2007 Major League Soccer season

12th season of Major League Soccer August 2023 Major League Soccer Major League Soccer MLS wordmark 2007.svg 2007 13 Houston Dynamo (2nd title) D.C. United (4th shield) 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League Houston DynamoD.C. UnitedN.E. RevolutionChivas USA 2008 SuperLiga D.C. UnitedChivas USAHouston DynamoN.E. Revolution 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup Houston DynamoD.C. United Luciano EmilioD.C. UnitedGoals: 20 CHV 4–0 RSLNY 4–0 CLBTOR 4–0 FCD CHI 0–4 HOUFCD 0–4 DCU NY 5–4 LA 195 518 D.C. UnitedGames: 6(08/05/ – 09/01) D.C. UnitedGames: 13(08/05 – 10/13) Los Angeles GalaxyGames: 6(08/09 – 09/01) Los Angeles GalaxySeason: 363,782Game Avg.: 24,252 Kansas City WizardsSeason:173,784Game Avg.: 11,586 3,270,210 16,770 2006 2008 United States 525 right Locations of teams for the 2007 Major League Soccer season8px Western Conference   8px Eastern Conference United States 38.889722 -76.971667 D.C. United bottom ButtonBlue.svg United States 40.737411 -74.153763 New York left ButtonBlue.svg United States 40.009444 -82.991111 Columbus left ButtonBlue.svg United States 42.090833 -71.264444 New England top ButtonBlue.svg United States 41.742432 -87.806789 Chicago top ButtonBlue.svg United States 39.1218 -94.8237 Kansas City bottom ButtonBlue.svg United States 43.632778 -79.418611 Toronto top ButtonBlue.svg United States 39.35 -104.8918 Colorado top ButtonRed.svg United States 33.154444 -96.835278 Dallas right ButtonRed.svg United States 33.864444 -118.261111 Chivas USA top ButtonRed.svg United States 33.864444 -118.261111 Galaxy bottom ButtonRed.svg United States 29.721944 -95.349167 Houston right ButtonRed.svg United States 40.582923 -111.893156 Salt Lake bottom ButtonRed.svg The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 95th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 29th with a national first-division league. This year marked the inaugural season for expansion franchise, Toronto FC who began play in the Eastern Conference. Two new soccer-specific stadiums opened as well. The Colorado Rapids moved into Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver-suburb of Commerce City and, before the season began, BMO Field opened for expansion side, Toronto FC. This season is often cited as the first in the modern-era of Major League Soccer because of the introduction of the Designated Player Rule which permitted each team to sign one big-ticket player without it counting against the salary cap. Six such players were signed for the 2007 season: David Beckham, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Ángel, Luciano Emilio, Denílson and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The regular season began on April 7, and concluded on October 21. The 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 25, and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18. For the first time in league history, the same two clubs consecutively won the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield. The Houston Dynamo repeated as MLS Cup Champions by defeating the New England Revolution in the final and D.C. United won the Supporters' Shield by edging Chivas USA by two points in the standings. Overview Season format The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 18. The 13 teams were split into two conferences with 7 playing the Eastern Conference and 6 playing in the Western Conference. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games. The remaining four games were played against four regional rivals, two at home and two away. The top three teams from each conference automatically qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the two 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' Cup. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions' Cup, 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 three finishers in each conference. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games. Qualification for the SuperLiga was determined by the overall table with the top four overall finishers qualifying for the 2008 edition. Stadiums and locations List of Major League Soccer stadiums 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 Arrowhead Stadium 81,425 LA Galaxy Home Depot Center 27,000 New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 68,756 New York Red Bulls Giants Stadium 80,200 Real Salt Lake Rice-Eccles Stadium 45,017 Toronto FC BMO Field 21,566 Personnel and sponsorships Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor Chicago Fire COL Juan Carlos Osorio — Chivas USA USA Preki Comex Colorado Rapids USA Fernando Clavijo — Columbus Crew USA Sigi Schmid USA Frankie Hejduk— D.C. United USA Tom Soehn — FC Dallas NIR Steve Morrow — Houston Dynamo USA Dominic Kinnear USA Wade Barrett— Kansas City Wizards USA Curt Onalfo — LA Galaxy CAN Frank Yallop Herbalife New England Revolution SCO Steve Nicol — New York Red Bulls USA Bruce Arena USA Claudio Reyna Red Bull Real Salt Lake USA Jason Kreis USA Eddie Pope— Toronto FC SCO Mo Johnston — Coaching changes Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Incoming coach Date of appointment Chicago Fire USA Dave Sarachan Fired June 20, 2007 COL Juan Carlos Osorio July 1, 2007 Real Salt Lake USA John Ellinger Fired May 3, 2007 USA Jason Kreis May 3, 2007 Standings Eastern Conference Western Conference Overall standings MLS Cup playoffs 2007 MLS Cup playoffs Bracket Bracket Player statistics Goals Rank Player Club Goals 1BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. United 20 2COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 19 3USA Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 16 4USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards 15 5CUB Maykel Galindo Chivas USA 12 6USA Ante Razov Chivas USA 11 7ARG Christian Gómez D.C. United 10 8USA Jozy Altidore New York Red Bulls 99USA Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 8USA Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake Assists Rank Player Club Assists1USA Landon Donovan LA Galaxy11USA Steve Ralston New England Revolution3USA Davy Arnaud Kansas City Wizards9ARG Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew USA Sacha Kljestan Chivas USA6MEX Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago Fire7ARG Christian Gómez D.C. UnitedVEN Alejandro Moreno Columbus Crew9USA Eddie Gaven Columbus Crew 6USA Stuart Holden Houston DynamoUSA Dax McCarty FC Dallas Clean sheets RankPlayerClubCleansheets1USA Brad GuzanChivas USA132CAN Pat OnstadHouston Dynamo113USA Matt PickensChicago Fire10USA Matt ReisNew England Revolution5SEN Bouna CoundoulColorado Rapids96USA Troy PerkinsD.C. United87USA Nick RimandoReal Salt Lake78USA Joe CannonLA Galaxy5USA Jon ConwayNew York Red BullsUSA Kevin HartmanKansas City WizardsUSA Will HesmerColumbus CrewARG Darío SalaFC DallasNED Ronald WaterreusNew York Red Bulls Awards Individual awards AwardPlayerClubMost Valuable PlayerBRA Luciano EmilioD.C. UnitedDefender of the YearUSA Michael ParkhurstNew England RevolutionGoalkeeper of the YearUSA Brad GuzanChivas USACoach of the YearUSA PrekiChivas USARookie of the YearUSA Maurice EduToronto FCNewcomer of the YearBRA Luciano EmilioD.C. UnitedComeback Player of the YearUSA Eddie JohnsonKansas City WizardsGolden BootBRA Luciano EmilioD.C. UnitedGoal of the YearMEX Cuauhtémoc BlancoChicago FireFair Play AwardUSA Michael ParkhurstNew England RevolutionHumanitarian of the YearUSA Diego GutiérrezChicago Fire Best XI GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwardsUSA Brad Guzan, Chivas USAUSA Michael Parkhurst, New EnglandUSA Eddie Robinson, Houston DynamoUSA Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USAARG Christian Gómez, D.C. UnitedGRN Shalrie Joseph, New EnglandCAN Dwayne De Rosario, Houston DynamoUSA Ben Olsen, D.C. UnitedARG Guillermo Barros Schelotto, ColumbusBRA Luciano Emílio, D.C. UnitedCOL Juan Pablo Ángel, New York Red Bulls Player of the Month WeekPlayerClubApril USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City WizardsMay COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red BullsJune COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red BullsJuly ARG Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus CrewAugust USA Troy Perkins D.C. UnitedSeptember BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. UnitedOctober USA Matt Pickens Chicago Fire Weekly awards Player of the WeekWeekPlayerClubWeek 1 USA Jeff Cunningham Real Salt LakeWeek 2 USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City WizardsWeek 3 CUB Maykel Galindo Chivas USAWeek 4 USA Landon Donovan Los Angeles GalaxyWeek 5 CAN Dwayne De Rosario Houston DynamoWeek 6 USA Taylor Twellman New England RevolutionWeek 7 COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red BullsWeek 8 USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City WizardsWeek 9 USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City WizardsWeek 10 USA Ben Olsen D.C. UnitedWeek 11 BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. UnitedWeek 12 USA Brad Davis Houston DynamoWeek 13 JAM Nicholas Addlery D.C. UnitedWeek 14 USA Stuart Holden Houston DynamoWeek 15 COL Juan Toja FC DallasWeek 16 ARG Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus CrewWeek 17 USA Ante Razov Chivas USAWeek 18 BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. UnitedWeek 19 COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red BullsWeek 20 USA Jozy Altidore New York Red BullsWeek 21 CUB Maykel Galindo Chivas USAWeek 22 USA Ben Olsen D.C. UnitedWeek 23 BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. UnitedWeek 24 TTO Scott Sealy Kansas City WizardsWeek 25 USA Ante Razov Chivas USAWeek 26 BRA Fred D.C. UnitedWeek 27 USA Abe Thompson FC DallasWeek 28 ARG Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus CrewWeek 29 TTO Scott Sealy Kansas City Wizards Goal of the WeekWeekPlayerClubWeek 1 USA Sacha Kljestan Chivas USAWeek 2 USA Herculez Gomez Colorado RapidsWeek 3 USA Jozy Altidore New York Red BullsWeek 4 USA Taylor Twellman New England RevolutionWeek 5 USA Chris Brown Real Salt LakeWeek 6 ENG Danny Dichio Toronto FCWeek 7 LBR Chris Gbandi FC DallasWeek 8 CAN Jim Brennan Toronto FCWeek 9 ENG Danny Dichio Toronto FCWeek 10 USA Ben Olsen D.C. UnitedWeek 11 COL Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red BullsWeek 12 USA Brad Davis Houston DynamoWeek 13 CUB Maykel Galindo Chivas USAWeek 14 USA Stuart Holden Houston DynamoWeek 15 ZWE Joseph Ngwenya Houston DynamoWeek 16 CAN Dwayne De Rosario Houston DynamoWeek 17 USA Kerry Zavagnin Kansas City WizardsWeek 18 USA Robbie Findley Real Salt LakeWeek 19 USA Jozy Altidore New York Red BullsWeek 20 MEX Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago FireWeek 21 BOL Jaime Moreno D.C. UnitedWeek 22 USA Eddie Johnson Kansas City WizardsWeek 23 USA Taylor Twellman New England RevolutionWeek 24 TTO Scott Sealy Kansas City WizardsWeek 25 USA Chris Rolfe Chicago FireWeek 26 BRA Luciano Emilio D.C. UnitedWeek 27 BRA Paulo Nagamura Chivas USAWeek 28 USA Edson Buddle Los Angeles GalaxyWeek 29 ENG Danny Dichio Toronto FC Attendance ClubGames SeasonGame Avg.LA Galaxy 15363,782 24,252D.C. United 15 314,506 20,967Toronto FC 15301,947 20,130New England Revolution 15 251,132 16,742New York Red Bulls 15 247,948 16,530Chicago Fire 15 247,536 16,502 Real Salt Lake 15239,395 15,960Houston Dynamo 15 238,240 15,883Columbus Crew 15 228,451 15,230FC Dallas 15 227,182 15,145Colorado Rapids 15 221,209 14,747Chivas USA15 214,578 14,305Kansas City Wizards 15 173,784 11,586OVERALL1953,269,69016,768 International competitions CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2007 USA D.C. UnitedDefeated HON 1949 Club Deportivo Olimpia in the QuarterfinalsLost MEX Club Deportivo Guadalajara in the Semifinals. USA Houston DynamoDefeated CRC Puntarenas FC in the Quarterfinals.Lost MEX C.F. Pachuca in the Semifinals. SuperLiga 2007 North American SuperLiga 2007 FC DallasFinished in fourth place and did not advance fromGroup A after going 0-1-2 in group play. D.C. UnitedRunner-up of Group B after going 1-1-1 in group play.Lost to Los Angeles Galaxy in Semifinals. Houston DynamoWinner of Group B after going 2-0-1 in group play.Lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Semifinals. Los Angeles GalaxyWinner of Group A after going 2-1-0 in group play.Defeated D.C. United in the SemifinalsLost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Final. Copa Sudamericana 2007 Copa Sudamericana 2007 D.C. UnitedLost to Club Deportivo Guadalajara on away goals in the Round of 16. Other competitions 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 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. UnitedLost to Harrisburg City Islanders in the third round. Los Angeles GalaxyLost to Richmond Kickers in the third round. Chicago FireLost to Carolina RailHawks in the third round. Houston DynamoLost to Charleston Battery in the third round. Chivas USALost to Seattle Sounders (USL) in the third round Colorado RapidsDefeated California Victory in the third round.Lost to Seattle Sounders (USL) in the Quarterfinals. FC DallasDefeated 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 RevolutionDefeated 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 2007 MLS All-Star Game The 2007 MLS All-Star Game was held at Dick's Sporting Goods Parkin 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. External links MLS 2007 Season Stats References 2007 1 United States