# 2007 Major League Soccer season

The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 95th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 29th with a national first-division league.
This year marked the inaugural season for expansion franchise, Toronto FC who began play in the Eastern Conference. Two new soccer-specific stadiums opened as well. The Colorado Rapids moved into Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver-suburb of Commerce City and, before the season began, BMO Field opened for expansion side, Toronto FC.
This season is often cited as the first in the modern-era of Major League Soccer because of the introduction of the Designated Player Rule which permitted each team to sign one big-ticket player without it counting against the salary cap. Six such players were signed for the 2007 season: David Beckham, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Ángel, Luciano Emilio, Denílson and Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
The regular season began on April 7, and concluded on October 21. The 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 25, and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18. For the first time in league history, the same two clubs consecutively won the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield. The Houston Dynamo repeated as MLS Cup Champions by defeating the New England Revolution in the final and D.C. United won the Supporters' Shield by edging Chivas USA by two points in the standings.

## Overview
### Season format

The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 18. The 13 teams were split into two conferences with 7 playing the Eastern Conference and 6 playing in the Western Conference. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games. The remaining four games were played against four regional rivals, two at home and two away.
The top three teams from each conference automatically qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the two highest remaining 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. 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' Cup. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions' Cup, 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 three finishers in each conference. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.
Qualification for the SuperLiga was determined by the overall table with the top four overall finishers qualifying for the 2008 edition.

### 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 | 46,000 |
| FC Dallas | Pizza Hut Park | 21,193 |
| Houston Dynamo | Robertson Stadium | 32,000 |
| Kansas City Wizards | Arrowhead Stadium | 81,425 |
| LA Galaxy | Home Depot Center | 27,000 |
| New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium | 68,756 |
| New York Red Bulls | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| Real Salt Lake | Rice-Eccles Stadium | 45,017 |
| Toronto FC | BMO Field | 21,566 |

### Personnel and sponsorships

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor |
| Chicago Fire | Dave Sarachan | | — |
| Chivas USA | Preki | | Comex |
| Colorado Rapids | Fernando Clavijo | | — |
| Columbus Crew | Sigi Schmid | Frankie Hejduk | — |
| D.C. United | Tom Soehn | | — |
| FC Dallas | Steve Morrow | | — |
| Houston Dynamo | Dominic Kinnear | Wade Barrett | — |
| Kansas City Wizards | Curt Onalfo | | — |
| LA Galaxy | Frank Yallop | | Herbalife |
| New England Revolution | Steve Nicol | | — |
| New York Red Bulls | Bruce Arena | Claudio Reyna | Red Bull |
| Real Salt Lake | John Ellinger | Jason Kreis Eddie Pope | — |
| Toronto FC | Mo Johnston | | — |

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Chicago Fire | Dave Sarachan | Fired | June 20, 2007 | Juan Carlos Osorio | July 1, 2007 |
| Real Salt Lake | John Ellinger | Fired | May 3, 2007 | Jason Kreis | May 3, 2007 |

## Standings
### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | D.C. United | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 34 | +22 | 55 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | New England Revolution | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 50 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 43 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 40 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 40 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 37 | |
| 7 | Toronto FC | 30 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 25 | 49 | −24 | 25 | |

### Western Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Chivas USA | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46 | 28 | +18 | 53 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 23 | +20 | 52 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | FC Dallas | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 44 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 35 | |
| 5 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 34 | |
| 6 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 31 | 45 | −14 | 27 | |

### Overall standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | D.C. United (S) | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 34 | +22 | 55 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | Chivas USA | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46 | 28 | +18 | 53 | North American SuperLiga |
| 3 | Houston Dynamo (C) | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 23 | +20 | 52 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 50 | North American SuperLiga |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 44 | |
| 6 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 43 | |
| 7 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 40 | |
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 40 | |
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 37 | |
| 10 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 35 | |
| 11 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 34 | |
| 12 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 31 | 45 | −14 | 27 | |
| 13 | Toronto FC | 30 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 25 | 49 | −24 | 25 | |

## MLS Cup Playoffs

| Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | MLS Cup |
| E1 | D.C. United | 0 | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Chicago Fire | 1 | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Chicago Fire | 1 | 2 | E4 | Chicago Fire | 0 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E4 | Chicago Fire | 0 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | New England Revolution | 1 | | | |
| E3 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 0 | E2 | New England Revolution | 1 | | | |
| E2 | New England Revolution | 0 | 1 | | | | | | |
| E2 | New England Revolution | 0 | 1 | | | | E2 | New England Revolution | 1 |
| | | | | | | | W2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 |
| W1 | Chivas USA | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | W2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 |
| W4 | Kansas City Wizards$^1$ | 1 | 0 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Kansas City Wizards$^1$ | 1 | 0 | W4 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W4 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 | | | |
| W3 | FC Dallas | 1 | 1 | W2 | Houston Dynamo | 2 | | | |
| W2 | Houston Dynamo (AET) | 0 | 4 | | | | | | |
$^1$ The Kansas City Wizards earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.

## Player statistics
### Goals

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United | 20 |
| 2 | Juan Pablo Ángel | New York Red Bulls | 19 |
| 3 | Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution | 16 |
| 4 | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards | 15 |
| 5 | Maykel Galindo | Chivas USA | 12 |
| 6 | Ante Razov | Chivas USA | 11 |
| 7 | Christian Gómez | D.C. United | 10 |
| 8 | Jozy Altidore | New York Red Bulls | 9 |
| 9 | Landon Donovan | LA Galaxy | 8 |
| 9 | Robbie Findley | Real Salt Lake | 8 |

### Assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Landon Donovan | LA Galaxy | 11 |
| 1 | Steve Ralston | New England Revolution | 11 |
| 3 | Davy Arnaud | Kansas City Wizards | 9 |
| 3 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Columbus Crew | 9 |
| 3 | Sacha Kljestan | Chivas USA | 9 |
| 6 | Cuauhtémoc Blanco | Chicago Fire | 7 |
| 6 | Christian Gómez | D.C. United | 7 |
| 6 | Alejandro Moreno | Columbus Crew | 7 |
| 9 | Eddie Gaven | Columbus Crew | 6 |
| 9 | Stuart Holden | Houston Dynamo | 6 |
| 9 | Dax McCarty | FC Dallas | 6 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Brad Guzan | Chivas USA | 13 |
| 2 | Pat Onstad | Houston Dynamo | 11 |
| 3 | Matt Pickens | Chicago Fire | 10 |
| 3 | Matt Reis | New England Revolution | 10 |
| 5 | Bouna Coundoul | Colorado Rapids | 9 |
| 6 | Troy Perkins | D.C. United | 8 |
| 7 | Nick Rimando | Real Salt Lake | 7 |
| 8 | Joe Cannon | LA Galaxy | 5 |
| 8 | Jon Conway | New York Red Bulls | 5 |
| 8 | Kevin Hartman | Kansas City Wizards | 5 |
| 8 | Will Hesmer | Columbus Crew | 5 |
| 8 | Darío Sala | FC Dallas | 5 |
| 8 | Ronald Waterreus | New York Red Bulls | 5 |

## Awards
### Individual awards

| Award | Player | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Defender of the Year | Michael Parkhurst | New England Revolution |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Brad Guzan | Chivas USA |
| Coach of the Year | Preki | Chivas USA |
| Rookie of the Year | Maurice Edu | Toronto FC |
| Newcomer of the Year | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Wizards |
| Golden Boot | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United |
| Goal of the Year | Cuauhtémoc Blanco | Chicago Fire |
| Fair Play Award | Michael Parkhurst | New England Revolution |
| Humanitarian of the Year | Diego Gutiérrez | Chicago Fire |

### Best XI

| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Brad Guzan, Chivas USA | Michael Parkhurst, New England Eddie Robinson, Houston Dynamo Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA | Christian Gómez, D.C. United Shalrie Joseph, New England Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo Ben Olsen, D.C. United Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus | Luciano Emílio, D.C. United Juan Pablo Ángel, New York Red Bulls |

### Weekly awards

Player of the Week :
| Week | Player | 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 |
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 |

### Monthly awards

Player of the Month :
| Week | Player | 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 |

## Attendance

| Club | Games | Season | Game Avg. |
| LA Galaxy | 15 | 363,782 | 24,252 |
| D.C. United | 15 | 314,506 | 20,967 |
| Toronto FC | 15 | 301,947 | 20,130 |
| New England Revolution | 15 | 251,132 | 16,742 |
| New York Red Bulls | 15 | 247,948 | 16,530 |
| Chicago Fire | 15 | 247,536 | 16,502 |
| Real Salt Lake | 15 | 239,395 | 15,960 |
| Houston Dynamo | 15 | 238,240 | 15,883 |
| Columbus Crew | 15 | 228,451 | 15,230 |
| FC Dallas | 15 | 227,182 | 15,145 |
| Colorado Rapids | 15 | 221,209 | 14,747 |
| Chivas USA | 15 | 214,578 | 14,305 |
| Kansas City Wizards | 15 | 173,784 | 11,586 |
| OVERALL | 195 | 3,269,690 | 16,768 |

## International competitions
### CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2007

D.C. United Defeated Club Deportivo Olimpia in the Quarterfinals Lost Club Deportivo Guadalajara in the Semifinals.
Houston Dynamo Defeated Puntarenas FC in the Quarterfinals. Lost C.F. Pachuca in the Semifinals.

### SuperLiga 2007

FC Dallas Finished in fourth place and did not advance from Group 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.

### Copa Sudamericana 2007

D.C. United Lost to Club Deportivo Guadalajara on away goals in the Round of 16.

## Other competitions
### 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 (USL) in the third round
Colorado Rapids Defeated California Victory in the third round. Lost to Seattle Sounders (USL) 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 (USL) 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.

### All-Star game

The 2007 MLS All-Star Game was held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in 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.