2004 Major League Soccer season

The 2004 Major League Soccer season culminated with D.C. United winning its fourth MLS Cup championship.

2004 Major League Soccer season
Season2004
MLS CupD.C. United (4th title)
Supporters' ShieldColumbus Crew (1st shield)
Matches played150
Goals scored392 (2.61 per match)
Top goalscorerBrian Ching
San Jose Earthquakes Goals: 12
Eddie Johnson
Dallas Burn
Goals: 12
Biggest home winNE 6–1 COL
Biggest away winLA 0–3 NY
DAL 0–3 NE
CHI 0–3 COL
Highest scoringSJ 5–5 NY
Longest winning runColumbus Crew
Games: 4
(05/15 – 06/06)
Columbus Crew
Games: 4
(09/04 – 09/25)
Longest unbeaten runColumbus Crew
Games: 18
(07/03/2004)
Longest losing runDallas Burn
Games: 4
(05/08 – 05/29)
Highest attendanceLos Angeles Galaxy
Season: 357,137
Game Avg.: 23,809
Lowest attendanceDallas Burn
Season: 136,319
Game Avg.: 9,088
Total attendance2,333,797
Average attendance15,559
← 2003
2005 →
2004 Major League Soccer season is located in the United States
D.C.United
D.C.
United
MetroStars
MetroStars
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
New England Revolution
New England Revolution
ChicagoFire
Chicago
Fire
Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
DallasBurn
Dallas
Burn
Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
Locations of teams for the 2004 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   Eastern Conference

The biggest news in the beginning of the season was the signing of 14-year-old prodigy Freddy Adu, who made his debut as a substitute in United's season opener and scored his first goal several games later against the rival MetroStars. Adu contributed as a substitute on D.C.'s championship team, scoring five goals as the youngest player in North American sports history.

The season saw the emergence of forwards Brian Ching (San Jose) and Eddie Johnson (Dallas Burn) as formidable forwards, not only for their MLS teams, but for the United States national team as well. The two shared Golden Boot honors.

The Columbus Crew emerged as a dominant team in the second half of the regular season, running off an MLS-record 18-game unbeaten streak en route to the Supporters' Shield title, won after finishing level on points with Kansas City.

Standings

Eastern Conference
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Columbus Crew 30 12 5 13 40 32 +8 49 Playoffs
2 D.C. United 30 11 10 9 43 42 +1 42
3 MetroStars 30 11 12 7 47 49 −2 40
4 New England Revolution 30 8 13 9 42 43 −1 33[lower-alpha 1]
5 Chicago Fire 30 8 13 9 36 44 −8 33[lower-alpha 1]
Source: MLSNET at the Wayback Machine (archived December 5, 2004)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Goal differential; 4) Number of goals scored; 5) Away head-to-head record; 6) Away goal differential; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Fewest disciplinary points; 9) Coin toss[1]
Notes:
  1. New England wins head-to-head tiebreaker with a 2-1-1 record vs. Chicago

Western Conference
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Kansas City Wizards 30 14 9 7 38 30 +8 49 Playoffs
2 Los Angeles Galaxy 30 11 9 10 42 40 +2 43
3 Colorado Rapids 30 10 9 11 29 32 −3 41
4 San Jose Earthquakes 30 9 10 11 41 35 +6 38
5 Dallas Burn 30 10 14 6 34 45 −11 36
Source: MLSNET at the Wayback Machine (archived December 5, 2004)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Goal differential; 4) Number of goals scored; 5) Away head-to-head record; 6) Away goal differential; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Fewest disciplinary points; 9) Coin toss[1]

Overall
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Columbus Crew 30 12 5 13 40 32 +8 49[lower-alpha 1] Supporters' Shield champion
2 Kansas City Wizards 30 14 9 7 38 30 +8 49[lower-alpha 1] Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion
3 Los Angeles Galaxy 30 11 9 10 42 40 +2 43
4 D.C. United 30 11 10 9 43 42 +1 42 MLS Cup champion
5 Colorado Rapids 30 10 9 11 29 32 −3 41
6 MetroStars 30 11 12 7 47 49 −2 40
7 San Jose Earthquakes 30 9 10 11 41 35 +6 38
8 Dallas Burn 30 10 14 6 34 45 −11 36
9 New England Revolution 30 8 13 9 42 43 −1 33[lower-alpha 2]
10 Chicago Fire 30 8 13 9 36 44 −8 33[lower-alpha 2]
Source: MLSNET at the Wayback Machine (archived December 5, 2004)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Goal differential; 4) Number of goals scored; 5) Away head-to-head record; 6) Away goal differential; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Fewest disciplinary points; 9) Coin toss[1]
Notes:
  1. Columbus wins total goals tiebreaker 40-38 vs. Kansas City
  2. New England wins head-to-head tiebreaker with a 2-1-1 record vs. Chicago

Playoffs

In the playoffs, the Crew were taken down by the New England Revolution, who ended the Crew's streak in the opening leg, and goalkeeper Matt Reis, who saved two penalty kicks in the second leg. United cruised past the rival MetroStars (and league MVP Amado Guevara) 4–0 on aggregate in the other Eastern Conference semifinal.

In the Western Conference, Kansas City rallied from a 2–0 first-leg deficit for a dramatic 3–0 win in stoppage time over the defending MLS Cup champion San Jose Earthquakes in their conference semifinal. The Los Angeles Galaxy used a 2–0 home victory in the second leg to overcome the Colorado Rapids and goalie Joe Cannon, who had led the Rapids to a 1–0 victory in the opener.

In the conference finals, Kansas City used two goals from unsung forward Davy Arnaud, who enjoyed a breakout season, to beat the Galaxy and return to the final for the first time since 2000. D.C. United and New England hooked up in the Eastern Conference final in one of the best games in MLS playoff history. Playing at home, D.C. United took three different leads, only to see New England recover each time to tie the match 3–3 in a game full of highlight-reel goals. The match was finally decided by the first conventional shootout in MLS history, with Nick Rimando saving the first 'sudden death' penalty from Rookie of the Year Clint Dempsey to send D.C. to the championship.

In the second consecutive final held at the Home Depot Center, D.C. rebounded from an early Jose Burciaga goal by scoring three goals in eight minutes, including two from Alecko Eskandarian to take a 3–1 lead. In the second half, Dema Kovalenko became the first player to be sent off in an MLS Cup final after knocking a shot off the goal line with his hand. Although Josh Wolff converted the penalty kick, D.C. United held on with only 10 men to win its fourth championship in the nine-year history of MLS.

Play-off Bracket
Conference Semifinals Conference Finals MLS Cup 2004
          
E1 Columbus 0 1
E4 New England (wins 2–1 agg.) 1 1
E4 New England 3
Eastern Conference
E2 D.C. United (wins 4–3 on PK's) 3*
E2 D.C. United (wins 4–0 agg.) 2 2
E3 MetroStars 0 0
E2 D.C. United 3
W1 Kansas City 2
W1 Kansas City (wins 3–2 agg.) 0 3
W4 San Jose 2 0
W1 Kansas City 2
Western Conference
W2 Los Angeles 0
W2 Los Angeles (wins 2–1 agg.) 0 2
W3 Colorado 1 0

MLS Cup Playoffs

Conference Semifinals
Columbus Crew0–1New England Revolution
Buddle Yellow card 26'
Fraser Yellow card 35'		 Report Joseph Yellow card 4'
John 25'
John Yellow card 58'
Heaps Yellow card 82'
Attendance: 5,679
Referee: N/A
New England Revolution1–1Columbus Crew
Twellman 81' Report Martino Yellow card 26'
Hejduk Yellow card 68'
Buddle 90+2'
Attendance: 15,224
Referee: Alex Prus

New England Revolution advance 2–1 on aggregate.

D.C. United2–0MetroStars
Kovalenko Yellow card 50'
Nelsen Yellow card 62'
Stewart 67'
Gros Yellow card 75'
Eskandarian 88'		 Report Walker Yellow card 68'
Attendance: 11,161
Referee: Kevin Stott
MetroStars0–2D.C. United
Flores Yellow card 6'
Guevara Yellow card 18'
Clark Yellow card 45+1'
Pope Yellow card 88'		 Report Olsen Yellow card 27'
Namoff Yellow card 35'
Kovalenko Yellow card 41'
Nelsen Yellow card 61'
Moreno 85'
Adu Yellow card 86'
Namoff 89'
RFK Stadium
Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 15,763
Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela

D.C. United advance 4–0 on aggregate.

Kansas City Wizards0–2San Jose Earthquakes
Simutenkov Yellow card 41'
Zotinca Yellow card 59'		 Report Agoos Yellow card 24'
Mullan Yellow card 38'
De Rosario 40'
Waibel 52'
Attendance: 8,659
Referee: Kevin Terry
San Jose Earthquakes0–3Kansas City Wizards
Donovan Yellow card 43' Report Stephenson 26'
Jewsbury Yellow card 45+1'
Ching 48' (o.g.)
Arnaud Yellow card 56'
Gutierrez Yellow card 78'
Jewsbury 90+2'
Attendance: 10,022
Referee: Terry Vaughn

Kansas City Wizards advance 3–2 on aggregate.

Los Angeles Galaxy0–1Colorado Rapids
Broome Yellow card 66' Report Peguero 30'
Kotschau Yellow card 40'
Mastroeni Yellow card 76'
Attendance: 8,028
Referee: Terry Vaughn
Colorado Rapids0–2Los Angeles Galaxy
Beckerman Yellow card 42'
Kotschau Yellow card 52'		 Report Ruiz 30'
Ruiz Yellow card 42'
Marshall 45+3'
Kirovski Yellow card 74'
Hartman Yellow card 76'
Attendance: 20,026
Referee: Michael Kennedy

Los Angeles Galaxy advance 2–1 on aggregate.

Conference finals
Los Angeles Galaxy0–2Kansas City Wizards
Vagenas Yellow card 26'
Broome Yellow card 72'
Herzog Yellow card 83'		 Report Arnaud 24' 68'
Burciaga Jr. Yellow card 41'
Zotinca Yellow card 72'
Attendance: 11,931
Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
New England Revolution3–3 (AET)D.C. United
Joseph Yellow card 1'
Twellman 17'
Ralston 44' (pen.)
John Yellow card 55'
Pierce Yellow card 62'
Noonan 85'		 Report Eskandarian 11'
Moreno 21'
Eskandarian Yellow card 49'
Namoff Yellow card 58'
Gomez 67'
Olsen Yellow card 87'
Penalties
Ralston soccer ball with red X
Reis soccer ball with check mark
Twellman soccer ball with check mark
Heaps soccer ball with red X
Joseph soccer ball with check mark
Dempsey soccer ball with red X		 3–4 soccer ball with red X Olsen
soccer ball with check mark Quaranta
soccer ball with check mark Adu
soccer ball with check mark Eskandarian
soccer ball with red X Moreno
soccer ball with check mark Carroll
RFK Stadium
Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 21,201
Referee: Terry Vaughn

D.C. United advance 4–3 on penalties (3–3 after full time).

MLS Cup
Main article: MLS Cup 2004
Kansas City Wizards2–3D.C. United
Burciaga Jr. 6'
Gutierrez Yellow card 33'
Wolff 58' (pen.)		 Report Eskandarian 19' 23'
Zotinca 26' (o.g.)
Stewart Yellow card 55'
Kovalenko Red card 57'
Namoff Yellow card 72'
Olsen Yellow card 89'
Attendance: 25,797
Referee: Michael Kennedy

Individual awards
AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable PlayerHondurasAmado GuevaraMetroStars
Scoring ChampionHondurasAmado Guevara (30) pointsMetroStars
United StatesPat Noonan (30) pointsNew England Revolution
Defender of the YearUnited States Robin FraserColumbus Crew
Goalkeeper of the YearUnited States Joe CannonColorado Rapids
Rookie of the YearUnited States Clint DempseyNew England Revolution
Coach of the YearUnited States Greg AndrulisColumbus Crew
Comeback Player of the YearUnited States Brian ChingSan Jose Earthquakes
Goal of the YearCanada Dwayne De RosarioSan Jose Earthquakes
Fair Play AwardUnited States Eddie PopeMetroStars
Humanitarian of the YearUnited States Chris HendersonColorado Rapids

Top goal scorers
Position Player Club Goals
1 United States Brian Ching San Jose Earthquakes 12
United States Eddie Johnson Dallas Burn 12
2 United States Edson Buddle Columbus Crew 11
United States Pat Noonan New England Revolution 11
Jamaica Damani Ralph Chicago Fire 11
Guatemala Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles Galaxy 11
3 United States Alecko Eskandarian D.C. United 10
Honduras Amado Guevara MetroStars 10
United States Josh Wolff Kansas City Wizards 10
United States John Wolyniec MetroStars 10

Goal-Scoring Totals
"text-align: center;" ClubOverall
Record		Goals
For		Goals
For Avg.		Goals
Against		Goals
Against Avg.
MetroStars11–12–7471.57 (1st)491.63 (10th)
D.C. United11–10–9431.43 (2nd)421.40 (6th)
Los Angeles Galaxy11–9–10421.40 (3rd)401.33 (5th)
New England Revolution8–13–9421.40 (4th)431.43 (7th)
San Jose Earthquakes9–10–11411.37 (5th)351.17 (4th)
Columbus Crew12–5–13401.33 (6th)321.07 (2nd)
Kansas City Wizards14–9–7381.27 (7th)301.00 (1st)
Chicago Fire8–13–9361.20 (8th)441.47 (8th)
Dallas Burn10–14–6341.13 (9th)451.50 (9th)
Colorado Rapids10–9–11290.97 (10th)321.07 (2nd)
Overall Totals3922.61

Attendance
Club Games Total Average
Chicago Fire 15 257,295 17,153
Colorado Rapids 15 212,925 14,195
Columbus Crew 15 253,079 16,872
MetroStars 15 257,923 17,195
Kansas City Wizards 15 222,235 14,816
D.C. United 15 258,484 17,232
New England Revolution 15 183,385 12,226
Los Angeles Galaxy 15 357,137 23,809
San Jose Earthquakes 15 195,015 13,001
Dallas Burn 15 136,319 9,088
Totals 150 2,333,797 15,559

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

References
  1. "Rules & Regulations". MLSNET. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.