2007 Major League Soccer season
Season2007
MLS CupHouston Dynamo (2nd title)
Supporters' ShieldD.C. United (4th shield)
2008-09 CONCACAF Champions LeagueHouston Dynamo
D.C. United
N.E. Revolution
Chivas USA
2008 SuperLigaD.C. United
Chivas USA
Houston Dynamo
N.E. Revolution
2008 CONCACAF Champions' CupHouston Dynamo
D.C. United
Matches played195
Goals scored518 (2.66 per match)
Top goalscorerLuciano Emilio
D.C. United
Goals: 20
Biggest home winCHV 4–0 RSL
NY 4–0 CLB
TOR 4–0 FCD
Biggest away winCHI 0–4 HOU
FCD 0–4 DCU
Highest scoringNY 5–4 LA
Longest winning runD.C. United
Games: 6
(08/05/ – 09/01)
Longest unbeaten runD.C. United
Games: 13
(08/05 – 10/13)
Longest losing runLos Angeles Galaxy
Games: 6
(08/09 – 09/01)
Highest attendanceLos Angeles Galaxy
Season: 363,782
Game Avg.: 24,252
Lowest attendanceK.C. Wizards
Season:173,784
Game Avg.: 11,586
Total attendance3,270,210
Average attendance16,770
← 2006
2008 →
2007 Major League Soccer season is located in the United States
D.C.United
D.C.
United
New YorkRed Bulls
New York
Red Bulls
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
New England Revolution
New England Revolution
ChicagoFire
Chicago
Fire
Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
FC Dallas
Chivas USA
Chivas USA
Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
RealSalt Lake
Real
Salt Lake
Locations of teams for the 2007 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   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.

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

Team Stadium Capacity
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

Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire United States Dave Sarachan —
Chivas USA United States Preki Comex
Colorado Rapids United States Fernando Clavijo —
Columbus Crew United States Sigi Schmid United States Frankie Hejduk —
D.C. United United States Tom Soehn —
FC Dallas Northern Ireland Steve Morrow —
Houston Dynamo United States Dominic Kinnear United States Wade Barrett —
Kansas City Wizards United States Curt Onalfo —
LA Galaxy Canada Frank Yallop Herbalife
New England Revolution Scotland Steve Nicol —
New York Red Bulls United States Bruce Arena United States Claudio Reyna Red Bull
Real Salt Lake United States John Ellinger United States Jason Kreis
United States Eddie Pope		 —
Toronto FC Scotland Mo Johnston —

Coaching changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment
Chicago Fire United States Dave Sarachan Fired June 20, 2007 Colombia Juan Carlos Osorio July 1, 2007
Real Salt Lake United States John Ellinger Fired May 3, 2007 United States Jason Kreis May 3, 2007

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D.C. United 30 16 7 7 56 34 +22 55 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 New England Revolution 30 14 8 8 51 43 +8 50
3 New York Red Bulls 30 12 11 7 47 45 +2 43
4 Chicago Fire 30 10 10 10 31 36 −5 40
5 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 12 7 45 45 0 40
6 Columbus Crew 30 9 11 10 39 44 −5 37
7 Toronto FC 30 6 17 7 25 49 −24 25
Source: MLS

Western Conference

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Chivas USA 30 15 7 8 46 28 +18 53 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Houston Dynamo 30 15 8 7 43 23 +20 52
3 FC Dallas 30 13 12 5 37 44 −7 44
4 Colorado Rapids 30 9 13 8 29 34 −5 35
5 LA Galaxy 30 9 14 7 38 48 −10 34
6 Real Salt Lake 30 6 15 9 31 45 −14 27
Source: MLS

Overall Standings

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D.C. United (S) 30 16 7 7 56 34 +22 55 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 Chivas USA 30 15 7 8 46 28 +18 53 North American SuperLiga
3 Houston Dynamo (C) 30 15 8 7 43 23 +20 52 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
4 New England Revolution 30 14 8 8 51 43 +8 50 North American SuperLiga
5 FC Dallas 30 13 12 5 37 44 −7 44
6 New York Red Bulls 30 12 11 7 47 45 +2 43
7 Chicago Fire 30 10 10 10 31 36 −5 40
8 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 12 7 45 45 0 40
9 Columbus Crew 30 9 11 10 39 44 −5 37
10 Colorado Rapids 30 9 13 8 29 34 −5 35
11 LA Galaxy 30 9 14 7 38 48 −10 34
12 Real Salt Lake 30 6 15 9 31 45 −14 27
13 Toronto FC 30 6 17 7 25 49 −24 25
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 2007
          
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 Wizards1 1 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 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United 20
2 Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 19
3 United States Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 16
4 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards 15
5 Cuba Maykel Galindo Chivas USA 12
6 United States Ante Razov Chivas USA 11
7 Argentina Christian Gómez D.C. United 10
8 United States Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls 9
9 United States Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 8
United States Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake

Assists

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

Clean Sheets

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

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable PlayerBrazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Defender of the YearUnited States Michael ParkhurstNew England Revolution
Goalkeeper of the YearUnited States Brad GuzanChivas USA
Coach of the YearUnited States PrekiChivas USA
Rookie of the YearUnited States Maurice EduToronto FC
Comeback Player of the YearUnited States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
Golden BootBrazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Goal of the YearMexico Cuauhtémoc BlancoChicago Fire
Fair Play AwardUnited States Michael ParkhurstNew England Revolution
Humanitarian of the YearUnited States Diego GutiérrezChicago Fire

Best XI

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
United States Brad Guzan, Chivas USA United States Michael Parkhurst, New England
United States Eddie Robinson, Houston Dynamo
United States Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA		 Argentina Christian Gómez, D.C. United
Grenada Shalrie Joseph, New England
Canada Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo
United States Ben Olsen, D.C. United
Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus		 Brazil Luciano Emílio, D.C. United
Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel, New York Red Bulls

Weekly awards

Monthly awards

Attendance

Club Games Season Game Avg.
LA Galaxy 15 363,782 24,252
D.C. United 15 314,506 20,967
Toronto FC 15 301,947 20,130
New England Revolution 15 251,132 16,742
New York Red Bulls 15 247,948 16,530
Chicago Fire 15 247,536 16,502
Real Salt Lake 15 239,395 15,960
Houston Dynamo 15 238,240 15,883
Columbus Crew 15 228,451 15,230
FC Dallas 15 227,182 15,145
Colorado Rapids 15 221,209 14,747
Chivas USA 15 214,578 14,305
Kansas City Wizards 15 173,784 11,586
OVERALL 195 3,269,690 16,768

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2007

United States D.C. United
Defeated Honduras Club Deportivo Olimpia in the Quarterfinals
Lost Mexico Club Deportivo Guadalajara in the Semifinals.

United States Houston Dynamo
Defeated Costa Rica Puntarenas FC in the Quarterfinals.
Lost Mexico C.F. Pachuca in the Semifinals.

SuperLiga 2007

FC Dallas
Finished in fourth place and did not advance from
Group A after going 0-1-2 in group play.

D.C. United
Runner-up of Group B after going 1-1-1 in group play.
Lost to Los Angeles Galaxy in Semifinals.

Houston Dynamo
Winner of Group B after going 2-0-1 in group play.
Lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Semifinals.

Los Angeles Galaxy
Winner of Group A after going 2-1-0 in group play.
Defeated D.C. United in the Semifinals
Lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Final.

Copa Sudamericana 2007

D.C. United
Lost to Club Deportivo Guadalajara on away goals in the Round of 16.

Other competitions

2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Eight of the twelve U.S.-based MLS teams entered the tournament in the third round.

D.C. United
Lost to Harrisburg City Islanders in the third round.

Los Angeles Galaxy
Lost to Richmond Kickers in the third round.

Chicago Fire
Lost to Carolina RailHawks in the third round.

Houston Dynamo
Lost to Charleston Battery in the third round.

Chivas USA
Lost to Seattle Sounders (USL) in the third round

Colorado Rapids
Defeated California Victory in the third round.
Lost to Seattle Sounders (USL) in the Quarterfinals.

FC Dallas
Defeated Atlanta Silverbacks on penalty kicks in the third round,
Defeated Charleston Battery after extra time in the Quarterfinals,
Defeated Seattle Sounders (USL) after extra time in the Semifinals,
Lost to New England Revolution in the Final.

New England Revolution
Defeated Rochester Raging Rhinos in the third round.
Defeated Harrisburg City Islanders in the Quarterfinals.
Defeated Carolina RailHawks after extra time in the Semifinals.
Defeated FC Dallas in the Final.

All-Star game

The 2007 MLS All-Star Game was held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park
in Commerce City, Colorado, home of the Colorado Rapids on July 19.
The opponent was Celtic F.C. of the Scottish Premier League.

Final Score:
MLS All-Stars 2-0 Celtic F.C.

References

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