2010 Major League Soccer season
| Season | 2010 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | Colorado Rapids (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd shield) |
| Champions League | Los Angeles Galaxy Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Seattle Sounders FC |
| SuperLiga | Real Salt Lake New York Red Bulls Columbus Crew S.J. Earthquakes |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 591 (2.46 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Chris Wondolowski (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | NE 0–5 RSL (July 2)[1] |
| Biggest away win | CHV 4–0 NE (May 5)[citation needed] LA 4–0 SEA (May 8)[citation needed] SEA 4–0 CLB (Sept 18)[citation needed] |
| Highest scoring | 7 goals: HOU 4–3 CHI (August 21)[citation needed] KCW 4–3 HOU (September 22)[citation needed] |
| Longest winning run | 5 wins:[citation needed] Real Salt Lake (May 1 – May 29)[citation needed] Seattle Sounders FC (Sep 18 – Oct 15)[citation needed] |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches:[citation needed] FC Dallas (May 27 – Oct 16)[citation needed] |
| Longest winless run | 10 matches:[citation needed] Houston Dynamo (May 22 – Aug 21)[citation needed] |
| Longest losing run | 6 losses:[citation needed] C.D. Chivas USA (May 8 – June 26)[citation needed] |
| Highest attendance | CHI @ SEA: 36,386 |
| Lowest attendance | CHV @ NE: 5,990 |
| Total attendance | 4,002,053 |
| Average attendance | 16,675 |
← 2009 2011 → | |
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.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Union | Expansion Team |  Piotr Nowak
|
May 29, 2009 | Pre-season | |||
| New York Red Bulls |  Richie Williams
|
End of interim period | August 21, 2009 | 7th East ('09) |  Hans Backe
|
January 7, 2010 | Pre-season |
| Toronto FC |  Chris Cummins
|
Contract expiration | October 27, 2009 | 5th East ('09) | Preki
|
November 18, 2009 | Pre-season |
| D.C. United | Tom Soehn
|
Resigned | November 3, 2009 | 4th East ('09) | Curt Onalfo
|
December 28, 2009 | Pre-season |
| Chivas USA | Preki
|
Mutual consent | November 12, 2009 | 4th West ('09) | Martín Vásquez
|
December 2, 2009 | Pre-season |
| Chicago Fire |  Denis Hamlett
|
Fired | November 24, 2009 | 2nd East ('09) |  Carlos de los Cobos
|
January 11, 2010 | Pre-season |
| D.C. United | Curt Onalfo
|
Fired | August 4, 2010 | 8th East | Ben Olsen
|
August 4, 2010 | 8th East |
| Toronto FC | Preki
|
Fired | September 14, 2010 | 3rd East |  Nick Dasovic
|
September 14, 2010 | 3rd East |
Results table
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 |
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 |
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 |
| 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 |
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 | |||||||||||||
| 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
Assists
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Rimando
|
Real Salt Lake | 14 |
| 2 |  Bouna Coundoul
|
New York Red Bulls | 11 |
| Will Hesmer
|
Columbus Crew | ||
| Kasey Keller
|
Seattle Sounders FC | ||
 Donovan Ricketts
|
LA Galaxy | ||
| 6 |  Jimmy Nielsen
|
Kansas City Wizards | 10 |
| 7 | Kevin Hartman
|
FC Dallas | 9 |
| 8 |  Stefan Frei
|
Kansas City Wizards | 8 |
| 9 | Jon Busch
|
San Jose Earthquakes | 7 |
| Matt Pickens
|
Colorado Rapids |
Awards
Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan Ricketts, LA Galaxy
|
Nat Borchers, Salt Lake Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy Jámison Olave, Salt Lake
|
Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy David Ferreira, Dallas Sébastien Le Toux, Philadelphia Javier Morales, Salt Lake
|
Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy Chris Wondolowski, San Jose
|
Monthly awards
Weekly awards
Related Competitions
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
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "NAPA save of the Week: Vote Now". mls.com. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Kenny Mansally earns MLS Player of the Week". April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Brace earns Buddle Player of the Week honors". April 20, 2010. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "De Rosario named MLS Player of the Week". April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Buddle named MLS Player of the Week". May 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Donovan collects Player of the Week honor". May 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "RSL's Saborío earns MLS Player of the Week". May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Crew's Renteria named MLS Player of the Week". May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on July 28, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Dallas' Shea earns MLS Player of the Week". June 7, 2010. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "NY's Ángel named MLS Player of the Week". June 28, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Braun earns first career Player of the Week award". July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Match Winning Zakuani Wins MLS Player of the Week". July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ "NY's Ángel named MLS Player of the Week". August 2, 2010. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Cunningham Scores Two, Earns Player of the Week". August 9, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ "RSL's Morales named MLS Player of the Week". August 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ "Ching named MLS Player of the Week". August 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Montero's Brace Earns Him Player of the Week". August 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Cummings Named MLS Player of the Week". September 6, 2010. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Gordon earns MLS Player of the Week Honor". September 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Nkufo nabs Player of the Week Honor". September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Wondo named MLS Player of the Week". September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "SJ's Wondolowski named Player of the Week". October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Seattle's Zakuani voted Player of the Week". October 18, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Wondolowski earns third Player of the Week nod". October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ "SuperLiga 2010 dates and venues announced". Chicago-fire.com. April 28, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
External links
- 2010 Major League Soccer season at ESPN Archived April 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine