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2007 Major League Soccer season

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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
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
Average attendanceMLS
Season: 3,270,210
Game Avg.: 16,770
2006
2008

The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.

For the first time in MLS history, the same two clubs consecutively won the MLS Cup title and the MLS Supporters' Shield honor. The 2007 MLS Cup champions were Houston Dynamo who defeated New England Revolution in the final. D.C. United won the MLS Supporters' Shield edging Chivas USA by two points for the regular season honor.

New England, Houston, and D.C. United earned berths into the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League for their performances in the regular season and playoffs.

Changes from the 2006 Season

The 2007 season was often cited as the first season in the modern-era of Major League Soccer. Most notably, the regular season decreased from 32 matches to 30, emphasizing the importance of matches during this time window, as well as boosting the credibility for the MLS Supporters' Shield. This year marked the inaugural season for expansion franchise, Toronto FC who began play in the Eastern Conference.

For the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, the top two clubs in each conference automatically qualified for the playoffs, down from four. Additionally, the next four highest remaining point totals regardless of conference qualified via wild-card berth. The change allowed a single table to determine the entire playoff field.

Starting this season, MLS clubs were allowed to sell advertisements on the front of their jerseys. Six MLS clubs took advantage of the opportunity. Local corporations XanGo and Amigo Energy became the kit sponsors of Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo, respectively. More national brands such as BMO, Comex and Herbalife became the sponsors of Toronto FC, Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy, respectively. The international recognized brand, Red Bull became the shirt sponsor of New York Red Bulls, whom they owned.

Two new soccer-specific stadiums opened this season. The Colorado Rapids moved into Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver-suburb of Commerce City, Colorado. Before the season began, BMO Field opened for expansion side, Toronto FC.

Competition format

The format for the 2007 season was as follows:

  • The season ran from April 7 to November 18.
  • The 13 teams were split into two conferences. The Eastern Conference had seven teams with the addition of Toronto FC, while the Western Conference had six teams. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away games. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 24 games. The remaining six games were played against six regional rivals, three at home and three away.
  • The two teams from each conference with the most points qualified for the playoffs. In addition, the next four highest 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 2007. In all rounds, draws were followed by 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 won the MLS Supporters' Shield and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09. The MLS Cup winner also qualified for the Champions League 2008–09. The MLS Cup runner-up qualified for the Champions League 2008–09. An additional berth in the Champions League was also awarded to the winner of the 2007 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, cannot qualify through MLS for the Champions League, and must instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.
  • The four teams with the most points in the regular season, regardless of conference, qualified for SuperLiga 2008.
  • The three teams from each conference with the most points also qualified for berths into the 2008 U.S. Open Cup. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.

Tiebreakers

  1. Head-to-Head (Points only)
  2. Overall Goal Differential
  3. Overall Total Goals Scored
  4. Tiebreakers 1-3 applied only to matches on the road
  5. Tiebreakers 1-3 applied only to matches at home
  6. Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table
  7. Coin toss

MLS Tiebreakers

Standings

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

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 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2008 U.S. Open Cup
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 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card), 2008 U.S. Open Cup
4 Chicago Fire 30 10 10 10 31 36 −5 40 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)
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[a] 30 6 17 7 25 49 −24 25
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ Toronto FC cannot qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, as it is a Canadian-based team. If they had qualified for an automatic berth into the U.S. Open Cup, the next highest placed team in the Eastern Conference not already qualified would have qualified.

Western Conference

Western Conference
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Chivas USA 30 15 7 8 46 28 +18 53 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2008 U.S. Open Cup
2 Houston Dynamo 30 15 8 7 43 23 +20 52
3 FC Dallas 30 13 12 5 37 44 −7 44 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card), 2008 U.S. Open Cup
4 Colorado Rapids 30 9 13 8 29 34 −5 35
5 Los Angeles Galaxy 30 9 14 7 38 48 −10 34
6 Real Salt Lake 30 6 15 9 31 45 −14 27
Source: [citation needed]

Overall standings

Pos Team Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts
1 D.C. United (SS, E1) 30 16 7 7 56 34 +22 55 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
2 Chivas USA (W1) 30 15 7 8 46 28 +18 53 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
3 Houston Dynamo 30 15 8 7 43 23 +20 52 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
4 New England Revolution 30 14 8 8 51 43 +8 50 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
5 FC Dallas 30 13 12 5 37 44 −7 44 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs
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 1 30 6 17 7 25 49 −24 25
Source: [citation needed]

2007 MLS Cup Playoffs

Template:Round8-MLSformat 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.

Statistics

Golden Boot

Full article: MLS Golden Boot
Rank Player Club Games Goals Asst.
1 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United 29 20 1
2 Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 24 19 5
3 United States Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 26 16 3
4 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards 24 15 6
5 Cuba Maykel Galindo Chivas USA 28 12 5
6 United States Ante Razov Chivas USA 26 11 8
7 Argentina Christian Gomez D.C. United 27 10 9
8 United States Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls 22 9 4
9 United States Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 24 8 13
10 United States Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake 25 8 0

Goalkeeping Leaders

Rank Goalkeeper Club GP MINS SHTS SVS GA GAA W-L-T SHO
1 Canada Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo 27 2418 109 85 22 0.82 13-8-6 11
2 United States Brad Guzan Chivas USA 27 2430 119 87 25 0.93 14-6-7 13
3 Senegal Bouna Coundoul Colorado Rapids 30 2668 158 120 32 1.08 9-12-8 9
4 United States Jon Conway New York Red Bulls 14 1143 79 57 14 1.10 6-5-2 4
5 United States Troy Perkins D.C. United 29 2610 155 117 32 1.10 16-6-7 8

Individual awards

Player of the Week

Week Player of the Week Club
Week 1 United States Jeff Cunningham Real Salt Lake
Week 2 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
Week 3 Cuba Maykel Galindo Chivas USA
Week 4 United States Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 5 Canada Dwayne De Rosario Houston Dynamo
Week 6 United States Taylor Twellman New England Revolution
Week 7 Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls
Week 8 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
Week 9 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
Week 10 United States Ben Olsen D.C. United
Week 11 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Week 12 United States Brad Davis Houston Dynamo
Week 13 Jamaica Nicholas Addlery D.C. United
Week 14 United States Stuart Holden Houston Dynamo
Week 15 Colombia Juan Toja FC Dallas
Week 16 Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew
Week 17 United States Ante Razov Chivas USA
Week 18 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Week 19 Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls
Week 20 United States Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls
Week 21 Cuba Maykel Galindo Chivas USA
Week 22 United States Ben Olsen D.C. United
Week 23 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Week 24 Trinidad and Tobago Scott Sealy Kansas City Wizards
Week 25 United States Ante Razov Chivas USA
Week 26 Brazil Fred D.C. United
Week 27 United States Abe Thompson FC Dallas
Week 28 Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew
Week 29 Trinidad and Tobago Scott Sealy Kansas City Wizards

Player of the Month

Month Player of the Month Club
April United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
May Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls
June Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls
July Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew
August United States Troy Perkins D.C. United
September Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United
October United States Matt Pickens Chicago Fire

Goal Of The Week

Week Player Club
Week 1 United States Sacha Kljestan Chivas USA
Week 2 United States Herculez Gomez Colorado Rapids
Week 3 United States Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls
Week 4 United States Taylor Twellman New England Revolution
Week 5 United States Chris Brown Real Salt Lake
Week 6 England Danny Dichio Toronto FC
Week 7 Liberia Chris Gbandi FC Dallas
Week 8 Canada Jim Brennan Toronto FC
Week 9 England Danny Dichio Toronto FC
Week 10 United States Ben Olsen D.C. United
Week 11 Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls
Week 12 United States Brad Davis Houston Dynamo
Week 13 Cuba Maykel Galindo Chivas USA
Week 14 United States Stuart Holden Houston Dynamo
Week 15 Zimbabwe Joseph Ngwenya Houston Dynamo
Week 16 Canada Dwayne De Rosario Houston Dynamo
Week 17 United States Kerry Zavagnin Kansas City Wizards
Week 18 United States Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake
Week 19 United States Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls
Week 20 Mexico Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago Fire
Week 21 Bolivia Jaime Moreno D.C. United
Week 22 United States Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards
Week 23 United States Taylor Twellman New England Revolution
Week 24 Trinidad and Tobago Scott Sealy Kansas City Wizards
Week 25 United States Chris Rolfe Chicago Fire
Week 26 Brazil Luciano Emilio D.C. United
Week 27 Brazil Paulo Nagamura Chivas USA
Week 28 United States Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 29 England Danny Dichio Toronto FC

Team Attendance Totals

[1]

Club Games Season Game Avg.
Los Angeles Galaxy 15 390,132 26,009
Toronto FC 15 301,793 20,120
D.C. United 15 297,531 19,835
New England Revolution 15 263,706 17,580
Chicago Fire 15 255,511 17,034
Houston Dynamo 15 254,083 16,939
Real Salt Lake 15 242,690 16,179
New York Red Bulls 15 238,925 15,928
FC Dallas 15 195,356 15,145
Chivas USA 15 226,717 15,114
Columbus Crew 15 219,332 14,622
San Jose Earthquakes 15 416,258 13,875
Colorado Rapids 15 204,884 13,659
Kansas City Wizards 15 160,286 10,686
OVERALL 210 3,456,641 16,460

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.

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

References