2007 Major League Soccer season
The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.
For the first time in MLS history, the same two clubs consecutively won the MLS Cup title and the MLS Supporters' Shield honor. The 2007 MLS Cup champions were Houston Dynamo who defeated New England Revolution in the final. D.C. United won the MLS Supporters' Shield edging Chivas USA by two points for the regular season honor.
New England, Houston, and D.C. United earned berths into the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League for their performances in the regular season and playoffs.
Changes from the 2006 Season
The 2007 season was often cited as the first season in the modern-era of Major League Soccer. Most notably, the regular season decreased from 32 matches to 30, emphasizing the importance of matches during this time window, as well as boosting the credibility for the MLS Supporters' Shield. This year marked the inaugural season for expansion franchise, Toronto FC who began play in the Eastern Conference.For the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, the top two clubs in each conference automatically qualified for the playoffs, down from four. Additionally, the next four highest remaining point totals regardless of conference qualified via wild-card berth. The change allowed a single table to determine the entire playoff field.
Starting this season, MLS clubs were allowed to sell advertisements on the front of their jerseys. Six MLS clubs took advantage of the opportunity. Local corporations XanGo and Amigo Energy became the kit sponsors of Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo, respectively. More national brands such as BMO, Comex and Herbalife became the sponsors of Toronto FC, Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy, respectively. The international recognized brand, Red Bull became the shirt sponsor of New York Red Bulls, whom they owned.
- The Designated Player Rule was implemented, permitting one big-ticket foreign player to play for each team without going against the team's salary cap.
- * David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy
- * Cuauhtémoc Blanco to the Chicago Fire
- * Juan Pablo Ángel to New York Red Bulls
- * Luciano Emilio to D.C. United
- * Denílson to FC Dallas
- * Guillermo Barros Schelotto to Columbus Crew
Competition format
The format for the 2007 season was as follows:- The season ran from April 7 to November 18.
- The 13 teams were split into two conferences. The Eastern Conference had seven teams with the addition of Toronto FC, while the Western Conference had six teams. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away games. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 24 games. The remaining six games were played against six regional rivals, three at home and three away.
- The two teams from each conference with the most points qualified for the playoffs. In addition, the next four highest point totals, regardless of conference, also qualified. In the first round aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners. The conference finals were played as a single match, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup 2007. In all rounds, draws were followed by two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used in any round.
- The team with the most points in the regular season won the MLS Supporters' Shield and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09. The MLS Cup winner also qualified for the Champions League 2008–09. The MLS Cup runner-up qualified for the Champions League 2008–09. An additional berth in the Champions League was also awarded to the winner of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions League, then additional berths were awarded to the highest overall finishing MLS team not already qualified. Also, Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based team, cannot qualify through MLS for the Champions League, and must instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.
- The four teams with the most points in the regular season, regardless of conference, qualified for SuperLiga 2008.
- The three teams from each conference with the most points also qualified for berths into the 2008 U.S. Open Cup. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.
Tiebreakers
- Head-to-Head
- Overall Goal Differential
- Overall Total Goals Scored
- Tiebreakers 1-3 applied only to matches on the road
- Tiebreakers 1-3 applied only to matches at home
- Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table
- Coin toss
Standings
Conference standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Overall standings
- – Toronto FC cannot qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS. Rather, they can qualify through the Canadian Championship.
- – The winner of the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield and the winner of MLS Cup 2007 qualified for the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2007 and the winner of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round. Because New England qualified twice, the additional berth in the Preliminary Round was awarded to the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield runner-up.
2007 MLS Cup Playoffs
They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.
Statistics
Golden Boot
| Rank | Player | Club | Games | Goals | Asst. |
| 1 |  Luciano Emilio | D.C. United | 29 | 20 | 1 |
| 2 |  Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls | 24 | 19 | 5 |
| 3 |  Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution | 26 | 16 | 3 |
| 4 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards | 24 | 15 | 6 |
| 5 |  Maykel Galindo | Chivas USA | 28 | 12 | 5 |
| 6 | Ante Razov | Chivas USA | 26 | 11 | 8 |
| 7 |  Christian Gomez | D.C. United | 27 | 10 | 9 |
| 8 | Jozy Altidore | New York Red Bulls | 22 | 9 | 4 |
| 9 | Landon Donovan | Los Angeles Galaxy | 24 | 8 | 13 |
| 10 | Robbie Findley | Real Salt Lake | 25 | 8 | 0 |
Goalkeeping Leaders
| Rank | Goalkeeper | Club | GP | MINS | SHTS | SVS | GA | GAA | W-L-T | SHO |
| 1 |  Pat Onstad | Houston Dynamo | 27 | 2418 | 109 | 85 | 22 | 0.82 | 13-8-6 | 11 |
| 2 |  Brad Guzan | Chivas USA | 27 | 2430 | 119 | 87 | 25 | 0.93 | 14-6-7 | 13 |
| 3 |  Bouna Coundoul | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 2668 | 158 | 120 | 32 | 1.08 | 9-12-8 | 9 |
| 4 | Jon Conway | New York Red Bulls | 14 | 1143 | 79 | 57 | 14 | 1.10 | 6-5-2 | 4 |
| 5 | Troy Perkins | D.C. United | 29 | 2610 | 155 | 117 | 32 | 1.10 | 16-6-7 | 8 |
Individual awards
Player of the Week
| Week | Player of the Week | Club |
| Week 1 | Jeff Cunningham | Real Salt Lake |
| Week 2 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 3 |  Maykel Galindo | Chivas USA |
| Week 4 | Landon Donovan | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 5 |  Dwayne De Rosario | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 6 | Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution |
| Week 7 |  Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 8 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 9 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 10 | Ben Olsen | D.C. United |
| Week 11 |  Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Week 12 | Brad Davis | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 13 |  Nicholas Addlery | D.C. United |
| Week 14 | Stuart Holden | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 15 | Juan Toja | FC Dallas |
| Week 16 |  Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Columbus Crew |
| Week 17 | Ante Razov | Chivas USA |
| Week 18 | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Week 19 | Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 20 | Jozy Altidore | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 21 | Maykel Galindo | Chivas USA |
| Week 22 | Ben Olsen | D.C. United |
| Week 23 | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Week 24 |  Scott Sealy | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 25 | Ante Razov | Chivas USA |
| Week 26 | Fred | D.C. United |
| Week 27 | Abe Thompson | FC Dallas |
| Week 28 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Columbus Crew |
| Week 29 | Scott Sealy | Kansas City Wizards |
Player of the Month
| Month | Player of the Month | Club |
| April | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| May | Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls |
| June | Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls |
| July | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Columbus Crew |
| August | Troy Perkins | D.C. United |
| September | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| October | Matt Pickens | Chicago Fire |
Goal Of The Week
| Week | Player | Club |
| Week 1 | Sacha Kljestan | Chivas USA |
| Week 2 | Herculez Gomez | Colorado Rapids |
| Week 3 | Jozy Altidore | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 4 | Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution |
| Week 5 | Chris Brown | Real Salt Lake |
| Week 6 |  Danny Dichio | Toronto FC |
| Week 7 |  Chris Gbandi | FC Dallas |
| Week 8 | Jim Brennan | Toronto FC |
| Week 9 | Danny Dichio | Toronto FC |
| Week 10 | Ben Olsen | D.C. United |
| Week 11 | Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 12 | Brad Davis | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 13 | Maykel Galindo | Chivas USA |
| Week 14 | Stuart Holden | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 15 |  Joseph Ngwenya | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 16 | Dwayne De Rosario | Houston Dynamo |
| Week 17 | Kerry Zavagnin | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 18 | Robbie Findley | Real Salt Lake |
| Week 19 | Jozy Altidore | New York Red Bulls |
| Week 20 |  Cuauhtémoc Blanco | Chicago Fire |
| Week 21 |  Jaime Moreno | D.C. United |
| Week 22 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 23 | Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution |
| Week 24 | Scott Sealy | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 25 | Chris Rolfe | Chicago Fire |
| Week 26 | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Week 27 | Paulo Nagamura | Chivas USA |
| Week 28 | Edson Buddle | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 29 | Danny Dichio | Toronto FC |
Team Attendance Totals
| Club | Games | Season | Game Avg. |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 390,132 | 26,009 |
| Toronto FC | 15 | 301,793 | 20,120 |
| D.C. United | 15 | 297,531 | 19,835 |
| New England Revolution | 15 | 263,706 | 17,580 |
| Chicago Fire | 15 | 255,511 | 17,034 |
| Houston Dynamo | 15 | 254,083 | 16,939 |
| Real Salt Lake | 15 | 242,690 | 16,179 |
| New York Red Bulls | 15 | 238,925 | 15,928 |
| FC Dallas | 15 | 195,356 | 15,145 |
| Chivas USA | 15 | 226,717 | 15,114 |
| Columbus Crew | 15 | 219,332 | 14,622 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 416,258 | 13,875 |
| Colorado Rapids | 15 | 204,884 | 13,659 |
| Kansas City Wizards | 15 | 160,286 | 10,686 |
| OVERALL | 210 | 3,456,641 | 16,460 |
Related Competitions
International Competitions
CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2007
Defeated Club Deportivo Olimpia in the QuarterfinalsLost Club Deportivo Guadalajara in the Semifinals.
Houston Dynamo
Defeated Puntarenas FC in the Quarterfinals.
Lost C.F. Pachuca in the Semifinals.
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SuperLiga 2007
Finished in fourth place and did not advance fromGroup A after going 0-1-2 in group play.
D.C. United
Runner-up of Group B after going 1-1-1 in group play.
Lost to Los Angeles Galaxy in Semifinals.
Houston Dynamo
Winner of Group B after going 2-0-1 in group play.
Lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Semifinals.
Los Angeles Galaxy
Winner of Group A after going 2-1-0 in group play.
Defeated D.C. United in the Semifinals
Lost to C.F. Pachuca on penalty kicks in the Final.
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Copa Sudamericana 2007
Lost to Club Deportivo Guadalajara on away goals in the Round of 16.----
National Competition
2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Eight of the twelve U.S.-based MLS teams entered the tournament in the Third Round.D.C. United
Lost to Harrisburg City Islanders in the Third Round.
Los Angeles Galaxy
Lost to Richmond Kickers in the Third Round.
Chicago Fire
Lost to Carolina RailHawks in the Third Round.
Houston Dynamo
Lost to Charleston Battery in the Third Round.
Chivas USA
Lost to Seattle Sounders in the Third Round
Colorado Rapids
Defeated California Victory in the Third Round.
Lost to Seattle Sounders in the Quarterfinals.
FC Dallas
Defeated Atlanta Silverbacks on penalty kicks in the Third Round,
Defeated Charleston Battery after extra time in the Quarterfinals,
Defeated Seattle Sounders after extra time in the Semifinals,
Lost to New England Revolution in the Final.
New England Revolution
Defeated Rochester Raging Rhinos in the Third Round.
Defeated Harrisburg City Islanders in the Quarterfinals.
Defeated Carolina RailHawks after extra time in the Semifinals.
Defeated FC Dallas in the Final.
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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.
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Columbus Crew: Sigi Schmid
- D.C. United: Tom Soehn
- Kansas City Wizards: Curt Onalfo
- Toronto FC: Mo Johnston
Western Conference
- Chivas USA: Preki
- Colorado Rapids: N/A
- FC Dallas: Steve Morrow
- Houston Dynamo: Dominic Kinnear
- Los Angeles Galaxy: Frank Yallop
- Real Salt Lake: John Ellinger and Jason Kreis