# 1997 Major League Soccer season

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.
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.

## Overview
### 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

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor |
| Colorado Rapids | Glenn Myernick | | |
| Columbus Crew | Tom Fitzgerald | Marcelo Carrera | Snickers |
| D.C. United | Bruce Arena | | MasterCard |
| Dallas Burn | Dave Dir | | |
| Kansas City Wizards | Ron Newman | | — |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Lothar Osiander | | — |
| New England Revolution | Thomas Rongen | | — |
| NY/NJ MetroStars | Carlos Alberto Parreira | Tony Meola | |
| San Jose Clash | Laurie Calloway | John Doyle | Honda |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | John Kowalski | | |

### 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 |

## Standings
### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 39 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 37 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | NY/NJ MetroStars | 32 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 35 | |

### Western Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 42 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 38 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 30 | |

### Overall standings

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | |

## MLS Cup Playoffs
### Bracket

* The ties were a best-of-three series.
| Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | MLS Cup |
| 1 | D.C. United | 4 | 1 (4) | x | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 1 | 1 (3) | x | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 1 | 1 (3) | x | 1 | D.C. United | 3 | 1 | x | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 1 | D.C. United | 3 | 1 | x | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 3 | Columbus Crew | 2 | 0 | x | | | |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 1 | 0 | x | 3 | Columbus Crew | 2 | 0 | x | | | |
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 2 | 2 | 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 | 1 |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 3 | 3 | x | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 3 | 3 | x | 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 2 | x | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 2 | x | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 3 | Dallas Burn | 0 | 1 | x | | | |
| 2 | LA Galaxy | 0 (0) | 0 | x | 3 | Dallas Burn | 0 | 1 | x | | | |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 0 (2) | 3 | x | | | | | | | | |

### Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference
* D.C. United advance to the Conference Finals.
* Columbus Crew advance to the Conference Finals.
Western Conference
* 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
## Player statistics
### Goals

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Jaime Moreno | D.C. United | 16 |
| 2 | Raúl Díaz Arce | D.C. United | 15 |
| 3 | Giovanni Savarese | NY/NJ MetroStars | 14 |
| 4 | Preki | Kansas City Wizards | 12 |
| 4 | Ronald Cerritos | San Jose Clash | 12 |
| 4 | Dante Washington | Dallas Burn | 12 |
| 7 | Damián Álvarez | Dallas Burn | 11 |
| 7 | Wélton | Los Angeles Galaxy | 11 |
| 9 | Jeff Baicher | San Jose Clash | 10 |
| 9 | Mark Chung | Kansas City Wizards | 10 |
| 9 | Roy Lassiter | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 10 |
| 9 | Lawrence Lozzano | San Jose Clash | 10 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
| Raúl Díaz Arce$^4$ | D.C. United | Colorado Rapids | 5–2 | April 12 |
| Alberto Naveda | New England Revolution | NY/NJ MetroStars | 3–1 | May 30 |
| Dante Washington | Dallas Burn | San Jose Clash | 3–1 | July 18 |
| Eduardo Hurtado | Los Angeles Galaxy | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 6–1 | September 7 |
| Jose Vasquez | Los Angeles Galaxy | San Jose Clash | 3–2 | September 21 |

### Assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Carlos Valderrama | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 15 |
| 2 | Preki | Kansas City Wizards | 12 |
| 2 | Eddie Lewis | San Jose Clash | 12 |
| 4 | Chris Henderson | Colorado Rapids | 9 |
| 4 | Mauricio Cienfuegos | Los Angeles Galaxy | 9 |
| 6 | Lawrence Lozzano | San Jose Clash | 8 |
| 6 | Steve Ralston | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 8 |
| 6 | Eric Wynalda | San Jose Clash | 8 |
| 6 | Adrián Paz | Colorado Rapids | 8 |
| 6 | Miles Joseph | NY/NJ MetroStars | 8 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Brad Friedel | Columbus Crew | 7 |
| 2 | Walter Zenga | New England Revolution | 6 |
| 3 | Mike Ammann | Kansas City Wizards | 5 |
| 3 | Marcus Hahnemann | Colorado Rapids | 5 |
| 3 | Tony Meola | NY/NJ MetroStars | 5 |
| 6 | Jorge Campos | Los Angeles Galaxy | 4 |
| 7 | Mark Dodd | Dallas Burn | 3 |
| 7 | Mark Dougherty | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 3 |
| 7 | Kevin Hartman | Los Angeles Galaxy | 3 |
| 7 | Mark Simpson | D.C. United | 3 |

## Awards
### Individual awards

| Award | Player | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Preki | Kansas City Wizards |
| Defender of the Year | Eddie Pope | D.C. United |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Brad Friedel | Columbus Crew |
| Coach of the Year | Bruce Arena | D.C. United |
| Rookie of the Year | Mike Duhaney | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Scoring Champion | Preki | Kansas City Wizards |
| Goal of the Year | Marco Etcheverry | D.C. United |
| Fair Play Award | Mark Chung | Kansas City Wizards |

### 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 |

### 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 |

### Weekly awards

Player of the Week :
| Week | Player | Club |
| Week 1 | Dave Salzwedel | San Jose Clash |
| Week 2 | Giuseppe Galderisi | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Week 3 | Carlos Valderrama | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Week 4 | Raúl Díaz Arce | D.C. United |
| Week 5 | Dante Washington | Dallas Burn |
| Week 6 | Roberto Donadoni | NY/NJ MetroStars |
| Week 7 | Doctor Khumalo | Columbus Crew |
| Week 8 | Damian Alvarez | Dallas Burn |
| Week 9 | Chiquinho Conde | New England Revolution |
| Week 10 | Preki Radosavljević | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 11 | Eric Wynalda | San Jose Clash |
| Week 12 | Preki Radosavljević | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 13 | Gilmar | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Week 14 | Paul Bravo | Colorado Rapids |
| Week 15 | Tab Ramos | NY/NJ MetroStars |
| Week 16 | Dante Washington | Dallas Burn |
| Week 17 | Antony de Ávila | NY/NJ MetroStars |
| Week 18 | Gilmar | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Week 19 | Wolde Harris | Colorado Rapids |
| Week 20 | Thomas Dooley | Columbus Crew |
| Week 21 | Giovanni Savarese | NY/NJ MetroStars |
| Week 22 | Marco Etcheverry | D.C. United |
| Week 23 | Eduardo Hurtado | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 24 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 25 | Martín Vásquez | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Week 26 | Marcelo Balboa | Colorado Rapids |

## Attendance

| 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 | Total | 160 | 2,336,889 | 57,407 | 4,120 | 14,606 |