1997_MLS_season
1997 Major League Soccer season
2nd season of Major League Soccer
The 1997 Major League Soccer season was the second season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 85th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 19th with a national first-division league.
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| Season | 1997 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | D.C. United (2nd title) |
| Supporters' Shield | D.C. United (1st shield) |
| 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup | D.C. United Colorado Rapids |
| Matches played | 160 |
| Goals scored | 522 (3.26 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jaime Moreno (16 goals) |
| Longest winning run | Kansas City Wizards Games: 7 (07/19 – 08/31) |
| Longest losing run | New England Revolution Games: 9 (07/20 – 09/12) |
| Highest attendance | 57,407 NE 2–1 TB (April 20, 1997) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,120 COL 1–0 DAL (April 23, 1997) |
| Total attendance | 2,336,889 |
| Average attendance | 14,606 |
← 1996 1998 → | |
Following the 1996 season, the Wiz changed names, becoming the Wizards, following legal action from electronics retailer The Wiz.
The regular season began on March 29, and concluded on September 28. The 1997 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 4, and concluded with MLS Cup 1997 on October 26. D.C. United won their first Supporters' Shield and defended their MLS Cup championship becoming the first team to win back-to-back cups.
Season format
The season began on March 22 and concluded with MLS Cup on October 26. The 10 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 32 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in their conference four times, for a total of 16 games. The rest of the schedule consisted of three games against each team from the opposite conference, with four games against one designated team.
The top four teams from each conference qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The conference semifinals and finals were played as a best-of-three series, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken by penalty shootout 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. The winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rapids | Mile High Stadium | 76,273 |
| Columbus Crew | Ohio Stadium | 102,329 |
| D.C. United | RFK Stadium | 46,000 |
| Dallas Burn | Cotton Bowl | 92,100 |
| Kansas City Wizards | Arrowhead Stadium | 81,425 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Rose Bowl | 92,542 |
| New England Revolution | Foxboro Stadium | 60,292 |
| NY/NJ MetroStars | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| San Jose Clash | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | Houlihan's Stadium | 74,301 |
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Galaxy |  Lothar Osiander |
Fired | June 10, 1997 |  Octavio Zambrano |
June 10, 1997 |
| San Jose Clash |  Laurie Calloway |
Fired | June 25, 1997 |  Brian Quinn |
June 25, 1997 |
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.C. United | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 70 | 53 | +17 | 55 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 55 | 60 | −5 | 45 | |
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 39 | |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 37 | |
| 5 | NY/NJ MetroStars | 32 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 35 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 49 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 44 | |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 42 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 38 | |
| 5 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 30 |
Overall standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.C. United (C, S) | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 70 | 53 | +17 | 55 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 49 | |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 55 | 60 | −5 | 45 | |
| 4 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 44 | |
| 5 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 42 | |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 39 | |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 38 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 8 | New England Revolution | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 37 | |
| 9 | NY/NJ MetroStars | 32 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 35 | |
| 10 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 30 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Bracket
- The ties were a best-of-three series.
| Conference semifinals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 4 | 1 (4) | x | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | New England Revolution | 1 | 1 (3) | x | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 3 | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 2 | 0 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 1 | 0 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 2 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 3 | 3 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 0 | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | LA Galaxy | 0 (0) | 0 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 0 (2) | 3 | x | ||||||||||||||
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference
| New England Revolution | 1–1 | D.C. United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–4 | ||
- D.C. United advance to the Conference Finals.
- Columbus Crew advance to the Conference Finals.
Western Conference
| Dallas Burn | 3–0 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
Washington  29', 69'Peinado 86' |
Report |
- Dallas Burn advance to the Conference Finals.
- Colorado Rapids advance to the Conference Finals.
Conference finals
Western Conference
- Colorado Rapids advance to MLS Cup.
Eastern Conference
- D.C. United advance to MLS Cup.
MLS Cup
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 Brad Friedel, Columbus |
Jeff Agoos, D.C. United Thomas Dooley, Columbus Richard Gough, Kansas City Eddie Pope, D.C. United |
Mark Chung, Kansas City Marco Etcheverry, D.C. United Preki, Kansas City Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay |
 Ronald Cerritos, San Jose Jaime Moreno, D.C. United |
Weekly awards
Monthly awards
| Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|
| Month | Player | Club |
| April | Jaime Moreno | D.C. United |
| May |  Alain Sutter | Dallas Burn |
| June | John Harkes | D.C. United |
| July |  Wélton | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| August | Brad Friedel | Columbus Crew |
| September |  Walter Zenga | New England Revolution |
| Rank | Team | GP | Cumulative | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England Revolution | 16 | 340,762 | 57,407 | 10,242 | 21,298 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 16 | 330,015 | 53,147 | 7,232 | 20,626 |
| 3 | NY/NJ MetroStars | 16 | 270,288 | 26,322 | 10,510 | 16,893 |
| 4 | D.C. United | 16 | 267,171 | 28,749 | 9,675 | 16,698 |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 16 | 240,650 | 22,259 | 10,662 | 15,041 |
| 6 | San Jose Clash | 16 | 217,546 | 23,501 | 7,955 | 13,597 |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 16 | 189,355 | 36,252 | 4,120 | 11,835 |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 16 | 181,322 | 18,070 | 6,984 | 11,333 |
| 9 | Dallas Burn | 16 | 154,845 | 16,089 | 4,451 | 9,678 |
| 10 | Kansas City Wizards | 16 | 144,935 | 12,485 | 6,272 | 9,058 |
| Total | 160 | 2,336,889 | 57,407 | 4,120 | 14,606 | |