2007 Major League Soccer season

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.

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
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

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

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[lower-alpha 1] 30 6 17 7 25 49 −24 25
Source:
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:

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:

2007 MLS Cup Playoffs
Main article: 2007 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.

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
WeekPlayer of the WeekClub
Week 1United States Jeff CunninghamReal Salt Lake
Week 2United States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
Week 3Cuba Maykel GalindoChivas USA
Week 4United States Landon DonovanLos Angeles Galaxy
Week 5Canada Dwayne De RosarioHouston Dynamo
Week 6United States Taylor TwellmanNew England Revolution
Week 7Colombia Juan Pablo ÁngelNew York Red Bulls
Week 8United States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
Week 9United States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
Week 10United States Ben OlsenD.C. United
Week 11Brazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Week 12United States Brad DavisHouston Dynamo
Week 13Jamaica Nicholas AddleryD.C. United
Week 14United States Stuart HoldenHouston Dynamo
Week 15Colombia Juan TojaFC Dallas
Week 16Argentina Guillermo Barros SchelottoColumbus Crew
Week 17United States Ante RazovChivas USA
Week 18Brazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Week 19Colombia Juan Pablo ÁngelNew York Red Bulls
Week 20United States Jozy AltidoreNew York Red Bulls
Week 21Cuba Maykel GalindoChivas USA
Week 22United States Ben OlsenD.C. United
Week 23Brazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Week 24Trinidad and Tobago Scott SealyKansas City Wizards
Week 25United States Ante RazovChivas USA
Week 26Brazil FredD.C. United
Week 27United States Abe ThompsonFC Dallas
Week 28Argentina Guillermo Barros SchelottoColumbus Crew
Week 29Trinidad and Tobago Scott SealyKansas City Wizards

Player of the Month
MonthPlayer of the MonthClub
AprilUnited States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
MayColombia Juan Pablo ÁngelNew York Red Bulls
JuneColombia Juan Pablo ÁngelNew York Red Bulls
JulyArgentina Guillermo Barros SchelottoColumbus Crew
AugustUnited States Troy PerkinsD.C. United
SeptemberBrazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
OctoberUnited States Matt PickensChicago Fire

Goal Of The Week
WeekPlayerClub
Week 1United States Sacha KljestanChivas USA
Week 2United States Herculez GomezColorado Rapids
Week 3United States Jozy AltidoreNew York Red Bulls
Week 4United States Taylor TwellmanNew England Revolution
Week 5United States Chris BrownReal Salt Lake
Week 6England Danny DichioToronto FC
Week 7Liberia Chris GbandiFC Dallas
Week 8Canada Jim BrennanToronto FC
Week 9England Danny DichioToronto FC
Week 10United States Ben OlsenD.C. United
Week 11Colombia Juan Pablo ÁngelNew York Red Bulls
Week 12United States Brad DavisHouston Dynamo
Week 13Cuba Maykel GalindoChivas USA
Week 14United States Stuart HoldenHouston Dynamo
Week 15Zimbabwe Joseph NgwenyaHouston Dynamo
Week 16Canada Dwayne De RosarioHouston Dynamo
Week 17United States Kerry ZavagninKansas City Wizards
Week 18United States Robbie FindleyReal Salt Lake
Week 19United States Jozy AltidoreNew York Red Bulls
Week 20Mexico Cuauhtémoc BlancoChicago Fire
Week 21Bolivia Jaime MorenoD.C. United
Week 22United States Eddie JohnsonKansas City Wizards
Week 23United States Taylor TwellmanNew England Revolution
Week 24Trinidad and Tobago Scott SealyKansas City Wizards
Week 25United States Chris RolfeChicago Fire
Week 26Brazil Luciano EmilioD.C. United
Week 27Brazil Paulo NagamuraChivas USA
Week 28United States Edson BuddleLos Angeles Galaxy
Week 29England Danny DichioToronto FC

MLS Best XI
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards Ref
United States Brad Guzan, Chivas USA United States Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution
United States Eddie Robinson, Houston Dynamo
United States Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA		 Argentina Christian Gómez, D.C. United
Grenada Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution
Canada Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo
United States Ben Olsen, D.C. United
Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew		 Brazil Luciano Emílio, D.C. United
Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel, New York Red Bulls		 [1]

Attendance
Club Games Season Game Avg.
Los Angeles 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
Main article: 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
Main article: North American 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
Main article: 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
Main article: 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
Main article: 2007 MLS 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
  1. "MLS announces 2007 Best XI". MLSnet.com. November 17, 2007. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008.
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