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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.
 | |
| Season | 2011 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | LA Galaxy (3rd title) |
| Supporters' Shield | LA Galaxy (4th shield) |
| Champions League (U.S.) | LA 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: LA 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 → | |
This season marked the arrival of two new clubs, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who replaced teams of the same name that last played in the USSF D2 Pro League. The addition of those two clubs led to a realignment of the league's conferences, 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, which coincided with its move to its new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park.
The MLS Reserve League returned this season after previously disbanding following the 2008 season.
The regular season began on March 15 and concluded on October 23. The MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 26 and ended on November 20, when the LA Galaxy claimed their third league title by defeating the Houston Dynamo, 1–0, in MLS Cup.
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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 that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in the league twice.
This was the first playoffs to include ten teams. The top three teams in each conference earned a bye to the conference semifinals, while the next four teams with the most points earned wild card berths. The wild card round included two single-elimination matches where the winners advanced to the conference semifinals. 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 and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, as Canadian-based teams, could not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS, and had to instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.
Roster rule changes
Team rosters were expanded to 30 players in order to accommodate the re-introduction of the MLS Reserve League. Of these 30 players, 18–20 count against a club's salary cap of $2,675,000. Clubs may still have a maximum of three Designated Players per club, each of whom counts $335,000 for salary cap purposes. The transfer windows for acquisition of players under contract in another country run from January 21 to April 15 and from July 15 to August 14.
Other key roster rule changes were the introduction of Off-Budget players who do not count against a club's salary cap; the ability of clubs to forgo fielding a full roster of 30 players for salary reasons; the introduction of roster slots paid below last year's league minimum; the ability of the two Canadian clubs to count U.S. domestic players as domestic players for roster purposes; and the ability of clubs to buy out one guaranteed player contract during the off-season and free up the corresponding budget space.[5]
Stadiums and locations
| 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 | 45,596 |
| 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 more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Timbers | Expansion club |  John Spencer |
August 10, 2010 | Pre-season | |||
| Chivas USA |  Martín Vásquez |
Fired | October 27, 2010 | 8th West ('10) | Robin Fraser |
January 4, 2011 | Pre-season |
| Toronto FC |  Nick Dasovic |
End of interim period | September 14, 2010 | 5th East ('09) |  Aron Winter |
January 6, 2011 | Pre-season |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC |  Teitur Thordarson |
Fired | May 29, 2011 | 9th West ('11) | Tom Soehn |
May 29, 2011 | 9th West ('11) |
| Chicago Fire |  Carlos de los Cobos |
Fired | May 30, 2011 | 8th East ('11) | Frank Klopas |
May 30, 2011 | 8th East ('11) |
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| 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 |
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Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 51 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 49 | |
| 3 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 48 | |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 47 | MLS Cup Play-In Round |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 46 | |
| 6 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 43 | |
| 7 | D.C. United | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 39 | |
| 8 | Toronto FC | 34 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 36 | 59 | −23 | 33 | |
| 9 | New England Revolution | 34 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 28 |
Source: MLS
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 67 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 63 | |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 53 | |
| 4 | FC Dallas | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 52 | MLS Cup Play-In Round |
| 5 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 49 | |
| 6 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 42 | |
| 7 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 38 | |
| 8 | Chivas USA | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 36 | |
| 9 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 28 |
Source: MLS
Overall standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Galaxy (S, C) | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 67 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 63 | |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 53 | |
| 4 | FC Dallas | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 52 | |
| 5 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 51 | |
| 6 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 49 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 49 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 48 | |
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 47 | |
| 10 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 46 | |
| 11 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 43 | |
| 12 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 42 | |
| 13 | D.C. United | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 39 | |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 38 | |
| 15 | Chivas USA | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 36 | |
| 16 | Toronto FC | 34 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 36 | 59 | −23 | 33 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 17 | New England Revolution | 34 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 28 | |
| 18 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 28 |
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
| Play-in round | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Sporting Kansas City | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | WC | Colorado Rapids | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 0 | Eastern Conference | E1 | Sporting Kansas City | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia Union | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Houston Dynamo | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Galaxy | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | FC Dallas | 0 | W3 | Real Salt Lake | 3 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | New York Red Bulls | 2 | Western Conference | W3 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Galaxy | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Galaxy | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| WC | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
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Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
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Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasey Keller, Seattle |
Todd Dunivant, LA Galaxy Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy  Jámison Olave, Salt Lake |
 David Beckham, LA Galaxy Brad Davis, Houston Dwayne De Rosario, D.C. United Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy Brek Shea, Dallas |
 Thierry Henry, Red Bulls Chris Wondolowski, San Jose |
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake | 1GA |
| April | Brad Davis |
Houston Dynamo | 6A |
| May | Landon Donovan |
LA Galaxy | 6G |
| June | Graham Zusi |
Sporting Kansas City | 2G, 3A |
| July | Kevin Hartman |
FC Dallas | 4GA |
| August | Dwayne De Rosario |
D.C. United | 3G, 2A |
| September |  Sébastien Le Toux |
Philadelphia Union | 7G |
| October | Chris Wondolowski |
San Jose Earthquakes | 5G |
Weekly awards
| Week | Player of the Week | AT&T Goal of the Week[6] | MLS Save of the Week[7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | |
| Week 1[8] | Omar Bravo |
Sporting Kansas City | Juan Agudelo |
New York Red Bulls | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake |
| Week 2[9] |  Javier Morales |
Real Salt Lake | Javier Martina |
Toronto FC |  Jake Gleeson |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 3[10] |  Camilo |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC |  Khari Stephenson |
San Jose Earthquakes | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC |
| Week 4[11] | David Ferreira |
FC Dallas | O'Brian White |
Seattle Sounders FC | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC |
| Week 5[12] | Luke Rodgers |
New York Red Bulls | Jorge Perlaza |
Portland Timbers | Jake Gleeson |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 6[13] | Landon Donovan |
Los Angeles Galaxy | Juan Agudelo |
New York Red Bulls | Donovan Ricketts |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 7[14] | Will Bruin |
Houston Dynamo | Brek Shea |
FC Dallas | Bobby Shuttleworth |
New England Revolution |
| Week 8[15] |  Joao Plata |
Toronto FC | Thierry Henry |
New York Red Bulls | Tim Ream |
New York Red Bulls |
| Week 9[16] | Justin Braun |
Chivas USA | David Beckham |
Los Angeles Galaxy |  Stefan Frei |
Toronto FC |
| Week 10[17] | Jeff Parke |
Seattle Sounders FC |  Carlos Ruiz |
Philadelphia Union | Troy Perkins |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 11[18] | Justin Mapp |
Philadelphia Union | Lamar Neagle |
Seattle Sounders FC | Donovan & DeLaGarza |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 12[19] |  Jean Alexandre |
Real Salt Lake | Jean Alexandre |
Real Salt Lake | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC |
| Week 13[20] | Steven Lenhart |
San Jose Earthquakes | Eric Hassli |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Greg Sutton |
New York Red Bulls |
| Week 14[21] |  Bernardo Anor |
Columbus Crew | Fredy Montero |
Seattle Sounders FC |  Teemu Tainio |
New York Red Bulls |
| Week 15[22] | Mike Magee |
Los Angeles Galaxy | Tyson Wahl |
Seattle Sounders FC | Mike Magee |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 16[23] |  Joel Lindpere |
New York Red Bulls |  Darlington Nagbe |
Portland Timbers | Brian Perk |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 17[24] | Fredy Montero |
Seattle Sounders FC | David Beckham |
Los Angeles Galaxy | Troy Perkins |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 18[25] | Mauro Rosales |
Seattle Sounders FC | Carlos Ruiz |
Philadelphia Union | Troy Perkins |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 19[26] |  Sanna Nyassi |
Colorado Rapids |  Kei Kamara |
Sporting Kansas City |  Jimmy Nielsen |
Sporting Kansas City |
| Week 20[27] | Dwayne De Rosario |
D.C. United | Roger Torres |
Philadelphia Union | Andy Gruenebaum |
Columbus Crew |
| Week 21[28] | Dwayne De Rosario |
D.C. United | Luis Gil |
Real Salt Lake | Jimmy Nielsen |
Sporting Kansas City |
| Week 22[29] | Chris Pontius |
D.C. United | Adam Moffat |
Houston Dynamo |  Miloš Kocić |
Toronto FC |
| Week 23[30] | Graham Zusi |
Sporting Kansas City | Graham Zusi |
Sporting Kansas City | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC |
| Week 24[31] | Lamar Neagle |
Seattle Sounders FC | Lamar Neagle |
Seattle Sounders FC | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake |
| Week 25[32] | No award given | Kyle Beckerman |
Real Salt Lake | Jimmy Nielsen |
Sporting Kansas City | |
| Week 26[33] | Charlie Davies |
D.C. United | Davide Chiumiento |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Joe Cannon |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Week 27[34] | Danny Koevermans |
Toronto FC |  Álvaro Fernández |
Seattle Sounders FC | Zac MacMath |
Philadelphia Union |
| Week 28[35] | Dwayne De Rosario |
D.C. United | Fredy Montero |
Seattle Sounders FC | Troy Perkins |
Portland Timbers |
| Week 29[36] | Marco Pappa |
Chicago Fire | Kenny Cooper |
Portland Timbers | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake |
| Week 30[37] | No award given | Chris Wondolowski |
San Jose Earthquakes | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC | |
| Week 31[38] | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC | Danny Cruz |
Houston Dynamo | Kasey Keller |
Seattle Sounders FC |
| Week 32[39] | Jalil Anibaba |
Chicago Fire | Adam Moffat |
Houston Dynamo | Jimmy Nielsen |
Sporting Kansas City |
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.[40]
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.[40]
| Original Ranking | Club | Date Allocation Used | Player Signed | Previous Club | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | November 18, 2010 | Jay DeMerit | Watford | [41] |
| 2 | Portland Timbers | January 17, 2011 | Kenny Cooper |  1860 Munich | [42] |
| 3 | D.C. United | February 16, 2011 | Charlie Davies | Sochaux¤ | [43] |
| 4 | Chivas USA | ||||
| 5 | Philadelphia Union | August 12, 2011 | Freddy Adu |  Benfica | [44] |
| 6 | New England Revolution | April 19, 2011 | Benny Feilhaber | AGF Aarhus | [45] |
| 7 | Houston Dynamo | ||||
| 8 | Toronto FC | ||||
| 9 | Seattle Sounders FC¤¤ | August 26, 2011 | Sammy Ochoa | Estudiantes Tecos | [46] |
| 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.[47]
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 | 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 | [48] |
| February 11, 2011 | Cody Arnoux | FW | Real Salt Lake | Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC | [49] |
| February 14, 2011 | Chris Agorsor | FW | Philadelphia Union | Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC | [50] |
| February 15, 2011 | Korey Veeder | DF | Columbus Crew | Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Colorado Rapids | [51] |
| July 5, 2011 | Soony Saad | FW | Sporting Kansas City | Chivas USA, Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers | [52] |
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International competitions
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
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,[53] a friendly tournament which started play on July 14 and will end on August 6.[54]
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
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
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
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
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.
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