Major League Soccer
2008 MLS season
Countries	United States Canada
Confederation	CONCACAF
Founded	1993
First season	1996
Conferences	2 (Eastern and Western)
Number of teams	14 (15 in 2009, 16 in 2010)
Domestic cup	U.S. Open Cup
International cups	CONCACAF Champions League SuperLiga Copa Sudamericana by invitation
Current MLS Cup holder	Houston Dynamo (2006 & 2007)
Current Supporters' Shield holder	D.C. United (2006 & 2007)
Most MLS Cups	D.C. United (4)
Most Supporters' Shields	D.C. United (4)
TV partners	ABC, ESPN2, FSC, HDNet, & TeleFutura
Website	MLSnet.com

Major League Soccer (MLS) is the premier men's professional soccer league of the United States and Canada. The 2008 Major League Soccer season is the 13th season in league history The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF) (trademarked as "U The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer ( Association football) in Canada CONCACAF (the Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is the continent-wide governing body for football in North America, Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) This is a summary of the 1996 Major League Soccer season. Final Standings Player of the Week Player of the Month The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF affiliated teams from amateur adult club teams all the The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international football competition held in the CONCACAF region ( North America, Central The SuperLiga is a North American Association football competition between teams The Copa Sudamericana ( English: South American Cup, Portuguese: Copa Sul-Americana) also known as Copa Nissan Sudamericana The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history The Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best Regular season record as determined by the DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D ESPN Major League Soccer is a promotion of Major League Soccer on ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, with simulcasts on ESPN2HD and ABCHD Fox Soccer Channel is a United States Digital cable network owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. HDNet is a general interest Television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable TeleFutura is a US Spanish-language broadcast Television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami Florida. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page With thirteen teams located in the U. S. and one in Canada, MLS represents the top tier of the American and Canadian Soccer Pyramids. The American Soccer Pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. The Canadian soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the Canada. Seasons run from late March or early April to November, with teams playing 30 regular season games each. Events in March American Red Cross Month Fire Prevention month ( The Philippines) Women's History Month ( United April holidays and events National Poetry Month - in United States National Sexual Assault Awareness Month - in United Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween Winners of the postseason playoff compete in the league championship game, the MLS Cup

Founded on December 17, 1993, MLS was established to fulfill a promise to FIFA from Alan Rothenberg and the US Soccer Federation to establish a "Division One" professional soccer league in exchange for staging the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) Alan I Rothenberg (born April 10, 1939 in Detroit Michigan is a graduate of the University of Michigan 's law school and an influential administrative The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF) (trademarked as "U The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17 1994 The new league began play in 1996 with ten teams. This is a summary of the 1996 Major League Soccer season. Final Standings Player of the Week Player of the Month

Contents 1 Competition format 2 History 2.1 Early years 2.2 Resurgence 2.3 2006-present 3 Organization 3.1 "Game First" 3.2 Stadiums 3.3 Media coverage 3.4 Profitability 3.5 Ownership 3.6 Rule changes 4 Teams 4.1 Expansion 4.2 Team names 5 Rivalries and 2-team cup competitions 6 MLS commissioners 7 MLS awards 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

Competition format

The 2008 regular season runs from March 29 to October 26. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death The 14 teams in the league are split into the Eastern and Western Conferences with seven teams each. The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences Each team plays 30 games over the course of 31 weeks, evenly divided between home and away matches. Each team plays every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games. The remaining four games are intra-conference matches, often highlighting geographic and conference rivalries. The full schedule for the 2008 Major League Soccer season was announced in February 2008. The 2008 Major League Soccer season is the 13th season in league history The postseason runs from October 30 to November 23, culminating with MLS Cup 2008 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of The 2008 MLS Cup will be the championship game of the 2008 Major League Soccer season, scheduled to take place on November 23, 2008 at the The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson California. Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

With its win at the MLS Cup, the Houston Dynamo qualified for the final CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international football competition held in the CONCACAF region ( North America, Central D. C. United also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup by virtue of its winning the MLS Supporters' Shield for the top regular-season record. The Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best Regular season record as determined by the

Four American teams will play in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League in late 2008 and early 2009. The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international football competition held in the CONCACAF region ( North America, Central The MLS Cup Champion, Supporters' Shield winner, MLS Cup runner-up, and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion will each participate in the tournament. The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF affiliated teams from amateur adult club teams all the Because the New England Revolution were both the MLS runners-up and Open Cup champions, the MLS team with the next-highest regular season point total, Chivas USA, will participate. ^[1] D. C. United and the Houston Dynamo will be automatically seeded into the group stage, while New England and Chivas USA will play in a preliminary stage. In addition, Toronto FC may qualify the Canadian slot in the tournament after playing the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact of the United Soccer Leagues in the Canadian Championship. For information about the original NASL team see Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL. Montreal Impact Football Club ( Impact de Montréal) is a Canadian professional Football team founded in 1993 History In 1996 the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues established the new Select League consisting of its strongest teams from its professional FIFA The Canadian Championship is an Association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver

SuperLiga, a MLS-Primera División de México competition, enters its second year during July and early August. The SuperLiga is a North American Association football competition between teams The Primera División (First Division is the First Division Association football championship established by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación Houston Dynamo (MLS Champion), New England Revolution (MLS runner-up), D.C. United (Supporters' Shield winner and Eastern Conference champion) and Chivas USA (Western Conference champion) will play in the 2008 tournament. Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. The New England Revolution, nicknamed the Revs, is a professional soccer club based in Foxborough Massachusetts, that participates in Major League DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D Club Deportivo Chivas USA (short form CD Chivas USA or Chivas USA) is a professional soccer club based in Carson, California, United States

History

MLS Major Trophy Winners

Season	MLS Cup Playoff and League Champions	Supporters' Shield Regular Season Champions
2007	Houston Dynamo	D.C. United
2006	Houston Dynamo	D.C. United
2005	Los Angeles Galaxy	San Jose Earthquakes
2004	D.C. United	Columbus Crew
2003	San Jose Earthquakes	Chicago Fire
2002	Los Angeles Galaxy	Los Angeles Galaxy
2001	San Jose Earthquakes	Miami Fusion
2000	Kansas City Wizards	Kansas City Wizards
1999	D.C. United	D.C. United
1998	Chicago Fire	Los Angeles Galaxy
1997	D.C. United	D.C. United
1996	D.C. United	Tampa Bay Mutiny

Early years

The league was greeted with indifference by the American mainstream as the 1994 World Cup in the United States faded from memory. The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. The Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best Regular season record as determined by the The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of MLS which began on April 2 2005 and concluded on November 13 2005 with a second MLS Cup Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States This is a summary of the 2004 Major League Soccer season which culminated with D DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club based in Columbus Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. This is a summary of the 2003 Major League Soccer season in the United States. The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States This is a summary of the 2002 Major League Soccer season Final standings MLS Cup Playoffs Quarterfinals Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. This is a summary of the 2001 Major League Soccer season, which was cut short by the attacks of September 11th. The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States Miami Fusion FC was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from This is a summary of the 2000 Major League Soccer season. Final standings MLS Cup Playoffs Quarterfinals The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. This is a summary of the 1999 Major League Soccer season. Final standings MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D This is a summary of the 1998 Major League Soccer season. Final standings MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. This is a summary of the 1997 Major League Soccer season. Final Standings Player of the Week Player of the Month DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D This is a summary of the 1996 Major League Soccer season. Final Standings Player of the Week Player of the Month DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996-2001 By 1996, the original ten teams, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New England Revolution, NY/NJ MetroStars, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Colorado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Clash, were ready for play. The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club based in Columbus Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D The New England Revolution, nicknamed the Revs, is a professional soccer club based in Foxborough Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996-2001 The Colorado Rapids are a soccer club based in Commerce City Colorado (a suburb of Denver) that participates in Major League Soccer. FC Dallas is a North American professional soccer team based in Frisco, Texas, United States. The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States The early years gave rise to the Bruce Arena-led dynasty of D. Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American soccer coach currently in charge of Los Angeles Galaxy C. United, a championship team in three of the league's first four seasons. It took the expansion Chicago Fire in 1998 to end United's stranglehold on the MLS Cup. The championship game featured several players who went on to have a broader impact on MLS and American soccer.

After its first season, MLS suffered from a decline in attendance. The league's quality of play was cast into doubt when the United States men's national soccer team, largely made up of American MLS players, was eliminated during the first round of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and finished in last place among the 32 participating countries. The United States men's national soccer team is the national Soccer team of the United States for men and is controlled by the United States Soccer The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th staging of the World Cup was held in France from June 10 to July 12 after 60 years to celebrate the third edition scheduled However, some of the 1998 cup players were kept aboard to join up-and-coming players in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30.

The league began to market itself on the talents of American players, both experienced veterans and fresh talents. DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan made names for themselves in MLS, while players such as Brian McBride and Clint Mathis continued proving their worth to their domestic and national teams. DaMarcus Lamont Beasley (born May 24 1982 in Fort Wayne Indiana) is an American Soccer player who is currently playing for Scottish Premier League side Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4 1982 in) is an American professional Soccer player on the Los Angeles Galaxy and is the all-time leading scorer for the Brian McBride (born June 19, 1972) is an American soccer Striker who has appeared in three World Cups for the United Clint Mathis (born November 25, 1976 in Conyers, Georgia) is a Soccer forward / Midfielder who currently plays

The league's ongoing financial problems led to the departure of Commissioner Doug Logan after the end of the 1998 season. Doug Logan was named the first commissioner of Major League Soccer, serving in that capacity from the inauguration of the league in 1995 to 1999 when he was replaced by In his place was hired Don Garber, a former NFL International chief whose leadership became instrumental to shoring up the league's future. Don Garber (born October 9, 1957 in Queens New York) is the Commissioner of Major League Soccer and CEO of Soccer Construction of "soccer-specific" stadiums for the league's teams — largely funded by financiers such as Lamar Hunt and Phil Anschutz — became a point of emphasis to bring fiscal health and ensure the league's survival. Soccer-specific stadium (or football-specific stadium) is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer Lamar Hunt ( August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer Philip Frederick Anschutz (born 28 December 1939 in Russell Kansas) is an American businessman and supporter of conservative Christian Hunt's Columbus Crew Stadium, built in 1999, is often cited as a league model. Columbus Crew Stadium is a Soccer-specific stadium in Columbus Ohio.

On the field, the early wave of international players who had joined MLS at its inception drifted into retirement or moved on to teams elsewhere in the world. The run-up to the 2002 World Cup saw a gradual shift in league philosophy toward the development of American talent, a move that would eventually reap success for American soccer. The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. One such player was young Landon Donovan, who was loaned from the German club Bayer Leverkusen to the San Jose Earthquakes. Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He made an immediate impact with the team, scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2001 MLS Cup to force overtime in the team's first championship win.

Resurgence

The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, in which the United States unexpectedly made the quarterfinal round based on wins against Portugal and Mexico, saw a resurgence in American soccer and in MLS. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Portugal national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF finishing 4th at the last World Cup. The Mexican national football team is controlled by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol and represents Mexico in international football competition The 2002 MLS Cup, held four months after the World Cup final, set the championship attendance record with a sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium that saw the Los Angeles Galaxy win their first title. Gillette Stadium is the home Stadium for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team From 2001, both Los Angeles and the San Jose Earthquakes would hoist the trophy twice, while D. C. United returned to prominence in the 2004 MLS Cup, in the aftermath of an exciting Eastern Conference championship against the New England Revolution. The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences

MLS drew international attention in 2004 with the D. C. United debut of 14-year-old Freddy Adu, who entered the league with much fanfare and was heralded as one of the top prospects in US history. Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born June 2 1989 in Tema, Ghana) is an American Association football forward or Attacking

MLS underwent a significant transition in the years leading up to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. After marketing itself on the talents of American players, the league saw some of its homegrown favorites depart for more prominent leagues in Europe. Tim Howard, goalkeeper for the MetroStars, was sent to Manchester United in one of the most lucrative contract deals in league history. Timothy Matthew "Tim" Howard (born March 6, 1979, in North Brunswick, New Jersey, United States) is a Football (soccer Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the DaMarcus Beasley of the Chicago Fire left for PSV Eindhoven, while Landon Donovan, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, was recalled back to Germany. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Donovan's stint with the team was brief; before the start of the 2005 season he was traded back to MLS to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of MLS which began on April 2 2005 and concluded on November 13 2005 with a second MLS Cup In 2005 he led the Galaxy to its second MLS Cup.

Many American players, while factoring little in the national team picture, did make an impact in MLS. In 2005, Jason Kreis of the expansion Real Salt Lake became the first player in MLS history to score at least 100 career league goals. Jason Kreis (born December 29, 1972 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a former American Soccer forward, and is currently the second Real Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City Utah suburb of Sandy that began playing in Major League Soccer in In Kansas City, goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi took the place of injured Tony Meola and helped the Wizards return to MLS Cup in 2004, with the team nearly clinching a playoff berth one season later. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Adegboyega "Bo" Oshoniyi (born November 3 1971 in Boston Massachusetts) is an American Soccer Goalkeeper who last played Tony Meola (born Antonio Michael Meola on February 21, 1969) is an American Soccer goalkeeper who played for the United Herculez Gomez made a name for himself playing with the Galaxy in his first three MLS seasons, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup final. Herculez Gomez (born April 6, 1982 in Los Angeles California) is a Mexican-American soccer player who currently plays for the The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF affiliated teams from amateur adult club teams all the In 2005, MLS created its Reserve Division, with each team's reserve squad playing 12 games, providing valuable playing time to develop non-starters on the team roster. The MLS Reserve Division is a USA Soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer, much like the English FA Premier Reserve League The D. C. United Reserves in 2005 won the first Reserve Division title.

2006-present

Since 2006, Major League Soccer's leadership has taken steps to 'internationalize' MLS in an effort to raise the level of play. Among the first moves in this regard was the creation of the Designated Player Rule, which helped MLS bring international star players into the league. The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule was adopted as part of the Salary cap regulations of Major League Soccer for the 2007 season The second step MLS took in internationalizing its game was the creation of SuperLiga in 2007. Superliga pits the best MLS teams against the top Mexican sides in an effort to provide more meaningful competition. The competition was judged a success by influential soccer writers, such as Steve Davis at ESPN. MLS further pushed itself into an 'international era' by changing the foreign player rules before the 2008 season. ^[2] However, despite the increasing number of foreign players in MLS, the Houston Dynamo were able to establish a domestic dynasty, winning both the 2006 and 2007 titles with mostly American and Canadian talent.

The 2006 season confirmed Major League Soccer as a stable product of both American and international soccer. Piotr Nowak, once a Chicago Fire player, managed the All-Star team to a win in the 2006 All-Star Game over Chelsea F.C., while former Liverpool player Steve Nicol led his team to MLS Cup for the third time in five years. Piotr (Peter Nowak (born July 5, 1964 in Pabianice) is a former Polish Football (soccer player and currently the assistant to Stephen 'Steve' Nicol (born 11 December 1961 in Irvine, Scotland is a Scottish former professional Footballer, a utility player who played in the all-conquering Bob Bradley, whose reputation was scarred by disappointing results when coaching the MetroStars, turned around the second-year Chivas USA, who in their inaugural season finished last among all teams in the league. Bob Bradley (born March 3, 1958 in Montclair, New Jersey) is the current manager of the United States men's national soccer team. Club Deportivo Chivas USA (short form CD Chivas USA or Chivas USA) is a professional soccer club based in Carson, California, United States Among players, Jaime Moreno continued to display his veteran experience, while Christian Gomez and Dwayne De Rosario excelled for D. Jaime Moreno Morales (born January 19, 1974 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra) is a Bolivian Football (soccer Striker (forward Christian Gómez (born November 7, 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine Football (soccer central Midfielder Dwayne Anthony De Rosario (also spelt de Rosario and commonly shortened to D-Ro by fans born on May 15, 1978 in Scarborough Ontario C. United and Houston Dynamo, respectively. The Dynamo, who moved from San Jose before the season, took the championship in their first season in Houston. The title game featured names familiar to many American soccer fans; Taylor Twellman scored for the first time in three championship games in overtime, while Brian Ching scored the equalizer only moments later, sending the game into a penalty kick shootout where goalkeeper Pat Onstad secured the win for Houston Dynamo. Taylor Timothy Twellman (born February 29, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a U Brian Ching ( Chinese: 程拜仁 Pinyin: Chéng Bàirén born May 24 1978 in Haleiwa Hawaii) is a U Patrick Stewart Onstad (born January 13, 1968 in Vancouver) is a professional Canadian Soccer Goalkeeper.

The 2007 season saw the MLS debut of David Beckham, whose signing has been seen as a coup for American soccer. David Robert Joseph Beckham, and is also a member of the England national team. David Beckham's signing by the Los Angeles Galaxy was made possible by the Designated Player Rule. He has been followed by four more designated players, including Marcelo Gallardo (Paris Saint-Germain) to D. Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (born January 18, 1976 in Merlo, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine footballer Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, or PSG, is a French football club based in Paris. C. United, Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Club América) to Chicago Fire, Denílson (Palmeiras, previously Real Betis) to FC Dallas, and Claudio Reyna (Manchester City) and Juan Pablo Ángel (Aston Villa) to New York Red Bulls. Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (born January 17 1973 in Mexico DF) also known as Cuau or Temo, is a Mexican international football Club América, most commonly known as just América, is a professional Mexican football club playing in the Primera División. Denílson, full name Denílson de Oliveira Araújo, (born August 24 1977 in Diadema, Brazil) is a football winger Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, usually called Palmeiras, is a Brazilian football team from São Paulo. Real Betis Balompié is a Spanish football club in Sevilla founded in 1907 Claudio Reyna (born July 20, 1973 in Livingston, New Jersey) is a former American Association football player TalkManchester City FC before changing verbs to singular --> Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born October 24, 1975 in Medellín) is a Colombian football Striker, who is currently playing Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the Red Bull's use of two designated players has boosted the club tremendously, with both players already improving the team's on-field performance considerably.

The departure of Clint Dempsey to Fulham, and New York's debut of former United States captain Claudio Reyna, highlights an exchange of top prospects to Europe for experienced veterans to the United States. Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey (born March 9 1983 in Nacogdoches Texas) is an American Football (soccer player who plays midfield for Fulham Fulham Football Club is an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Several other well-known foreign players have followed Beckham and other designated players to MLS for the 2007 season, including Guillermo Barros Schelotto (to Columbus), Luciano Emilio (to D. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (born May 4, 1973 in La Plata) is an Argentine football player Luciano Emilio (born December 12, 1978 in Ilha Solteira, Brazil) is a Brazilian Soccer player who currently plays with MLS club C. ), Ronald Waterreus (to New York), and Abel Xavier (to Los Angeles). Ronald Katarina Martinus Waterreus (born August 25 1970 in Lemiers, Netherlands) is a retired Dutch football Goalkeeper Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier, pron ɐ'bɛɫ ʃɐvi'ɛɾ (born 30 November 1972 in Nampula, Mozambique) is a professional ^[3]

Poor starts to the 2007 season for the league's once-considered elite teams have contrasted with strong performances by the likes of Dallas and New York. Toronto FC, the league's newest addition, became the last team in the league to earn a point or score a goal in the 2007 season, until sellout crowds at their new BMO Field helped propel them to two straight victories. Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club located in Toronto, and the first non-American team in Major League Soccer (MLS In the Western Conference, Dallas and the Colorado Rapids have led the way, ahead of a weak field of teams, including both Los Angeles franchises and Real Salt Lake, the last team in the league to notch a win this season. Recently, after poor starts, the defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo and the Supporters Cup Champion D. C. United have gone on streaks and returned to last season's form, with the Dynamo going on an impressive shutout run of 7 consecutive games where they have not given up a single goal to their opponents, tallying a league record 726 consecutive minutes of scoreless time.

In the inaugural 2007 SuperLiga, the Los Angeles Galaxy lost 4-3 on penalty kicks after tying CF Pachuca with a last minute bicycle kick by midfielder Chris Klein. A bicycle kick, chalaca, chilena, overhead kick, or scissors kick is a move in football (soccer which is made by throwing the body Chris Klein (born January 4 1976 in St Louis, Missouri) is an American Soccer player who currently plays right fullback or right midfielder The victory of Pachuca in the $1 million tournament overshadowed the fact that it was the only Mexican team that made it to the second round (3 MLS teams did so — Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, and D. C. United). ESPN's Steve Davis has declared the first Superliga a success, saying, "First, SuperLiga has been everything its architects could want. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to The matches have been spirited and tightly contested, spun with quality and layered with just the right amount of acrimony. So the Houston Dynamo, D. C. United, FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy may have just finished the most meaningful week of matches ever for MLS teams in the month of July". ^[4] This follows on news that MLS and Primera División de México are considering increasing the size of the tournament from 4 invited teams from each league to eight teams from each league that must fight to qualify for next year's tournament.

At the end of the 2007 season, in a near-repeat of the previous final, the Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in the 2007 MLS Cup. It marked the second victory in a row by the Dynamo over the Revolution in the final in two consecutive years. Following the end of the 2007 season, MLS announced the creation of the Pan Pacific Championship, with two MLS teams taking on teams from Japan and Australia. History Inaugural tournament The inaugural edition of the competition took place from February 20 to February 23 in Honolulu Hawaii. ^[5]

Organization

Major League Soccer has been known more for its front office and management dealings than its on-field product. In the off-season, expansion, contraction and rebranding have become buzzwords for the league and its fans. Recently the league has started to focus on improving the quality of play its teams produces on the field via new rules like the Designated Player Rule and through the creation of a league-wide youth development system. ^[6]

"Game First"

The 2007 MLS offseason is considered by some to be its most productive,^[7] and there have been a number of changes for the league, bringing about a slow rise in its standings both financially and athletically. The league announced a youth development initiative^[6], which will require youth development teams for all the league's teams, to help the league develop "home-grown" talent on its own. The hope is that by being able to sign up to two of its own youth players to the senior team each year that the league's teams will have an incentive to improve the quality and talent pool of the league organically and also benefit from the transfer fees they may bring. Perhaps the first example of a success in "home-grown" talent development is New York's Josmer Altidore, who has risen to prominence as one of the league's most skilled young strikers. Josmer "Jozy" Volmy Altidore (born November 6, 1989 in Livingston, New Jersey) is an American Soccer player who

Furthering the development of the league was the decision to create the Designated Player Rule, which allows for a league team to pay up to two players a salary beyond that covered in the salary cap at their own expense. Following David Beckham to MLS are a host of veteran players, including Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Claudio Reyna, Juan Pablo Ángel, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Paulo Wanchope, Abel Xavier, Celestine Babayaro and Denílson. Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born October 24, 1975 in Medellín) is a Colombian football Striker, who is currently playing Paulo Cesar Wanchope Watson (ˈpaulo ɰanˈt̪ʃope(born July 31, 1976 in Heredia), also known as "Chope" or as "La Cobra" in Celestine Hycieth Babayaro (born August 29, 1978 in Kaduna) is a Nigerian footballer who plays Left-back and Following the creation of the Designated Player Rule, the league announced in conjunction with the La Primera División del Futbol Mexicano (Mexican First Division) that it would be creating a tournament called Superliga, which would start in 2007, with four teams from MLS and four from Mexico competing for a US$1 million purse to become the champions of North American club soccer. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[8] These matches will initially only be covered in Spanish by Univision and Telefutura. Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States and Puerto Rico. TeleFutura is a US Spanish-language broadcast Television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami Florida. Currently an English language broadcaster has not signed to cover the tournament, although an English-language broadcast is streamed online. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

Following these announcements the league announced "Game-First", a series of initiatives aimed at improving the league in a myriad of ways. One of the most immediate changes is that U. S. Soccer hired the first full-time professional referees in league history. ^[9]

Stadiums

When the league was started, most clubs played in stadiums built specifically for NFL or NCAA (college) football. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with This was based on the record attendances achieved at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, this turned out to be a considerable expense to the league because of modest attendance and poor lease deals. To provide better facilities as well as to control revenue for the stadium, a major goal of MLS is to build its own stadiums, which are often called soccer-specific stadiums. Soccer-specific stadium (or football-specific stadium) is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer

Since 1999, the league has seen the construction and completion of six venues specifically designed for soccer. Lamar Hunt broke new ground in this endeavour by financing the construction of Columbus Crew Stadium. Columbus Crew Stadium is a Soccer-specific stadium in Columbus Ohio. The Los Angeles Galaxy followed four years later with the opening of The Home Depot Center in 2003. The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson California. This is a summary of the 2003 Major League Soccer season in the United States. CD Chivas USA has shared this venue with the Galaxy since their expansion in 2004. It also played host to two consecutive MLS Cups, until FC Dallas' Pizza Hut Park opened in 2005 and hosted the next two championships. Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility featuring a 20500-seat Stadium, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County Texas. Chicago Fire began playing their home games in Toyota Park in 2006, a venue that witnessed the MLS All-Stars defeating Chelsea FC in the All-Star Game, and a US Open Cup championship for the Fire in their first season in the stadium. Toyota Park is the home stadium for the Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer (MLS The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history 2007 saw the opening of Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the Colorado Rapids, and BMO Field for the expansion Toronto FC. Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a Soccer-specific stadium located in Commerce City Colorado, home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team BMO Field (ˈbiːmoʊ "BEE-moe" is a Soccer-specific stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto.

Other stadiums are currently under construction. Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility featuring a 20500-seat Stadium, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County Texas. FC Dallas is a North American professional soccer team based in Frisco, Texas, United States. Real Salt Lake Stadium will house Real Salt Lake as early as late 2008, while Red Bull Park, the new home of the New York Red Bulls, began construction in December 2007 with the goal of beginning play there in 2009. D. C. United, the Kansas City Wizards, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution ^[10], and the San Jose Earthquakes are actively searching for ways to finance and build their respective stadiums.

The move to soccer-specific stadiums has been seen by many as essential to building up attendance and fan support for MLS. So far, every club that has built its own stadium has not only seen its game attendance rise, but also has helped MLS to achieve profitability. Thanks to their new stadium, the Los Angeles Galaxy became the first club to make a profit, followed in 2006 by FC Dallas.

Other MLS teams will, in the foreseeable future, continue to play in larger stadiums designed for American football. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The New England Revolution play in Gillette Stadium, whose primary tenant is the NFL's New England Patriots (both teams are owned by Robert Kraft), and Houston Dynamo play in Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston. The New England Patriots, commonly called the " Pats " by sports writers and fans are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium, is a sports stadium in Houston Texas located on the campus The University of Houston (often referred to as " U of H," " UH," or " Houston " is a public doctoral/research Houston Dynamo has secured an agreement with city officials that has entered them into negotiations to build a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Houston near Minute Maid Park, home of MLB's Houston Astros. Minute Maid Park (formerly The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field) is a ballpark in Houston, Texas The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. The New England Revolution has also expressed interest in securing their own soccer-specific stadium. The new Seattle team, Seattle Sounders FC, will play at Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, although team management has indicated that it will consider building its own venue under the right circumstances. Qwest Field is a multipurpose Stadium located in Seattle Washington, USA The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle Washington, USA The new Philadelphia franchise plans to play in the new Chester Stadium when they enter the league in 2010. Chester Stadium is a proposed Soccer-specific stadium in Chester Pennsylvania, which is the planned home of Major League Soccer Philadelphia 2010 For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two.

Media coverage

At the outset, MLS signed deals for coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, while Univision broadcast matches in Spanish. ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN. The original Univision deal lapsed after a few years, leaving only the ABC/ESPN family of networks as the league's national broadcasters. Fox Sports World (later rebranded as Fox Soccer Channel in 2005), Fox Sports en Español and HDNet began airing matches in 2003. Fox Soccer Channel is a United States Digital cable network owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. Fox Sports en Español (FSE is a Cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day in Spanish HDNet is a general interest Television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable The 2007 MLS season was the first season, however, that television rights were sold to networks. Previously, MLS paid networks to broadcast its games. It is estimated MLS will receive about $30 million from TV Revenue alone within the next 8 years. ^[11]

With the addition of Toronto FC, coverage of MLS expanded into Canada in 2007. The CBC, The Score and Rogers Sportsnet all broadcast Toronto matches nationwide. CBC Television is a Canadian English language Television network. The Score Television Network (often referred to only as The Score) is a Canadian English language Cable television Specialty channel Rogers Sportsnet (often referred to only as Sportsnet) is a Canadian English language Cable television Sports Specialty channel

The league's MLS Direct Kick package, which broadcasts out-of-market matches, has been expanded to ensure that every league match is broadcast. MLS Direct Kick is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in North America. Univision and its family of networks resumed MLS broadcasts in 2007 as well, with most matches airing on Telefutura and Galavision on Sunday afternoons and evenings. Galavisión is a Miami Florida based Spanish language cable network owned by Univision Communications Inc

The 2007 season was the first in the league's history in which every regular season match was telecast live, with many games shown on national television. MLS Primetime Thursday on ESPN networks featured a live match for the first time on Thursdays each week, and Fox Soccer Channel's MLS Saturday expanded to a 3-hour format, with both a pregame and postgame show wrapped around the featured match each week. MLS Primetime Thursday is a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 that began in 2007 Additionally, Fox Soccer Channel produces their own news on MLS and special original programs on players, such as Beckham Unwrapped, a biographical update for summer 2007 on Galaxy's David Beckham.

Major League Soccer also offers streaming live video of some matches via its own website.

Profitability

Major League Soccer has lost more than $350 million since its founding, according to a report by BusinessWeek in 2004. BusinessWeek is a business Magazine published by McGraw-Hill. ^[12] However, there are positive signs for profitability in the near future. As soccer-specific stadiums are built, ownership expands and television coverage increases, MLS has managed to see their revenues increase while costs are kept to a minimum. The 2003 season saw the Los Angeles Galaxy make a profit in their first season at the Home Depot Center,^[12] while FC Dallas turned a profit in a similar fashion after moving into Pizza Hut Park in 2005. The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson California. Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility featuring a 20500-seat Stadium, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County Texas.

Television coverage has consistently expanded throughout the league's history, with MLS brokering a deal with ESPN in 2006 for rights fees and greater presence across its networks. The 2007 season saw the return of MLS to Univision and its Spanish-language networks. They joined Fox Soccer Channel and HDNet as MLS' national outlets, while the league has mandated that every league game receive television coverage, if not nationally, then at least locally in one of the two teams' cities for broadcast on its Direct Kick package.

In 2007, MLS teams started selling ad space on the front of jerseys to go along with the league-wide sponsorship partners who had already been advertising on the back of club jerseys, following the practice of international soccer. The league has established a floor of $500,000 per shirt sponsorship, with the league receiving a flat fee of $200,000 per deal. ^[13] Online gambling and hard liquor sponsorships are not allowed. Entering the beginning of the 2008 season, seven of the league's fourteen teams have signed sponsorship deals to have company logos placed on the front of their team jerseys.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said on May 11, 2006 that he expects the league's clubs to be profitable by 2010 overall. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. He stated that FC Dallas and LA Galaxy are already profitable, with several other clubs nearing profitability.

Recently there have been some potential investors expressing reservations about the MLS leadership's decisions on bringing in designated players and the raised franchise fee. Adrian Hanauer was quoted by ESPN: "But at this point to me the franchise fee has gone up to $30 million, plus there is the expectation of a stadium being built so it will cost someone another $30 million. So you're up to $60 million and you're going to lose money operationally. Operational costs and start-up costs are what's holding us back, that is fair to say. We have been looking for partners to do it with, but I won't do it alone. "^[14] Hanauer eventually joined a bigger group, including Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen and comedian Drew Carey, to bring MLS to Seattle.

"Underlying the concerns of potential investors such as Mandaric and Hanauer is the belief that while there is good reason to be excited, money is still being lost. Milan Mandarić (Милан Мандарић is a Serbian business tycoon who has owned a string of successful businesses and football clubs including Portsmouth Beckham will count for nothing if crowds and viewing figures don't increase when the Galaxy aren't in town, or if his era doesn't produce the first crop of U. S. superstars," ESPN's Andrew Rogers said.

Others, like FC Dallas President & General Manager Michael Hitchcock, while accepting the validity of the concerns, disagree on the future outlook of the league's finances. "We still have some teams losing money," he said, "but the positive thing is they are not losing lots of money because of our single entity structure. Expense on some levels are shared and revenues on some levels are shared. The losses are going down every year for the league. The financials for the league and the individual clubs are becoming more and more positive. We have a slow growth model and key to this is developing the American player and not wanting to dilute the product, which other leagues in the U. S. have done and made the mistake of expanding too quickly. "^[14]

The Las Vegas Sun, in an interview with MLS President Mark Abbott, noted that "the sale of D. The Las Vegas Sun is one of Las Vegas Nevada 's two daily Newspapers It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group C. United showed that MLS could be turning a major financial corner, with each of its teams eventually being independently owned and the likelihood of each soon playing in a soccer-specific stadium. Los Angeles and Dallas are now making money, and three more plan to be operating in the black by [the 2008] season. " According to Don Garber in a statement made to the New York Times, the three newly profitable franchises are expected to be Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, and Toronto FC. ^[15]

Ownership

MLS operates under a single-entity structure in which teams are centrally controlled by the league. In order to keep costs under control, revenues are shared among the league, and player contracts are negotiated by the league.

Some critics have regularly alleged that the league showed preferential treatment to big-market or profitable clubs with regards to player allocation and the salary cap. The league also fought a bitter legal battle with its players over its economic system, but this was eventually resolved with the players gaining some improved benefits in return for accepting the single entity structure. A court had also ruled that even absent their collective bargaining agreement, players could opt to play in other leagues if they were unsatisfied. Collective bargaining is the process whereby workers organize together to meet converse and compromise upon the work environment with their employers

The league's controlled costs have attracted new ownership that can put more money into the league and improve it by focusing their money and attention on fewer clubs. Examples include the Anschutz Entertainment Group's sale of the MetroStars to Red Bull, "in excess of $100 million," according to the New York Times. The Anschutz Entertainment Group ( AEG) is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. Red Bull is an energy drink on the market and is sold by Red Bull GmbH. MLS Commissioner Garber said to the Los Angeles Times that "the sale was part of a plan to have AEG decrease its holdings in MLS. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed We're pushing Hunt Sports to do the same thing. "

It appears that Commissioner Garber and MLS management has said it is pushing these changes as part of a new ownership strategy, one in which each owner has a single club, and is better able to focus their resources upon that club, as with the owners of the New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake. Commissioner Garber has stated that having multiple clubs owned by a single owner was a necessity in the first 10 years of MLS, but now that the league appears to be on the brink of overall profitability and has significant expansion plans, he wants each club to have its own owner.

In order to help bring this about, the league is now giving more incentive to be an individual club owner, with all owners now having the rights to any player they develop through their club's academy system, sharing the profits of Soccer United Marketing, MLS' media and marketing arm, and now for the first time, allowing owners to have individual club jersey sponsors, with the approval of the league office. Soccer United Marketing is the marketing arm of Major League Soccer and is responsible for the US English and Spanish broadcasting rights for the World Cup

AEG, at one time, owned six teams in MLS, and have since sold the Colorado Rapids, MetroStars, D. C. United and Chicago Fire to new owners. AEG's remaining teams are the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. Most recently AEG sold the Chicago Fire to Andell Holdings for an undisclosed sum of money. Andell Holdings is a Los Angeles-based private investment firm with global business and investment interests ^[16] The other major owner-investor in MLS is Hunt Sports, which owns the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas, having sold the Kansas City Wizards in 2006 to a local ownership group. Lamar Hunt ( August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer OnGoal LLC is a group of Kansas City investors formed for the purpose of purchasing the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer and seeing through the With the sale of the Chicago Fire in mid-2007 and announcement of the new San Jose Earthquakes, the league now has 12 owners for their 14 clubs.

Rule changes

MLS experimented with deviations from IFAB rules and standards in its early years, some of which had been used in the NASL and continue to be used in college soccer and many high-school conferences. The Laws of the Game are the rules governing a game of Association football. North American Soccer League (NASL was a professional soccer League with teams in the United States of America (U College soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by Teams operated by Colleges and universities as opposed to a professional

Among them was the use of a countdown clock — rather than a standard progressive clock — with time paused for dead ball situations at a referee's discretion. Halves ended when the clock reached 0:00, rather than at the whistle of the referee as was customary elsewhere.

Also implemented was the use of shootouts to resolve tie games. These best-of-five contests pitted a player 35 yards from goal with five seconds to put the ball past a goalkeeper; if needed the shootout headed into extra frames. A winning team received one standings point (as opposed to three for the regulation win).

While IFAB rules allow teams to substitute three players during games, MLS allowed a fourth, goalkeeper-only substitute. The International Football Association Board ( IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. MLS discarded the rule after 2003 and adopted the IFAB standard, prompted in part by a match in which MetroStars coach Bob Bradley used a loophole to insert outfield player Eddie Gaven as a fourth substitute. Eddie Gaven (born October 25, 1986 in Hamilton Township, New Jersey) is an American Soccer player who plays for the Columbus

MLS eventually conceded that the rules changes, particularly the shootout, had alienated some traditional soccer fans while failing to draw new American sports fans as hoped. The shootout and countdown clock were eliminated after the 1999 season.

MLS continued to experiment with the settling of tie games in regular-season play. In 2000, a 10-minute golden-goal period replaced the shootout for tied games. The golden goal is a method used to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time It was abandoned after 2003. The golden-goal overtime remained through 2004 for playoff matches, where it had been used since the league's start.

In 2005 the league adopted a playoff extra-time structure that followed new IFAB standards for such situations: two full 15-minute periods, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule is not used in any playoff round. The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in Association football and other sports when teams play each other twice once at each

Match officials are chosen by the USSF and CSA (which then nominate some of those officials for the CONCACAF and FIFA lists), although MLS handles its own player discipline. The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF) (trademarked as "U The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer ( Association football) in Canada

Teams

There are fourteen MLS teams divided between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences Each club is allowed 28 players on their full roster. This is further divided to an 18 player senior roster and 10 player developmental roster. All 28 men are eligible for selection to the game-day squad. Throughout its history, a total of sixteen clubs have competed in the league, but only six have won the MLS Cup. The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer.

MLS added its first two expansion teams in the 1998 season, the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion FC. See also Relocation of professional sports teams An expansion team is a term used for a brand new team in a sports league This is a summary of the 1998 Major League Soccer season. Final standings MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals However, following the 2001 season, Miami and Tampa Bay Mutiny were disbanded and the league contracted back to ten. This is a summary of the 2001 Major League Soccer season, which was cut short by the attacks of September 11th. Following the 2004 season to the present, the league has expanded by four new teams: Real Salt Lake and CD Chivas USA in 2005, the Houston Dynamo relocating from San Jose in 2006, and Toronto FC in 2007. This is a summary of the 2004 Major League Soccer season which culminated with D The 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of MLS which began on April 2 2005 and concluded on November 13 2005 with a second MLS Cup The 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history Although the San Jose Earthquakes relocated to Houston, the Earthquakes’ name and history were not transferred making the Dynamo an expansion team. The 2008 season saw the Earthquakes return bringing the total number of clubs to fourteen. The 2008 Major League Soccer season is the 13th season in league history

For the current 2008 season, teams are aligned as follows:

Founded	Team	Home Stadium	City, State/Province
Eastern Conference
1997	Chicago Fire	Toyota Park;1	Bridgeview, IL
1994	Columbus Crew	Columbus Crew Stadium1	Columbus, OH
1995	D.C. United	RFK Stadium2	Washington, DC
1995	Kansas City Wizards	CommunityAmerica Ballpark2	Kansas City, KS
1995	New England Revolution	Gillette Stadium2	Foxborough, MA
1995	New York Red Bulls	Giants Stadium2	East Rutherford, NJ
2006	Toronto FC	BMO Field1	Toronto, ON
Western Conference
2004	CD Chivas USA	The Home Depot Center1	Carson, CA
1995	Colorado Rapids	Dick's Sporting Goods Park1	Commerce City, CO
1996	FC Dallas	Pizza Hut Park1	Frisco, TX
2005	Houston Dynamo	Robertson Stadium2	Houston, TX
1995	Los Angeles Galaxy	The Home Depot Center1	Carson, CA
2004	Real Salt Lake	Rice-Eccles Stadium2	Salt Lake City, UT
1995	San Jose Earthquakes	Buck Shaw Stadium12	Santa Clara, CA

¹ Soccer-specific stadium
² To be replaced by a soccer-specific stadium

Former teams

• Miami Fusion FC (1998-2001)
• Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-2001)

Future teams

• Seattle Sounders FC (2009)^[17]
• Philadelphia (2010) ^[18]

Expansion

MLS plans on expanding to 18 teams by 2012 with currently two of the remaining four declared. The New England Revolution, nicknamed the Revs, is a professional soccer club based in Foxborough Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. The Colorado Rapids are a soccer club based in Commerce City Colorado (a suburb of Denver) that participates in Major League Soccer. The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club based in Columbus Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. FC Dallas is a North American professional soccer team based in Frisco, Texas, United States. DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club located in Toronto, and the first non-American team in Major League Soccer (MLS Miami Fusion FC was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996-2001 Real Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City Utah suburb of Sandy that began playing in Major League Soccer in The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. Club Deportivo Chivas USA (short form CD Chivas USA or Chivas USA) is a professional soccer club based in Carson, California, United States The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences Toyota Park is the home stadium for the Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer (MLS Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois in the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club based in Columbus Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. Columbus Crew Stadium is a Soccer-specific stadium in Columbus Ohio. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D Robert F Kennedy Memorial Stadium, better known as RFK Stadium or RFK, is a professional sports Stadium in Washington D Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. CommunityAmerica Ballpark is a Minor league Baseball Stadium in Kansas City Kansas, home of the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Kansas City Kansas. Items for the metro area should also go to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area page Items for Kansas City Missouri Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The New England Revolution, nicknamed the Revs, is a professional soccer club based in Foxborough Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Gillette Stadium is the home Stadium for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately 22 miles (35 km southwest of Boston and 18 miles (29 km The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the Giants Stadium, is the home Stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets football teams of the NFL, and the Red Bull New East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club located in Toronto, and the first non-American team in Major League Soccer (MLS BMO Field (ˈbiːmoʊ "BEE-moe" is a Soccer-specific stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences Club Deportivo Chivas USA (short form CD Chivas USA or Chivas USA) is a professional soccer club based in Carson, California, United States The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson California. Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado Rapids are a soccer club based in Commerce City Colorado (a suburb of Denver) that participates in Major League Soccer. Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a Soccer-specific stadium located in Commerce City Colorado, home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team The City of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. FC Dallas is a North American professional soccer team based in Frisco, Texas, United States. Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility featuring a 20500-seat Stadium, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County Texas. Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the US state of Texas and a wealthy and rapid growing suburb of Dallas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium, is a sports stadium in Houston Texas located on the campus Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson California. Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Real Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City Utah suburb of Sandy that began playing in Major League Soccer in Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor football Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City Utah. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States Buck Shaw Stadium is a 10300 seat Soccer stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara California (ˌsæntəˈklærə founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852 is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Miami Fusion FC was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996-2001 For other teams using this name see Seattle Sounders (NASL and Seattle Sounders (USL. To begin league play in 2009, the first of these teams will be Seattle Sounders FC. For other teams using this name see Seattle Sounders (NASL and Seattle Sounders (USL. The week of MLS Cup 2007, commissioner Don Garber made the official announcement. The 2007 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2007 Major League Soccer season, played on November 18 2007 between the 2007 MLS Eastern Conference Champion The primary ownership includes USL Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, comedian Drew Carey, and Hollywood producer Joe Roth. For other teams using this name see Seattle Sounders (NASL and Seattle Sounders FC. Adrian Hanauer is an American businessman and owner of the USL-1 team Seattle Sounders and minority owner and General manager of the The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle Washington, USA Paul Gardner Allen (born January 21 1953 is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates. Drew Allison Carey (born May 23 1958 is an American Comedian, Actor and Game show host. Joe Roth (born June 13, 1948) is an American Film executive, producer and Film director. The team will play its home games at Qwest Field. Qwest Field is a multipurpose Stadium located in Seattle Washington, USA

At a February 28, 2008 press conference, Garber announced the 16th franchise would be a Philadelphia MLS team based in nearby Chester, Pennsylvania. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Chester is a city in Delaware County Pennsylvania, with a population of 36854 at the 2000 Census. Joining the league in the 2010 season, the Philadelphia club will play in an 20,000-seat stadium to be built just west of the Commodore Barry Bridge. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commodore Barry Bridge is a Cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, in No name has been announced.

While no other cities have been named for the 17th and 18th spots, St. Louis is considered the next frontrunner. ^[19] MLS has declared interest in Atlanta, Montreal, Detroit, Portland, San Diego, Vancouver^[20], a return to Miami, and a second team in New York. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal The City of New York

Team names

Main article: Football club names

For more information on MLS team names, see the individual team entries. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions

Originally, in the style of other U. S. sports, teams were given nicknames at their creation such as the Columbus Crew, San Jose Clash, or Tampa Bay Mutiny. D. C. United and Miami Fusion FC were the two exceptions that adopted more traditional names. However, new teams such as Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo, and Toronto FC have been adopting names similar to popular European clubs. In addition the San Jose Clash and Dallas Burn were renamed San Jose Earthquakes (1999) and FC Dallas (2005) respectively. In 2008 Seattle Sounders FC used a public vote to select a name. The public vote began with more traditional names (Seattle Alliance, Seattle Republic, and Seattle FC), and because many fans wanted to keep the Sounders name, the team added a fourth "write in" option. A derivative of Sounders won the online vote resulting in team ownership selecting a name that incorporated both a traditional football team name and a nickname with long-held ties to the local soccer culture.

Rivalries and 2-team cup competitions

• Chivas USA — Los Angeles Galaxy (Honda SuperClasico)
• Chicago Fire — FC Dallas (Brimstone Cup)
• D. The Honda SuperClasico, aka El Clásico Angelino, is a Local derby between Major League Soccer teams Los Angeles Galaxy and C The Brimstone Cup is a soccer trophy awarded to the yearly winner of the rivalry between the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas Major League Soccer C. United — New York Red Bulls (Atlantic Cup)
• Columbus Crew — FC Dallas (Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, pre-season)
• Toronto FC — Columbus Crew (Trillium Cup)
• Colorado Rapids — Real Salt Lake (Rocky Mountain Cup)
• Los Angeles Galaxy — San Jose Earthquakes (California Clasico/Interstate 5 Rivalry)
• FC Dallas — Houston Dynamo (El Capitan Clasico/Texas Derby)

MLS commissioners

• Doug Logan (1996-99)
• Don Garber (1999-present)

MLS awards

• Major League Soccer MVP Award
• MLS Best XI
• MLS Coach of the Year Award
• MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award
• MLS Scudetto
• MLS Defender of the Year Award
• MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
• MLS Golden Boot
• MLS Newcomer of the Year Award
• MLS Rookie of the Year Award
• MLS Scoring Champion Award

References

See also

• Carolina Challenge Cup
• ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
• ESPN MLS GameNight
• ESPN MLS/Soccer Broadcast Teams
• Generation Adidas
• Index of Professional Sports teams in the United States and Canada
• List of current MLS players
• List of current MLS players with national team caps
• List of foreign MLS players
• List of MLS seasons
• Major League Soccer records and statistics
• Major North American professional sports leagues
• MLS Extratime
• MLS Primetime Thursday
• MLS Soccer Saturday
• MLS Wrap
• National Soccer Hall of Fame
• Sueño MLS
• World Series of Football

External links

• Major League Soccer official site
• U.S. Soccer official site

Preceded by APSL

Division 1 Soccer League in the United States 1996-Present

Succeeded by Current League

The Carolina Challenge Cup is a four-team round robin pre-season competition hosted by the Charleston Battery. For the ESPN highlight show see MLS Extratime. ESPN MLS Extratime 2002 (on XBOX) or ESPN MLS Extratime (on ESPN MLS GameNight is a Video game of the sports genre released in 2000 by Konami. The ESPN Soccer Broadcast Teams are listed in the table below including games broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC. Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation aimed to raise the level of young soccer talent This is a complete listing of professional sports teams in both the United States and Canada. This is a list of current Major League Soccer players (as of 26 April 2008 This is a list of current MLS players who have been capped at least once by their respective national team's first squad This is a list of foreign players in Major League Soccer. The following players have played at least one MLS game for the respective club The 2009 Major League Soccer season will be the 14th season in MLS history The following is a compilation of notable records and statistics for teams and players in and seasons of Major League Soccer. For the video game see ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002. MLS ExtraTime was a Major League Soccer highlight show that aired on MLS Primetime Thursday is a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 that began in 2007 MLS Soccer Saturday was a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN from 1996 to 2006 MLS Wrap was a MLS highlight show that aired on Fox Soccer Channel. The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is a Hall of fame in Oneonta New York which honors the achievements of Soccer in the United States Sueño MLS is a nationally-televised player search by Chivas USA and FC Dallas. The original A-League (formerly the American Professional Soccer League) was a professional men's Soccer league in North America. The American Soccer Pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States.

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