2005 Major League Soccer season


The 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of Major League Soccer. The season began on April 2, 2005, and concluded on November 13, 2005 with the first Supporters' Shield victory for the San Jose Earthquakes and a second MLS Cup victory for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Changes from 2004 Season

The New England Revolution and FC Dallas began the year as the league's dominant teams, especially when Dallas acquired Carlos Ruiz in a trade after Landon Donovan returned from a disappointing stint with Bayer Leverkusen and wanted to play with his hometown Los Angeles Galaxy. Injuries and inconsistent play slowed FC Dallas down as the season wore on, and the 2001 and 2003 MLS Cup champion San Jose Earthquakes eventually won the regular-season Supporters' Shield with the third-best record in the league's 10-year history. FC Dallas opened its new stadium, Pizza Hut Park, in August, although it did not operate at full capacity until November. As he did at the Home Depot Center, Ruiz scored the first two goals in the new stadium in a 2-2 tie against the MetroStars.
Expansion franchises Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA struggled in their first season, making playoff qualification a routine matter for the other four Western Conference teams. Chivas USA proved a disappointment in terms of consistent attendance, but its derbies against Los Angeles added excitement and intensity to the calendar, even though the Galaxy won all five meetings. Real Salt Lake finished second in the league in attendance.
The MetroStars fired head coach Bob Bradley late in the season and qualified for the playoffs with a 2-0 win over Chivas USA on the final day of the season. Their campaign was boosted by former French international Youri Djorkaeff, who proved one of the league's most successful international signings and took over as MetroStars captain.
In the playoffs, Western Conference No. 4 seed Los Angeles knocked off rival San Jose behind inspired play from former Earthquake Donovan. Colorado edged Dallas on penalty kicks after a classic overtime that saw each team score in overtime and Ruiz hit the post with a penalty kick. In the Eastern Conference, New England rallied from a 2-0 aggregate deficit with three goals in the game's final 25 minutes to beat the MetroStars in snowy Gillette Stadium. Defending champion D.C. United crashed out after a 4-0 home loss to the Chicago Fire.
In the conference finals, Donovan scored twice to lead the Galaxy past Colorado, and an early Clint Dempsey goal carried New England into the final. Fire players thought they had tied the game in stoppage time, but a linesman's controversial offside call denied them the equalizer.
For the second time in four years, Los Angeles beat New England 1-0 in overtime to win MLS Cup. Maligned Guatemalan forward Pando Ramirez, whose only goal on the season came on a penalty kick that hit the post and went in off Joe Cannon's back, scored the game's only goal before a sellout crowd at Pizza Hut Park.

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Overall

MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket

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Conference Semifinals

New England Revolution advance 3-2 on aggregate.
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Chicago Fire advance 4-0 on aggregate.
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Los Angeles Galaxy advance 4-2 on aggregate.
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Colorado Rapids advance 5-4 on penalties.''
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Conference finals

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[MLS Cup 2005]

''Conference champions New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy
earn MLS berths to CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2006.

Team Awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Taylor TwellmanNew England Revolution
Scoring Champion Taylor Twellman pointsNew England Revolution
Defender of the Year Jimmy ConradKansas City Wizards
Goalkeeper of the Year Pat OnstadSan Jose Earthquakes
Rookie of the Year Michael ParkhurstNew England Revolution
Coach of the Year Dominic KinnearSan Jose Earthquakes
Comeback Player of the Year Chris KleinKansas City Wizards
Goal of the Year Dwayne De RosarioSan Jose Earthquakes
Fair Play Award Ronald CerritosSan Jose Earthquakes
Humanitarian of the Year Brian KamlerReal Salt Lake

Top Goal Scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Taylor TwellmanNew England Revolution17
2 Jaime MorenoD.C. United16
3 Jeff CunninghamColorado Rapids12
Landon DonovanLos Angeles Galaxy12
5 Christian GomezD.C. United11
Herculez GomezLos Angeles Galaxy11
Amado GuevaraMetroStars11
Carlos RuizFC Dallas11
9 Clint DempseyNew England Revolution10
Youri DjorkaeffMetroStars10
Josh WolffKansas City Wizards10

Goal-Scoring Totals

ClubOverall
Record		Goals
For		Goals
For Avg.		Goals
Against		Goals
Against Avg.
D.C. United16-10-6581.81 271.16
New England Revolution17-7-8551.72 371.16
MetroStars12-9-11531.66 491.53
San Jose Earthquakes18-4-10531.66 310.97
FC Dallas13-10-9521.63 441.38
Kansas City Wizards11-9-12521.63 441.38
Chicago Fire15-13-4491.53 501.56
Los Angeles Galaxy13-13-6441.38 451.41
Colorado Rapids13-13-6401.25 371.16
Columbus Crew11-16-5341.06 451.41
CD Chivas USA4-22-6310.97 672.09
Real Salt Lake5-22-5300.94 652.03
Overall Totals5512.87

Team Attendance Totals

ClubStadiumGamesSeasonGame Avg.
Chicago FireSoldier Field16275,81117,238
Colorado RapidsINVESCO Field16218,20613,638
Columbus CrewColumbus Crew Stadium16206,65412,916
MetroStarsGiants Stadium16241,23015,077
Kansas City WizardsArrowhead Stadium16155,0609,691
D.C. UnitedRobert F. Kennedy Stadium16266,61716,664
New England RevolutionGillette Stadium16200,39712,525
Los Angeles GalaxyHome Depot Center16387,25624,204
San Jose EarthquakesSpartan Stadium16208,59413,037
FC DallasPizza Hut Park16179,02111,189
CD Chivas USAHome Depot Center16273,28417,080
Real Salt LakeRice-Eccles Stadium16288,58618,037
MLS Totals1922,900,71615,108

Coaches

Eastern Conference