Major League Soccer
Season2010
MLS CupColorado Rapids (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldLos Angeles Galaxy (3rd shield)
Champions LeagueLos Angeles Galaxy
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
Seattle Sounders FC
SuperLigaReal Salt Lake
New York Red Bulls
Columbus Crew
S.J. Earthquakes
Matches played240
Goals scored591 (2.46 per match)
Top goalscorerChris Wondolowski (18 goals)
Biggest home winNE 0–5 RSL
(July 2)[1]
Biggest away winCHV 4–0 NE
(May 5)
LA 4–0 SEA
(May 8)
SEA 4–0 CLB
(Sept 18)
Highest scoring7 goals:
HOU 4–3 CHI
(August 21)
KCW 4–3 HOU
(September 22)
Longest winning run5 wins:
Real Salt Lake
(May 1 – May 29)
Seattle Sounders FC
(Sep 18 – Oct 15)
Longest unbeaten run18 matches:
FC Dallas
(May 27 – Oct 16)
Longest winless run10 matches:
Houston Dynamo
(May 22 – Aug 21)
Longest losing run6 losses:
C.D. Chivas USA
(May 8 – June 26)
Highest attendanceCHI @ SEA: 36,386
Lowest attendanceCHV @ NE: 5,990
Total attendance4,002,053
Average attendance16,675
← 2009
2011 →
2010 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
Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union
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
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
SeattleSounders FC
Seattle
Sounders FC
Locations of teams for the 2010 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   Eastern Conference

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.

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

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 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.

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

Managerial Changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Table Incoming coach Date of appointment Table
Philadelphia Union Expansion Team Poland Piotr Nowak May 29, 2009 Pre-season
New York Red Bulls United States Richie Williams Caretaker August 21, 2009 7th East ('09) Sweden Hans Backe January 7, 2010 Pre-season
Toronto FC England Chris Cummins Contract expiration October 27, 2009 5th East ('09) United States Preki November 18, 2009 Pre-season
D.C. United United States Tom Soehn Resigned November 3, 2009 4th East ('09) United States Curt Onalfo December 28, 2009 Pre-season
Chivas USA United States Preki Mutual consent November 12, 2009 4th West ('09) United States Martín Vásquez December 2, 2009 Pre-season
Chicago Fire Costa Rica Denis Hamlett Fired November 24, 2009 2nd East ('09) Mexico Carlos de los Cobos January 11, 2010 Pre-season
D.C. United United States Curt Onalfo Fired August 4, 2010 8th East United States Ben Olsen August 4, 2010 8th East
Toronto FC United States Preki Fired September 14, 2010 3rd East Canada Nick Dasovic September 14, 2010 3rd East

Results table

Home \ Away CHI CHV COL CLB DCU FCD HOU KCW LAG NER NY PHI RSL SJE SEA TOR
Chicago Fire 1–1 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–1 1–2 0–1 0–0
Chivas USA 1–4 0–1 3–1 1–0 1–2 0–2 1–2 1–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–2 3–2 0–0 3–0
Colorado Rapids 2–2 3–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–1 4–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 3–1
Columbus Crew 2–1 1–0 3–1 2–0 0–0 3–0 0–1 0–2 3–2 2–0 3–1 1–0 0–0 0–4 2–0
D.C. United 0–2 3–2 0–1 0–1 1–3 1–3 2–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 0–0 0–2 0–1 2–3
FC Dallas 3–0 1–0 2–2 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 1–0
Houston Dynamo 4–3 3–0 2–2 0–0 2–0 0–1 0–2 3–0 1–2 2–2 2–3 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–2
Kansas City Wizards 2–2 0–1 1–0 0–1 4–0 1–3 4–3 0–0 4–1 0–3 2–0 1–1 4–1 1–2 1–0
LA Galaxy 2–3 2–0 1–3 3–1 2–1 2–1 4–1 0–2 1–0 0–2 3–1 2–1 2–2 3–1 0–0
New England Revolution 0–1 0–4 1–2 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–2 1–2 0–0 3–1 4–1
New York Red Bulls 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–3 0–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–0
Philadelphia Union 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 3–1 2–1
Real Salt Lake 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–0 2–0 3–1 4–1 1–0 5–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 3–1 2–1
San Jose Earthquakes 0–3 3–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 0–3 0–1 1–3
Seattle Sounders FC 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–4 3–0 0–1 2–0 0–0 0–1 3–2
Toronto FC 4–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–4 2–1 0–0 2–3 2–0
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

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 New York Red Bulls 30 15 9 6 38 29 +9 51 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Columbus Crew 30 14 8 8 40 34 +6 50
3 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 13 6 36 35 +1 39
4 Chicago Fire 30 9 12 9 37 38 −1 36
5 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 33 41 −8 35
6 New England Revolution 30 9 16 5 32 50 −18 32
7 Philadelphia Union 30 8 15 7 35 49 −14 31
8 D.C. United 30 6 20 4 21 47 −26 22
Source: MLS

Western Conference

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 LA Galaxy 30 18 7 5 44 26 +18 59 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Real Salt Lake 30 15 4 11 45 20 +25 56
3 FC Dallas 30 12 4 14 42 28 +14 50
4 Seattle Sounders FC 30 14 10 6 39 35 +4 48
5 Colorado Rapids 30 12 8 10 44 32 +12 46
6 San Jose Earthquakes 30 13 10 7 34 33 +1 46
7 Houston Dynamo 30 9 15 6 40 49 −9 33
8 Chivas USA 30 8 18 4 31 45 −14 28
Source: MLS

Overall Standings

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 LA Galaxy (S) 30 18 7 5 44 26 +18 59 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Real Salt Lake 30 15 4 11 45 20 +25 56
3 New York Red Bulls 30 15 9 6 38 29 +9 51
4 FC Dallas 30 12 4 14 42 28 +14 50 CONCACAF Champions League
5 Columbus Crew 30 14 8 8 40 34 +6 50
6 Seattle Sounders FC 30 14 10 6 39 35 +4 48 CONCACAF Champions League
7 Colorado Rapids (C) 30 12 8 10 44 32 +12 46
8 San Jose Earthquakes 30 13 10 7 34 33 +1 46
9 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 13 6 36 35 +1 39
10 Chicago Fire 30 9 12 9 37 38 −1 36
11 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 33 41 −8 35 CONCACAF Champions League[lower-alpha 1]
12 Houston Dynamo 30 9 15 6 40 49 −9 33
13 New England Revolution 30 9 16 5 32 50 −18 32
14 Philadelphia Union 30 8 15 7 35 49 −14 31
15 Chivas USA 30 8 18 4 31 45 −14 28
16 D.C. United 30 6 20 4 21 47 −26 22
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
Notes:

MLS Cup Playoffs

Conference Semifinals Conference Finals MLS Cup 2010
          
E1 New York 1 1
E4 San Jose 0 3
E4 San Jose 0
Eastern Conference
E3 Colorado 1
E2 Columbus 0 2
E3 Colorado (5–4, PSO) 1 1
E3 Colorado 2
W3 Dallas 1
W1 Los Angeles 1 2
W4 Seattle 0 1
W1 Los Angeles 0
Western Conference
W3 Dallas 3
W2 Salt Lake 1 1
W3 Dallas 2 1

Player statistics

Goals

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

Assists

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

Clean Sheets

Rank Player Club Clean
Sheets
1 United States Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 14
2 Senegal Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls 11
United States Will Hesmer Columbus Crew
United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders
Jamaica Donovan Ricketts LA Galaxy
6 Denmark Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards 10
7 United States Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 9
8 Switzerland Stefan Frei Kansas City Wizards 8
9 United States Jon Busch San Jose Earthquakes 7
United States Matt Pickens Colorado Rapids

Individual awards

Monthly awards

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

Weekly awards

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

References

  1. ↑ "RSL offense explodes, Rimando picks up 100th win". MLSSoccer.com. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ "AT&T Goal of the Week: Vote Now". mls.com. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  3. ↑ "NAPA save of the Week: Vote Now". mls.com. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Morales earns season's first MLS Player of the Week Honors". March 30, 2010. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Kenny Mansally earns MLS Player of the Week". April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Le Toux bests rookie for Player of the Week honors". April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Brace earns Buddle Player of the Week honors". April 20, 2010. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  8. ↑ "De Rosario named MLS Player of the Week". April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Buddle named MLS Player of the Week". May 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Donovan collects Player of the Week honor". May 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  11. ↑ "RSL's Saborío earns MLS Player of the Week". May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Crew's Renteria named MLS Player of the Week". May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on July 28, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Toronto's De Rosario named MLS Player of the Week". May 31, 2010. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Dallas' Shea earns MLS Player of the Week". June 7, 2010. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  15. ↑ "DC United's Pontius nabs Player of the Week honors". June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  16. ↑ "NY's Ángel named MLS Player of the Week". June 28, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  17. ↑ "RSL's Saborío earns MLS Player of the Week, again". July 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Braun earns first career Player of the Week award". July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Le Toux makes it two Player of the Week awards". July 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Match Winning Zakuani Wins MLS Player of the Week". July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  21. ↑ "NY's Ángel named MLS Player of the Week". August 2, 2010. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Cunningham Scores Two, Earns Player of the Week". August 9, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  23. ↑ "RSL's Morales named MLS Player of the Week". August 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Ching named MLS Player of the Week". August 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Montero's Brace Earns Him Player of the Week". August 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Cummings Named MLS Player of the Week". September 6, 2010. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Gordon earns MLS Player of the Week Honor". September 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Nkufo nabs Player of the Week Honor". September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Wondo named MLS Player of the Week". September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  30. ↑ "RBNY's Bouna Coundoul named MLS Player of the Week". October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  31. ↑ "SJ's Wondolowski named Player of the Week". October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Seattle's Zakuani voted Player of the Week". October 18, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Wondolowski earns third Player of the Week nod". October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  34. ↑ "SuperLiga 2010 dates and venues announced". Chicago-fire.com. April 28, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
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