danny Koevermans Toronto FC Flag of Uruguay.svg Álvaro Fernández Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Zac MacMath Philadelphia Union
Week 28 [36] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De RosarioD.C. United Flag of Colombia.svg Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Troy PerkinsPortland Timbers
Week 29 [37] Flag of Guatemala.svg Marco Pappa Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Kenny Cooper Portland Timbers Flag of the United States.svg Nick RimandoReal Salt Lake
Week 30 [38] No award given Flag of the United States.svg Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Flag of the United States.svg Kasey KellerSeattle Sounders FC
Week 31 [39] Flag of the United States.svg Kasey KellerSeattle Sounders FC Flag of the United States.svg Danny Cruz Houston Dynamo Flag of the United States.svg Kasey KellerSeattle Sounders FC
Week 32 [40] Flag of the United States.svg Jalil Anibaba Chicago Fire Flag of Scotland.svg Adam MoffatHouston Dynamo Flag of Denmark.svg Jimmy NielsenSporting Kansas City

Transfers

Major League Soccer employs no fewer than 12 methods to acquire players. These include: signing players on transfers/free transfers as is done in most of the world; via trades; drafting players through mechanisms such as the MLS SuperDraft, MLS Supplemental Draft, or MLS Re-Entry Draft; rarely used methods which cover extreme hardship and injury replacement; signing players as Designated Players or Homegrown Players; placing a discovery claim on players; waivers; and methods peculiar to MLS such as through allocation or a weighted lottery. [41]

Allocation ranking

The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. The allocation rankings may also be used in the event two or more clubs file a request for the same player on the same day. The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2010 season, taking playoff performance into account.

Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times, each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS League season. [41]

Original RankingClubDate Allocation UsedPlayer SignedPrevious ClubRef
1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC November 18, 2010 Flag of the United States.svg Jay DeMerit Flag of England.svg Watford [42]
2 Portland Timbers January 17, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Kenny Cooper Flag of Germany.svg 1860 Munich [43]
3 D.C. United February 16, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Davies Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Sochaux¤ [44]
4 Chivas USA
5 Philadelphia Union August 12, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Freddy Adu Flag of Portugal.svg Benfica [45]
6 New England Revolution April 19, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Benny Feilhaber Flag of Denmark.svg AGF Aarhus [46]
7 Houston Dynamo
8 Toronto FC
9 Seattle Sounders FC¤¤August 26, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Sammy Ochoa Flag of Mexico.svg Estudiantes Tecos [47]
10 Sporting Kansas City

¤ Davies was signed by United on a twelve-month loan deal.
¤¤ Chicago originally had the No. 9 ranking but traded it to Seattle on August 26, 2011. [48]

The remaining order after Sporting Kansas City is: Chicago Fire¤¤, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas, and Colorado Rapids. In the unlikely event that all clubs use an allocation, the order begins anew with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Weighted lottery

Some players are assigned to MLS teams via a weighted lottery process. A team can only acquire one player per year through a weighted lottery. The players made available through lotteries include: (i) Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft; and (ii) Draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the SuperDraft.

The team with the worst record over its last 30 regular season games (dating back to previous season if necessary and taking playoff performance into account) will have the greatest probability of winning the lottery. Teams are not required to participate in a lottery. Players are assigned via the lottery system in order to prevent a player from potentially influencing his destination club with a strategic holdout.

The results of 2011 weighted lotteries:

Lottery DatePlayerPositionWinning ClubOther Clubs ParticipatingRef
January 26, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg David Bingham GK San Jose Earthquakes New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [49]
February 11, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Cody Arnoux FW Real Salt Lake Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [50]
February 14, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Chris Agorsor FW Philadelphia Union Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [51]
February 15, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Korey Veeder DF Columbus Crew Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Colorado Rapids [52]
July 5, 2011 Flag of the United States.svg Soony Saad FW Sporting Kansas City Chivas USA, Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers [53]

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League

Prior to the start of the MLS regular season, Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake played against each other in the quarterfinals of 2010–11 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg, contested at Crew Stadium on February 22, 2011; ended in a scoreless draw between the sides. On March 1, 2011; the second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium was played, where Real Salt Lake won the series against the Crew 4–1 in the game and on aggregate, this ending Columbus' Champions League campaign.

As a result, Salt Lake became the first MLS team to advance into the semifinals of the Champions League under its current format.[ citation needed ] The team won its home fixture against Saprissa of Costa Rica 2–0 on March 15, 2011. Real Salt Lake lost the away fixture 2–1 on April 5, 2011, but advanced 3–2 on aggregate. They faced Monterrey of Mexico in the first leg of the final on April 20 in Monterrey. The game concluded in a 2–2 draw. The second leg was played at Rio Tinto on April 27, 2011. Monterrey won 1–0 (3–2 on aggregate) with a late goal in the first half.

Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy have qualified directly into Group Stage for the 2011–12 edition of the Champions League by being the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winners, respectively. Both Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas have earned preliminary entries in the tournament by winning the U.S. Open Cup and finishing runner up in the MLS Cup, respectively. Toronto FC secured the Canadian berth in the preliminary round with their Voyageurs Cup victory on July 2.

World Football Challenge

On March 29, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the 2011 edition of the North American SuperLiga would be replaced by the World Football Challenge, [54] a friendly tournament which started play on July 14 and will end on August 6. [55]

The following MLS sides entered the tournament based on invitation: Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Domestic competitions

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The MLS clubs that finished first through sixth place overall during last year's regular season earned a direct bye to the third round proper of the U.S. Open Cup. Clubs that finished seventh or lower will have to play for the final two spots in a series of play-in propers, based on their geographic location as well as their final regular season position.

Canadian championship

The two Canadian-based MLS clubs, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC participated in the Canadian Championship, Canada's domestic soccer cup. They competed against two other professional Canadian soccer teams from the NASL for the Voyageurs Cup, as well as a Preliminary Round berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament is organized in a knockout format with two-legged ties in both the semifinals and final, with the away goals rule in place.

The two began in the semifinal round, where the Whitecaps defeated the Montreal Impact and Toronto defeated FC Edmonton. The first leg of the final, held in Vancouver on May 18, ended in a 1–1 draw. The second leg, on May 25 in Toronto, was abandoned due to torrential rains with the Whitecaps leading 1–0. Under competition rules, the second leg was to be replayed in its entirety the following day, but the field remained unplayable. The second leg was replayed, again in its entirety, on July 2, with Toronto winning the game 2–1 and the championship 3–2 on aggregate.

League competitions

MLS Cup

Following the 2011 season, ten MLS clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs postseason tournament. Of the ten clubs, six will be automatic qualifiers from the top three clubs in each conference. These automatic qualifiers earn a bye to the conference semifinal, or quarterfinal round proper. Four more qualifiers will enter in a play-in round, where these for clubs will be determined by their final regular season standing, regardless of their conference. The winners of the play-in games will play in the conference semifinals, where the lowest seeded club will play against the Supporters' Shield winners.

The cup final will be held on a neutral venue.

Cups and Rivalries

This season marks the first time that the Cascadia Cup will be contested in Major League Soccer. Seattle, Portland and Vancouver contested this cup from 2004–08 until Seattle joined Major League Soccer. The competition continued between Portland and Vancouver for the next two years.

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