2011 Major League Soccer season

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Major League Soccer
Season 2011
MLS Cup Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd title)
Supporters' Shield Los Angeles Galaxy (4th shield)
Champions League (U.S.) Los Angeles Galaxy
Seattle Sounders FC (via U.S. Open Cup)
Real Salt Lake
Houston Dynamo
Champions League (Canada) Toronto FC (via Canadian Championship)
Matches played 306
Goals scored 791 (2.58 per match)
Top goalscorer Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski (16 goals)
Biggest home win NY 5–0 TOR
(July 6)
Biggest away win DCU 0–4 NY
(April 21)
TOR 2–6 PHI
(May 28)
VAN 0–4 LA
(July 30)
Highest scoring 8 goals:
TOR 2–6 PHI
(May 28)
SEA 6–2 CLB
(August 27)
PHI 4–4 NE
(September 7)
Longest winning run 5 matches:
Real Salt Lake[1]
(August 27 – Sep 21)
Longest unbeaten run 14 matches:
Los Angeles Galaxy[1]
(May 7 – July 30)
Sporting KC[1]
(May 28 – August 3)
Longest winless run 14 matches:
Vancouver Whitecaps FC[1]
(March 26 – June 11)
Longest losing run 5 matches:
Sporting KC[1]
(April 16 – May 21)
New England Revolution[1](September 16 – October 15)
Highest attendance 64,140[2]
SJ @ SEA
Lowest attendance 6,680[3]
TOR @ NE
Average attendance 17,872[4]
← 2010
2012 →
2011 Major League Soccer season is located in USA
D.C.
United
New York
Red Bulls
Columbus Crew
New England Revolution
Chicago
Fire
Sporting Kansas City
Toronto FC
Philadelphia Union
Houston Dynamo
Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
FC Dallas
Chivas USA
Chivas USA
Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers
RealSalt Lake
Real
Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
SeattleSounders FC
Seattle
Sounders FC
VancouverWhitecaps FC
Vancouver
Whitecaps FC
Locations of teams for the 2011 Major League Soccer season
ButtonRed.svg Western Conference   8px Eastern Conference

The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 16th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 33rd with a national first-division league.

The season marked the arrival of two new clubs, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Their arrival led to a conference realignment, with the Houston Dynamo moving to the Eastern Conference to create two conferences of nine teams each. The Kansas City Wizards rebranded as Sporting Kansas City to coincide with their move to the league's newest soccer specific stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park.

The MLS Reserve League also returned after being discontinued following the 2008 season.

The regular season began on March 15, and concluded on October 23. The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 26, and concluded with MLS Cup 2011 on November 20. The LA Galaxy won the league double by capturing the Supporters' Shield and then winning their third MLS Cup by defeating the Houston Dynamo, 1-0, at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Overview

Season Format

The season began on March 15 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 20. The 18 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 34 games, split evenly between home and away.

The MLS Cup Playoffs expanded from eight teams to ten. The top three teams from each conference qualified directly to the conference semifinals while the next two teams in each conference competed in a play-in round to determine the last semifinal participants. In the conference semifinals, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners. The conference finals were played as a single match, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken with two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used in any round.

The team with the most points in the regular season was awarded the MLS Supporters' Shield and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. An additional berth in the Champions League was also awarded to the winner of the U.S. Open Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions League, then additional berths were awarded to the highest overall finishing MLS team(s) not already qualified. Also, Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based team, could not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS, and had to instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.

Automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup was awarded to the top six overall finishers. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.

Stadiums and locations

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Main article: List of Major League Soccer stadiums
Team Stadium Capacity
Chicago Fire Toyota Park 20,000
Chivas USA Home Depot Center 27,000
Colorado Rapids Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061
Columbus Crew Columbus Crew Stadium 22,555
D.C. United RFK Stadium 46,000
FC Dallas Pizza Hut Park 21,193
Houston Dynamo Robertson Stadium 32,000
LA Galaxy Home Depot Center 27,000
New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 68,756
New York Red Bulls Red Bull Arena 25,000
Philadelphia Union PPL Park 18,500
Portland Timbers Jeld-Wen Field 18,627
Real Salt Lake Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213
San Jose Earthquakes Buck Shaw Stadium 10,525
Seattle Sounders FC Qwest Field 68,740
Sporting Kansas City Livestrong Sporting Park 18,467
Toronto FC BMO Field 21,566
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Empire Field
BC Place		 27,528
22,120

Personnel and sponsorships

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold one or more non-FIFA nationalities.

Team Head Coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire United States Frank Klopas United States Logan Pause —
Chivas USA United States Robin Fraser New Zealand Simon Elliott Corona
Colorado Rapids England Gary Smith United States Pablo Mastroeni —
Columbus Crew Poland Robert Warzycha United States Chad Marshall —
D.C. United United States Ben Olsen United States Josh Wolff Volkswagen
FC Dallas United States Schellas Hyndman United States Daniel Hernández —
Houston Dynamo United States Dominic Kinnear United States Brian Ching Greenstar
LA Galaxy United States Bruce Arena United States Landon Donovan Herbalife
New England Revolution Scotland Steve Nicol Grenada Shalrie Joseph UnitedHealthcare
New York Red Bulls Sweden Hans Backe France Thierry Henry Red Bull
Philadelphia Union Poland Piotr Nowak Colombia Faryd Mondragón Bimbo
Portland Timbers Scotland John Spencer United States Jack Jewsbury Alaska Airlines
Real Salt Lake United States Jason Kreis United States Kyle Beckerman XanGo
San Jose Earthquakes Canada Frank Yallop United States Ramiro Corrales Amway Global
Seattle Sounders FC United States Sigi Schmid United States Kasey Keller Xbox
Sporting Kansas City United States Peter Vermes United States Davy Arnaud —
Toronto FC Netherlands Aron Winter Germany Torsten Frings Bank of Montreal
Vancouver Whitecaps FC United States Tom Soehn United States Jay DeMerit Bell Canada

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Table Incoming coach Date of appointment Table
Portland Timbers Expansion club Scotland John Spencer August 10, 2010 Pre-season
Chivas USA United States Martín Vásquez Fired October 27, 2010 8th West ('10) United States Robin Fraser January 4, 2011 Pre-season
Toronto FC Canada Nick Dasovic Caretaker September 14, 2010 5th East ('09) Netherlands Aron Winter January 6, 2011 Pre-season
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Iceland Teitur Thordarson Fired May 29, 2011 9th West ('11) United States Tom Soehn May 29, 2011 9th West ('11)
Chicago Fire Mexico Carlos de los Cobos Fired May 30, 2011 8th East ('11) United States Frank Klopas May 30, 2011 8th East ('11)

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos
Team
Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 Sporting Kansas City (E1) 51 34 13 9 12 50 40 +10 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Houston Dynamo 49 34 12 9 13 45 41 +4
3 Philadelphia Union 48 34 11 8 15 44 36 +8
4 Columbus Crew 47 34 13 13 8 43 44 −1 2011 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 New York Red Bulls 46 34 10 8 16 50 44 +6
6 Chicago Fire 43 34 9 9 16 46 45 +1
7 D.C. United 39 34 9 13 12 49 52 −3
8 Toronto FC 33 34 6 13 15 36 59 −23
9 New England Revolution 28 34 5 16 13 38 58 −20

Updated to matches played on October 20, 2011. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion
  • ^Note 1 - The top three clubs in each conference are guaranteed spots in the 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals. The other four clubs in the playoffs enter via-wild card entrees, regardless of their conference, based on their overall standings in a single table.

Western Conference

Pos
Team
Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 LA Galaxy (SS) (W1) 67 34 19 5 10 48 28 +20 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Seattle Sounders FC 63 34 18 7 9 56 37 +19
3 Real Salt Lake 53 34 15 11 8 44 36 +8
4 FC Dallas 52 34 15 12 7 42 39 +3 2011 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 Colorado Rapids 49 34 12 9 13 46 42 +4
6 Portland Timbers 42 34 11 14 9 40 48 −8
7 San Jose Earthquakes 38 34 8 12 14 40 45 −5
8 Chivas USA 36 34 8 14 12 41 43 −2
9 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 28 34 6 18 10 35 55 −20

Updated to matches played on October 22, 2011. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner
(W1) = Western Conference champion
  • ^Note 1 - The top three clubs in each conference are guaranteed spots in the 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals. The other four clubs in the playoffs enter via wild card entrees, regardless of their conference, based on their overall standings in a single table.

Overall Standings

Pos
Team
Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 LA Galaxy (SS) (W1) 67 34 19 5 10 48 28 +20 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
2 Seattle Sounders FC 63 34 18 7 9 56 37 +19
3 Real Salt Lake 53 34 15 11 8 44 36 +8
4 FC Dallas 52 34 15 12 7 42 39 +3
5 Sporting Kansas City (E1) 51 34 13 9 12 50 40 +10
6 Houston Dynamo 49 34 12 9 13 45 41 +4 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
7 Colorado Rapids 49 34 12 9 13 44 41 +3
8 Philadelphia Union 48 34 11 8 15 44 36 +8
9 Columbus Crew 47 34 13 13 8 43 44 −1
10 New York Red Bulls 46 34 10 8 16 50 44 +6
11 Chicago Fire 43 34 9 9 16 46 45 +1
12 Portland Timbers 42 34 11 14 9 40 48 −8
13 D.C. United 39 34 9 13 12 49 52 −3
14 San Jose Earthquakes 38 34 8 12 14 40 45 −5
15 Chivas USA 36 34 8 14 12 41 43 −2
16 Toronto FC 33 34 6 13 15 36 59 −23 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 3
17 New England Revolution 28 34 5 16 13 38 58 −20
18 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 28 34 6 18 10 35 55 −20

Updated to matches played on October 22, 2011 (NER v TFC). Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner
(E1) = Eastern Conference champion
(W1) = Western Conference champion


Tiebreakers

  1. Head-to-Head (Points-per-match average)
  2. Overall Goal Differential
  3. Overall Total Goals Scored
  4. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches on the road
  5. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches at home
  6. Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table
  7. Coin toss

If more than two clubs are tied, once a club advances through any step, the process reverts to Tiebreaker 1 among the remaining tied clubs recursively until all ties are resolved.[5]

Results

For the second year in a row, the league uses a balanced schedule. Each team will play every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 34 games.[6]

Home \ Away CHI CHV COL CLB DCU FCD HOU LAG NER NY PHI POR RSL SJE SEA SKC TOR VAN
Chicago Fire — 3–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 0–0 3–2 2–0 0–0
Chivas USA 1–1 — 0–1 0–0 0–3 1–2 3–0 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–0 1–3 2–3 3–0 1–1
Colorado Rapids 1–1 2–2 — 2–0 4–1 1–0 0–0 1–3 2–2 4–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–1
Columbus Crew 0–1 3–3 4–1 — 2–1 2–0 2–2 0–1 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–4 2–1
D.C. United 1–2 2–2 1–1 3–1 — 0–0 2–2 1–1 0–1 0–4 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–4 2–1 0–1 3–3 4–0
FC Dallas 1–1 1–0 3–0 2–0 0–0 — 0–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 2–0 4–0 0–0 0–2 0–1 1–4 1–0 2–0
Houston Dynamo 1–1 2–1 1–2 0–2 4–1 2–2 — 3–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 2–1 3–2 2–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 3–1
LA Galaxy 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 3–1 1–0 — 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 4–1 2–2 3–0
New England Revolution 1–1 2–3 0–0 0–3 2–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 — 2–2 4–4 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–2 3–2 0–0 1–0
New York Red Bulls 2–2 2–3 2–2 1–1 0–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 2–1 — 1–0 2–0 1–3 3–0 1–0 1–0 5–0 1–1
Philadelphia Union 2–1 3–2 1–2 1–0 3–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 3–0 1–0 — 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–0
Portland Timbers 4–2 1–0 0–1 1–0 2–3 3–2 0–2 3–0 3–0 3–3 1–0 — 1–0 1–1 2–3 1–2 2–2 2–1
Real Salt Lake 0–3 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–0 4–1 3–3 3–0 2–1 1–1 — 4–0 1–2 1–0 3–1 2–0
San Jose Earthquakes 2–0 1–2 1–2 3–0 0–2 4–2 2–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 — 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2
Seattle Sounders FC 2–1 0–0 4–3 6–2 3–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 4–2 0–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 — 1–0 3–0 2–2
Sporting Kansas City 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–3 3–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–0 1–2 — 4–2 2–1
Toronto FC 2–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–3 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–6 2–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–0 — 1–0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4–2 0–0 1–2 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–0 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 3–0 1–1 1–3 3–3 4–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on October 20, 2011. Source: official website

MLS Cup Playoffs

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Main article: 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs


Player statistics

Goals

Rank Scorer Club Goals
1 Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 16
United States Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes
3 France Thierry Henry New York Red Bulls 14
4 Peru Andrés Mendoza Columbus Crew 13
5 Brazil Camilo Sanvezzo Vancouver Whitecaps FC 12
United States Landon Donovan LA Galaxy
Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Ghana Dominic Oduro Chicago Fire
9 United States Charlie Davies D.C. United 11
France Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
Costa Rica Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake
United States Brek Shea FC Dallas

Assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 United States Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 16
2 England David Beckham LA Galaxy 15
3 Argentina Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC 13
4 Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 12
5 United States Kyle Beckerman Real Salt Lake 9
Switzerland Davide Chiumiento Vancouver Whitecaps FC
France Sebastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union
Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC
Ghana Patrick Nyarko Chicago Fire
10 United States Jack Jewsbury Portland Timbers 8

Individual awards

Annual awards

MLS Player of the Year[7]
Player Club
Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United

Monthly awards

Month MLS Player of the Month MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month
Player Club Link Player Club Link
March United States Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 1GA 2–0–0 Archived August 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC March Humanitarian Archived January 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
April United States Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 6A 3–0–2 Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Daniel Hernández FC Dallas April Humanitarian Archived April 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
May United States Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 6G Archived October 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Danny Cruz Houston Dynamo May Humanitarian
June United States Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City 2G 3GWA 3–0–3 Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Zak Boggs New England Revolution June Humanitarian
July United States Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 4SO 6GS Archived October 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Jeb Brovsky Vancouver Whitecaps FC July Humanitarian
August Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 3G 2A Archived October 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Jack Jewsbury Portland Timbers August Humanitarian
September France Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union 7G Archived May 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Morocco Mehdi Ballouchy
United States Jason Hernandez
Sierra Leone Michael Lahoud
United States Logan Pause		 New York Red Bulls
San Jose Earthquakes
Chivas USA
Chicago Fire		 September Humanitarians
October United States Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 5G United States Geoff Cameron Houston Dynamo October Humanitarian

Weekly awards

Week Player of the Week AT&T Goal of the Week[8] MLS Save of the Week[9]
Player Club Player Club Player Club
Week 1[10] Mexico Omar Bravo Sporting Kansas City United States Juan Agudelo New York Red Bulls United States Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 2[11] Argentina Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Netherlands Javier Martina Toronto FC New Zealand Jake Gleeson Portland Timbers
Week 3[12] Brazil Camilo Vancouver Whitecaps FC Jamaica Khari Stephenson San Jose Earthquakes United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 4[13] Colombia David Ferreira FC Dallas Jamaica O'Brian White Seattle Sounders FC United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 5[14] England Luke Rodgers New York Red Bulls Colombia Jorge Perlaza Portland Timbers New Zealand Jake Gleeson Portland Timbers
Week 6[15] United States Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy United States Juan Agudelo New York Red Bulls Jamaica Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 7[16] United States Will Bruin Houston Dynamo United States Brek Shea FC Dallas United States Bobby Shuttleworth New England Revolution
Week 8[17] Ecuador Joao Plata Toronto FC France Thierry Henry New York Red Bulls United States Tim Ream New York Red Bulls
Week 9[18] United States Justin Braun Chivas USA England David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy Switzerland Stefan Frei Toronto FC
Week 10[19] United States Jeff Parke Seattle Sounders FC Guatemala Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union United States Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
Week 11[20] United States Justin Mapp Philadelphia Union United States Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC United States Donovan & DeLaGarza Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 12[21] Haiti Jean Alexandre Real Salt Lake Haiti Jean Alexandre Real Salt Lake United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 13[22] United States Steven Lenhart San Jose Earthquakes France Eric Hassli Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canada Greg Sutton New York Red Bulls
Week 14[23] Venezuela Bernardo Anor Columbus Crew Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Finland Teemu Tainio New York Red Bulls
Week 15[24] United States Mike Magee Los Angeles Galaxy United States Tyson Wahl Seattle Sounders FC United States Mike Magee Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 16[25] Estonia Joel Lindpere New York Red Bulls Liberia Darlington Nagbe Portland Timbers United States Brian Perk Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 17[26] Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC England David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy United States Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
Week 18[27] Argentina Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC Guatemala Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union United States Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
Week 19[28] The Gambia Sanna Nyassi Colorado Rapids Sierra Leone Kei Kamara Sporting Kansas City Denmark Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City
Week 20[29] Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United Colombia Roger Torres Philadelphia Union United States Andy Gruenebaum Columbus Crew
Week 21[30] Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United United States Luis Gil Real Salt Lake Denmark Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City
Week 22[31] United States Chris Pontius D.C. United Scotland Adam Moffat Houston Dynamo Serbia Miloš Kocić Toronto FC
Week 23[32] United States Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City United States Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 24[33] United States Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC United States Lamar Neagle Seattle Sounders FC United States Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 25[34] No award given United States Kyle Beckerman Real Salt Lake Denmark Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City
Week 26[35] United States Charlie Davies D.C. United Switzerland Davide Chiumiento Vancouver Whitecaps FC United States Joe Cannon Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Week 27[36] Netherlands Danny Koevermans Toronto FC Uruguay Álvaro Fernández Seattle Sounders FC United States Zac MacMath Philadelphia Union
Week 28[37] Canada Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United Colombia Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC United States Troy Perkins Portland Timbers
Week 29[38] Guatemala Marco Pappa Chicago Fire United States Kenny Cooper Portland Timbers United States Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 30[39] No award given United States Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 31[40] United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC United States Danny Cruz Houston Dynamo United States Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 32[41] United States Jalil Anibaba Chicago Fire Scotland Adam Moffat Houston Dynamo Denmark Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City

Transfers

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Main article: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2011

Major League Soccer employs no fewer than 12 methods to acquire players. These include: signing players on transfers/free transfers as is done in most of the world; via trades; drafting players through mechanisms such as the MLS SuperDraft, MLS Supplemental Draft, or MLS Re-Entry Draft; rarely used methods which cover extreme hardship and injury replacement; signing players as Designated Players or Homegrown Players; placing a discovery claim on players; waivers; and methods peculiar to MLS such as through allocation or a weighted lottery.[42]

Allocation ranking

The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. The allocation rankings may also be used in the event two or more clubs file a request for the same player on the same day. The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2010 season, taking playoff performance into account.

Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times, each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS League season.[42]

Original Ranking Club Date Allocation Used Player Signed Previous Club Ref
1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC November 18, 2010 United States Jay DeMerit England Watford [43]
2 Portland Timbers January 17, 2011 United States Kenny Cooper Germany 1860 Munich [44]
3 D.C. United February 16, 2011 United States Charlie Davies France Sochaux¤ [45]
4 Chivas USA
5 Philadelphia Union August 12, 2011 United States Freddy Adu Portugal Benfica [46]
6 New England Revolution April 19, 2011 United States Benny Feilhaber Denmark AGF Aarhus [47]
7 Houston Dynamo
8 Toronto FC
9 Seattle Sounders FC¤¤ August 26, 2011 United States Sammy Ochoa Mexico Estudiantes Tecos [48]
10 Sporting Kansas City

¤ Davies was signed by United on a twelve-month loan deal.
¤¤ Chicago originally had the No. 9 ranking but traded it to Seattle on August 26, 2011.[49]

The remaining order after Sporting Kansas City is: Chicago Fire¤¤, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas, and Colorado Rapids. In the unlikely event that all clubs use an allocation, the order begins anew with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Weighted lottery

Some players are assigned to MLS teams via a weighted lottery process. A team can only acquire one player per year through a weighted lottery. The players made available through lotteries include: (i) Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft; and (ii) Draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the SuperDraft.

The team with the worst record over its last 30 regular season games (dating back to previous season if necessary and taking playoff performance into account) will have the greatest probability of winning the lottery. Teams are not required to participate in a lottery. Players are assigned via the lottery system in order to prevent a player from potentially influencing his destination club with a strategic holdout.

The results of 2011 weighted lotteries:

Lottery Date Player Position Winning Club Other Clubs Participating Ref
January 26, 2011 United States David Bingham GK San Jose Earthquakes New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [50]
February 11, 2011 United States Cody Arnoux FW Real Salt Lake Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [51]
February 14, 2011 United States Chris Agorsor FW Philadelphia Union Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC [52]
February 15, 2011 United States Korey Veeder DF Columbus Crew Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Colorado Rapids [53]
July 5, 2011 United States Soony Saad FW Sporting Kansas City Chivas USA, Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers [54]

Related competitions

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League

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Main articles: 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League and 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League

Prior to the start of the MLS regular season, Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake played against each other in the quarterfinals of 2010–11 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg, contested at Crew Stadium on February 22, 2011; ended in a scoreless draw between the sides. On March 1, 2011; the second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium was played, where Real Salt Lake won the series against the Crew 4–1 in the game and on aggregate, this ending Columbus' Champions League campaign.

As a result, Salt Lake became the first MLS team to advance into the semifinals of the Champions League under its current format.[citation needed] The team won its home fixture against Saprissa of Costa Rica 2–0 on March 15, 2011. Real Salt Lake lost the away fixture 2–1 on April 5, 2011, but advanced 3–2 on aggregate. They faced Monterrey of Mexico in the first leg of the final on April 20 in Monterrey. The game concluded in a 2–2 draw. The second leg was played at Rio Tinto on April 27, 2011. Monterrey won 1–0 (3–2 on aggregate) with a late goal in the first half.

Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy have qualified directly into Group Stage for the 2011–12 edition of the Champions League by being the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winners, respectively. Both Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas have earned preliminary entries in the tournament by winning the U.S. Open Cup and finishing runner up in the MLS Cup, respectively. Toronto FC secured the Canadian berth in the preliminary round with their Voyageurs Cup victory on July 2.

World Football Challenge

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Main article: 2011 World Football Challenge

On March 29, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the 2011 edition of the North American SuperLiga would be replaced by the World Football Challenge,[55] a friendly tournament which started play on July 14 and will end on August 6.[56]

The following MLS sides entered the tournament based on invitation: Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Domestic competitions

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

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Main articles: 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification

The MLS clubs that finished first through sixth place overall during last year's regular season earned a direct bye to the third round proper of the U.S. Open Cup. Clubs that finished seventh or lower will have to play for the final two spots in a series of play-in propers, based on their geographic location as well as their final regular season position.

Canadian championship

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Main article: 2011 Canadian Championship

The two Canadian-based MLS clubs, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC participated in the Canadian Championship, Canada's domestic soccer cup. They competed against two other professional Canadian soccer teams from the NASL for the Voyageurs Cup, as well as a Preliminary Round berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament is organized in a knockout format with two-legged ties in both the semifinals and final, with the away goals rule in place.

The two began in the semifinal round, where the Whitecaps defeated the Montreal Impact and Toronto defeated FC Edmonton. The first leg of the final, held in Vancouver on May 18, ended in a 1–1 draw. The second leg, on May 25 in Toronto, was abandoned due to torrential rains with the Whitecaps leading 1–0. Under competition rules, the second leg was to be replayed in its entirety the following day, but the field remained unplayable. The second leg was replayed, again in its entirety, on July 2, with Toronto winning the game 2–1 and the championship 3–2 on aggregate.

League competitions

MLS Cup

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Main article: 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs

Following the 2011 season, ten MLS clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs postseason tournament. Of the ten clubs, six will be automatic qualifiers from the top three clubs in each conference. These automatic qualifiers earn a bye to the conference semifinal, or quarterfinal round proper. Four more qualifiers will enter in a play-in round, where these for clubs will be determined by their final regular season standing, regardless of their conference. The winners of the play-in games will play in the conference semifinals, where the lowest seeded club will play against the Supporters' Shield winners.

The cup final will be held on a neutral venue.

Cups and Rivalries

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Main article: MLS rivalry cups

This season marks the first time that the Cascadia Cup will be contested in Major League Soccer. Seattle, Portland and Vancouver contested this cup from 2004–08 until Seattle joined Major League Soccer. The competition continued between Portland and Vancouver for the next two years.

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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