2009 Major League Soccer season

The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy on penalties.

Major League Soccer
Season2009
MLS CupReal Salt Lake (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldColumbus Crew (3rd shield)
Champions LeagueColumbus Crew
Real Salt Lake
Los Angeles Galaxy
Seattle Sounders FC
SuperLigaHouston Dynamo
Chicago Fire
Chivas USA
N.E. Revolution
Matches played225
Goals scored571 (2.54 per match)
Top goalscorerJeff Cunningham
FC Dallas
Goals: 17
Biggest home winRSL 6–0 NE
(April 25)[1]
DAL 6–0 KC
(August 1)
Biggest away winCHI 0–3 DAL
(May 31)
SJ 0–3 CLB
(August 8)
Highest scoringLA 3–6 DAL
(September 12)[2]
Longest winning run5 wins:
Houston Dynamo
(May 23 – Jun 13)
Columbus Crew
(Jul 18 – Aug 15)
Longest unbeaten run11 matches:
Chicago Fire
(Mar 21 – May 28)
Houston Dynamo
(Apr 11 – Jun 20)
Longest winless run13 matches:
New York Red Bulls
(May 16 – Aug 15)
Longest losing run6 losses:
New York Red Bulls
(Jun 24 – Aug 15)
Highest attendanceCLB @ SJ
Highest Gate: 61,572*
Dbl. Header* (FCB vs. CHV)
Seattle Sounders FC
Season: 464,144
Game Avg.: 30,943
Lowest attendanceSJ @ DAL
Lowest Gate: 5,724
Kansas City Wizards
Season: 150,802
Game Avg.: 10,053
Average attendanceMLS: 16,037
← 2008
2010 →

Changes from the 2008 season

The following changes were made since the 2008 season:

  • Seattle Sounders FC began play as an expansion team in the Western Conference.
  • Two teams signed shirt sponsorship deals:
  • The top two teams from each conference will qualify automatically for the playoffs (down from three). In addition, the next four highest point totals, regardless of conference, will also qualify (up from two).
  • Sigi Schmid did not sign a new contract with the Columbus Crew and was hired as head coach of Seattle Sounders FC.
  • The Columbus Crew promoted assistant coach Robert Warzycha to head coach.
  • After three seasons, the MLS Reserve Division was discontinued. As a result, each team's Developmental Roster spots were reduced from 10 to four, and each team's Senior Roster spots were increased from 18 to 20. This had the effect of reducing each team's total roster from 28 to 24 players.

Teams and locations
Locations of teams in the 2009 Major League Soccer season

Competition format

The format for the 2009 season was as follows:

  • The season began on March 19 and ended on November 22 with MLS Cup 2009.[3]
  • The 15 teams were split into two conferences. The Western Conference had eight teams with the addition of Seattle Sounders FC, and the Eastern Conference had seven teams. Each team played a total of 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away games. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 28 games. The remaining two games were played against two conference rivals, one at home and one away.
  • The two teams in each conference with the most points qualified for the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the next four highest ranked teams, regardless of conference, also qualified. Teams were bracketed by conference, with the lowest ranked teams crossing over to the other conference if necessary. In the Conference Semifinals, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners. The Conference Finals were played as single matches, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup 2009. After the completion of any round, ties were broken with two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kick shootout if necessary. The away goals rule was not used in any round.
  • The team with the most points in the regular season won the MLS Supporters' Shield and qualified directly into the Group Stage of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League. The MLS Cup Winner also qualified for the Champions League Group Stage. The MLS Cup Runners-Up and the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Winners qualified for the Preliminary Round of the Champions League. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions League, then additional berths were awarded to the highest-placed team(s) in the 2009 MLS regular season's overall standings that had not already qualified.
  • The four teams with the most points, regardless of conference, who had not qualified for the Champions League qualified for SuperLiga 2010.
  • The six U.S.-based teams with the most points, regardless of conference, qualified for the Third Round of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup. The remaining U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.
  • As a Canadian-based team, Toronto FC could not qualify through MLS for the Champions League or the U.S. Open Cup. In either case, any berth earned by Toronto FC was awarded to the highest-placed team in the overall standings which had not already qualified. Their means of entry into the Champions League is the Canadian Championship; they won that competition in both 2009 and 2010 to gain entry to the Champions League for 2009–10 and 2010–11.

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.[4]

Results table
Abbreviation and Color Key:
Chicago Fire – CHI • Chivas USA – CHV • Colorado Rapids – COL • Columbus Crew – CLB • D.C. United – DC
FC Dallas – DAL • Houston Dynamo – HOU • Kansas City Wizards – KC • Los Angeles Galaxy – LA • New England Revolution – NE
New York Red Bulls – NY • Real Salt Lake – RSL • San Jose Earthquakes – SJ • Seattle Sounders FC – SEA • Toronto FC – TOR
Win  • Loss  • Tie  • Home
Club Match
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Chicago FireDALDCNYSJKCCLBSEANETORNYCHVDALHOUDCCOLCLBSJSEARSLHOUKCLACOLDCRSLCLBTORLANECHV
3-11-10-13-32-22-21-11-12-01-03-23-01-01-22-10-00-20-00-12-32-02-02-31-01-12-22-20-10-00-1
Chivas USACOLDALCLBLASEATORDALSJRSLDCKCCHISEAHOUCLBLANECOLNYTORRSLLANESEANYDCKCSJCHIHOU
1-22-01-20-00-20-10-21-00-12-21-13-20-10-11-21-00-20-42-00-20-40-10-20-01-12-00-22-20-13-2
Colorado RapidsCHVKCLACLBHOULARSLNESEANYRSLDCDALSEACHIDALDCNYCLBCHVCHIHOUTORTORSJSJKCNEDALRSL
1-21-23-21-10-11-10-21-12-23-21-10-31-10-32-10-11-30-41-00-42-30-10-12-31-11-10-01-11-20-3
Columbus CrewHOUTORRSLCHVCOLCHITORKCLASJSEAKCCHVDALNYDCCHIRSLTORCOLSJDALNYHOUCHILASEANEDCNE
1-11-11-41-21-12-21-12-31-11-21-12-01-21-20-11-10-01-32-31-03-00-20-11-22-20-21-01-00-11-0
D.C. UnitedLACHIHOURSLNENYDALKCTORCHVRSLNENYCHISEACOLCLBCOLSJHOUTORLACHIDALKCSEASJCHVCLBKC
2-21-10-11-21-13-21-21-13-32-20-01-20-21-23-30-31-11-32-23-40-20-01-02-20-12-12-12-00-12-2
FC DallasCHICHVNETORTORCHVDCHOUSEALACHISJHOUCLBCOLNYCOLRSLKCHOUCLBNYDCLAKCRSLNESJCOLSEA
3-12-01-21-12-30-21-20-11-11-13-02-23-11-21-11-20-12-40-60-10-22-32-26-32-30-30-12-11-21-2
Houston DynamoCLBSJDCNYCOLNEDALNYSJTORCHICHVDALRSLLAKCSEATORNEDCDALCHIRSLSEACOLCLBRSLKCLACHV
1-12-30-10-00-12-00-11-11-30-31-00-13-11-10-11-01-21-11-03-41-02-30-01-10-11-22-31-10-03-2
Kansas City WizardsTORCOLSJSEACHINYTORDCCLBRSLCHVLACLBNEHOUNELADALCHISJRSLNEDCNYDALCOLHOUCHVSEADC
3-21-20-21-02-20-10-11-12-32-01-11-12-01-31-00-01-10-62-00-11-04-20-11-02-30-01-10-23-22-2
Los Angeles GalaxyDCCOLCHVSJCOLNYRSLSEACLBDALKCTORRSLSJHOUNECHVNYKCNESEACHIDCCHVDALTORCLBCHIHOUSJ
2-23-20-01-11-10-12-21-11-11-11-12-12-01-20-10-11-03-11-12-12-02-00-00-16-30-20-20-10-00-2
New England RevolutionSJNYDALDCRSLHOUCHICOLTORDCNYKCLAKCCHVHOUTORLASEARSLSJKCCHVNYSEADALCOLCLBCHICLB
1-01-11-21-10-62-01-11-11-31-20-41-30-10-00-21-01-12-11-01-31-24-20-21-11-20-11-11-00-01-0
New York Red BullsSEANECHIHOURSLKCDCLASJHOUCHICOLDCNETORSEATORCLBDALLACOLCHVDALCLBKCNECHVSJRSLTOR
0-31-10-10-00-20-13-20-11-41-11-03-20-20-41-31-10-20-11-23-10-42-02-30-11-01-11-10-10-20-5
Real Salt LakeSEACLBDCNYNECOLLACHVKCDCSJCOLLAHOUTORSJCLBDALCHISEAHOUNECHVKCCHIHOUDALNYTORCOL
0-21-41-20-20-60-22-20-12-00-01-21-12-01-10-31-11-32-40-10-10-01-30-41-01-12-30-30-20-10-3
San Jose EarthquakesNEHOUKCCHILASEACHVNYHOUCLBRSLDALSEALARSLTORCHIDCSEACLBKCNECOLCOLDCNYDALTORCHVLA
1-02-30-23-31-10-21-01-41-31-21-22-21-21-21-13-10-22-20-43-00-11-21-11-12-10-12-11-12-20-2
Seattle Sounders FCNYRSLTORKCCHVSJCHILADALCOLCLBCHVSJDCNYCOLHOUCHISJRSLLANEHOUTORDCCHVNECLBKCDAL
0-30-22-01-00-20-21-11-11-12-21-10-11-23-31-10-31-20-00-40-12-01-01-10-02-10-01-21-03-21-2
Toronto FCKCCLBSEADALDALCHVKCCLBDCCHINEHOULANYNYRSLSJHOUCLBNEDCCHVSEACOLCOLLACHISJRSLNY
3-21-12-01-12-30-10-11-13-32-01-30-32-11-20-20-33-11-12-31-10-20-20-00-12-30-22-21-10-10-5

Standings

For an explanation of the playoff qualifications, see Competition format.

Conference standings

Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 Columbus Crew 49 30 13 7 10 41 31 +10
2 Chicago Fire 45 30 11 7 12 39 34 +5
3 New England Revolution 42 30 11 10 9 33 37 −4
4 D.C. United 40 30 9 8 13 43 44 −1
5 Toronto FC 39 30 10 11 9 37 46 −9
6 Kansas City Wizards 33 30 8 13 9 33 42 −9
7 New York Red Bulls 21 30 5 19 6 27 47 −20
2009 MLS Cup Playoffs
2009 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)

Western Conference
Western Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 48 30 12 6 12 36 31 +5
2 Houston Dynamo 48 30 13 8 9 39 29 +10
3 Seattle Sounders FC 47 30 12 7 11 38 29 +9
4 Chivas USA 45 30 13 11 6 34 31 +3
5 Real Salt Lake 40 30 11 12 7 43 35 +8
6 Colorado Rapids 40 30 10 10 10 42 38 +4
7 FC Dallas 39 30 11 13 6 50 47 +4
8 San Jose Earthquakes 30 30 7 14 9 36 50 −14
2009 MLS Cup Playoffs
2009 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)

Overall standings
Pos Team Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts
1 Columbus Crew (SS, E1) 30 13 7 10 41 31 +10 49 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
2 LA Galaxy (W1) 30 12 6 12 36 31 +5 48 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
3 Houston Dynamo 30 13 8 9 39 29 +10 48 2010 North American SuperLiga 3
4 Seattle Sounders FC 30 12 7 11 38 29 +9 47 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
5 Chicago Fire 30 11 7 12 39 34 +5 45 2010 North American SuperLiga 3
6 Chivas USA 30 13 11 6 34 31 +3 45
7 New England Revolution 30 11 10 9 33 37 −4 42
8 Real Salt Lake 30 11 12 7 43 35 +8 40 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
9 Colorado Rapids 30 10 10 10 42 38 +4 40
10 D.C. United 30 9 8 13 43 44 −1 40
11 FC Dallas 30 11 13 6 50 47 +3 39
12 Toronto FC 30 10 11 9 37 46 −9 39 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 1
13 Kansas City Wizards 30 8 13 9 33 42 −9 33
14 San Jose Earthquakes 30 7 14 9 36 50 −14 30
15 New York Red Bulls 30 5 19 6 27 47 −20 21
Source:

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

  • ^Note 1 - Toronto FC cannot qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, as it is a Canadian-based team. If they qualify for an automatic berth into the U.S. Open Cup, the next highest placed team not already qualified will be given a berth. Similarly, they cannot qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS. Rather, they can qualify through the Canadian Soccer Championship. If they qualify for the Champions League through MLS, then the highest placed team not already qualified will qualify.
  • ^Note 2 - The winner of the 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield (Columbus Crew) and the winner of MLS Cup 2009 (Real Salt Lake) qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2009 (Los Angeles Galaxy) and the winner of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup (Seattle Sounders) qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round.
  • ^Note 3 - SuperLiga 2010 berths are awarded to the top 4 finishing teams from MLS who do not qualify for Champions League (Houston, Chicago, Chivas USA and New England).

Playoffs
Main article: 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs
  Conference Semifinals Conference Finals MLS Cup 2009
                             
E1 Columbus 0 2  
E4 Salt Lake 1 3  
  E4 Salt Lake (AET) (PEN) (0)5  
Eastern Conference
  E2 Chicago (0)4  
E3 New England 2 0
E2 Chicago 1 2  
  E4 Salt Lake (AET) (PEN) (1)5
  W1 Los Angeles (1)4
W1 Los Angeles 2 1  
W4 Chivas USA 2 0  
  W1 Los Angeles (AET) 2
Western Conference
  W2 Houston 0  
W3 Seattle 0 0
W2 Houston (AET) 0 1  

1 Real Salt Lake earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Western Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Eastern Conference qualified for the playoffs.

Statistics

Golden Boot
Full article: MLS Golden Boot
Rank Scorer Club GP G A
1 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 28 17 8
2 Conor Casey Colorado Rapids 24 16 1
3 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 27 12 7
4 Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 25 12 6
5 Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake 27 12 4
6 Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 24 12 3
7 Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls 25 12 2
8 Dwayne de Rosario Toronto FC 28 11 6
9 Ryan Johnson San Jose Earthquakes 30 11 2
10 Josh Wolff Kansas City Wizards 27 11 0

Stats last updated October 24, 2009.[5]

Goalkeeping leaders
Rank Goalkeeper Club GP MINS SHTS SVS GA GAA W–L–T SHO
1 Zach Thornton Chivas USA 27 2385 111 83 23 0.87 12–9–6 12
2 Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC 29 2549 108 78 26 0.92 12–5–11 10
3 William Hesmer Columbus Crew 19 1710 86 68 18 0.95 9–4–6 7
4 Matt Reis New England Revolution 24 2160 140 114 23 0.96 10–8–6 8
5 Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo 30 2700 121 89 29 0.97 13–8–9 10

Stats last updated October 26, 2009.[6]

Individual awards

Player of the Week
Week Player of the Week Club Week's Statline
Week 1 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 2 G (12', 75') GWG, A (25')
Week 2 Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC SHO, 5 SVS
Week 3 Conor Casey Colorado Rapids 3 G (1', 49', 84') GWG
Week 4 Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy SHO, 5 SVS
Week 5 Josh Wolff Kansas City Wizards 2 G (78', 89') GTG
Week 6 Javier Morales Real Salt Lake 2 A (53', 55') GWA
Week 7 Jaime Moreno D.C. United 2 G (56', 66') GWG
Week 8 Macoumba Kandji New York Red Bulls G (40'), 2 A (13', 22') GWA
Week 9 Josh Wolff Kansas City Wizards 2 G (20', 67') GWG
Week 10 Amado Guevara Toronto FC 2 G (14', 70')
Week 11 Conor Casey Colorado Rapids 2 G (25', 48')
Week 12 Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 2 G (57', 64')
Week 13 Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 2 G (61', 87') GWG
Week 14 Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids 2 G (11', 45') GWG, A (49')
Week 15 Nate Jaqua Seattle Sounders FC A (23') GWA, 2 G (48', 68')
Week 16 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 2 G (15', 17') GWG
Week 17 Chad Barrett Toronto FC 2 G (5', 69')
Week 18 Cuauhtémoc Blanco Chicago Fire A (82') GWA, G (92+')
Week 19 Yura Movsisyan Real Salt Lake 2 G (55', 93+')
Week 20 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 4 G (38', 66', 76', 89'), GWG
Week 21 Conor Casey Colorado Rapids 3 G (4', 23', 47+')
Week 22 Chad Marshall Columbus Crew G (10'), A (87')
Week 23 Kheli Dube New England Revolution 3 G (9', 29', 66')
Week 24 Pablo Campos Real Salt Lake 1 G (43') GWG, 1 G (18') GWG
Week 25 Josh Wolff Kansas City Wizards 2 G (73', 91+')
Week 26 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 2 G (25', 86') 2 A (71', 83')
Week 27 Brad Davis Houston Dynamo G (81') GWG, 2 A (2', 5')
Week 28 Shalrie Joseph New England Revolution 2 G (51', 86') GWG
Week 29 Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 1 G (42') GWG
Week 30 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 1 G (81') GWG
Week 31 Freddie Ljungberg Seattle Sounders FC 2 A (69', 76') GWA
Week 32 Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake 2 G (15', 33') GWG

Player of the Month
Month Player of the Month Club Month's Statline
March Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 3 G, 1 A, Sounders 2-0-0 in March
April Brian McBride Chicago Fire 4 G, Fire 1-0-3 in April
May Conor Casey Colorado Rapids 4 G, 1 A, Rapids 2-0-2 in May
June Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 4 G, 2 A, Crew 3-1-0 in June
July Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 1 G, 2 A, Galaxy 3-0-1 in July
August Chad Marshall Columbus Crew 2 G, 3 SHO Crew 3-1-0 in August
September Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 7 G, 3 A, Dallas 3-1-1 in September
October Freddie Ljungberg Seattle Sounders FC 4 A, Sounders 3-0-0 in October

Goal of the Week
Week Scorer Club Goal
Week 1 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 12'
Week 2 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 77'
Week 3 Sainey Nyassi New England Revolution 56'
Week 4 Brian McBride Chicago Fire 57'
Week 5 Brian Ching Houston Dynamo 20'
Week 6 Clint Mathis Real Salt Lake 55'
Week 7 Jaime Moreno D.C. United 66'
Week 8 Chris Pontius D.C. United 86'
Week 9 Santino Quaranta D.C. United 85'
Week 10 Claudio López Kansas City Wizards 56'
Week 11 Nate Jaqua Seattle Sounders FC 58'
Week 12 Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids 88'
Week 13 Davy Arnaud Kansas City Wizards 19'
Week 14 Eric Avila FC Dallas 80'
Week 15 Nate Jaqua Seattle Sounders FC 48'
Week 16 Marco Pappa Chicago Fire 30'
Week 17 Patrick Ianni Seattle Sounders FC 46'
Week 18 Bryan Namoff D.C. United 56'
Week 19 Claudio López Kansas City Wizards 26'
Week 20 Fred D.C. United 74'
Week 21 Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 21'
Week 22 Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC 22'
Week 23 Nate Jaqua Seattle Sounders FC 70'
Week 24 Wells Thompson New England Revolution 73'
Week 25 Edgaras Jankauskas New England Revolution 63'
Week 26 O'Brian White Toronto FC 71'
Week 27 Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 81'
Week 28 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 87'
Week 29 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 71'
Week 30 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 82'
Week 31 George John FC Dallas 4'
Week 32 Robbie Findley Real Salt Lake 33'

Save of the Week

Save of the week was first introduced during week 10 of the 2009 season.[7]

Week Goalkeeper Club Save
Week 10 Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC 34'
Week 11 Kevin Hartman Kansas City Wizards 82'
Week 12 Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo 34'
Week 13 Danny Cepero New York Red Bulls 32'
Week 14 Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy 14'
Week 15 Stefan Frei Toronto FC 34'
Week 16 Josh Saunders Los Angeles Galaxy 73'
Week 17 Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo 43'
Week 18 Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy 42'
Week 19 Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 71'
Week 20 Darío Sala FC Dallas 48'
Week 21 Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC 47'
Week 22 Amado Guevara Toronto FC 47'
Week 23 Onstad & Barret Houston Dynamo 4'
Week 24 Stefan Frei Toronto FC 93+'
Week 25 Stefan Frei Toronto FC 24'
Week 26 Stefan Frei Toronto FC 77'
Week 27 Zach Thornton Chivas USA 15'
Week 28 Darío Sala FC Dallas 7'
Week 29 Tyrone Marshall Seattle Sounders FC 70'
Week 30 Dario Sala FC Dallas 53'
Week 31 Geoff Cameron Houston Dynamo 7'
Week 32 Kevin Hartman Kansas City Wizards 51'

Team Attendance Totals

[8]

Club Games Season Game Avg.
Seattle Sounders FC 15 499,262 30,897
Los Angeles Galaxy 15 333,239 20,827
Toronto FC 15 305,167 20,344
Real Salt Lake 15 303,138 17,831
Houston Dynamo 15 264,368 17,624
Chivas USA 15 251,611 15,725
D.C. United 15 202,605 15,585
Chicago Fire 15 247,908 15,487
Columbus Crew 15 226,808 14,175
Colorado Rapids 15 195,282 13,018
New York Red Bulls 15 165,672 12,744
New England Revolution 15 173,985 12,427
San Jose Earthquakes 15 134,283 10,329
Kansas City Wizards 15 150,802 10,053
FC Dallas 15 108,717 9,883
OVERALL 225 3,562,847 16,120

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League

The Houston Dynamo continued their CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09 campaign that began during the previous season. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals over two legs by eventual champions Atlante.

Columbus (MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winner), Houston (MLS Supporters' Shield Runner-up), New York (MLS Cup runner-up), and D.C. United (U.S. Open Cup winner), will be the representatives in the CONCACAF Champions League 2009–10—an additional slot from Canada was gained by Toronto by virtue of their Voyageurs Cup win. New York and Toronto were eliminated at the preliminary round, while D.C. advanced to the group stage on penalty kicks. Columbus and Houston qualified directly into the Group stage.[9] Houston and D.C. were eliminated during the group stage, with only Columbus progressing to the knockout rounds.

SuperLiga 2009

Chicago, New England, Chivas USA, and Kansas City were MLS's entrants in SuperLiga 2009, based on their finish in the 2008 regular season as the top four teams not already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Chivas U.S.A. and Kansas City were eliminated in the group stage. Chicago eliminated New England in the semi-finals, only to lose to Tigres in the final.

National competitions

2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

MLS awarded the top six finishers in 2008, regardless of conference, automatic berths into the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup's third round. Columbus, Houston, Chicago Fire, New England, Chivas USA, and Kansas City qualified based on their top-six finish. D.C. United and Seattle qualified via an eight team qualifying tournament.

Each of the qualified MLS teams were matched up against the winner of a second-round game, all of whom come from one of the USL's three divisions. Seattle and D.C. eventually emerged to play the final on September 2 at RFK stadium, which Seattle ultimately won.

2009 Canadian Championship
Main article: 2009 Canadian Championship

Canada's top three teams, MLS's Toronto FC, USL-1's Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC competed in the Voyageurs Cup. The tournament was played as a double round robin group from May 6 to June 18, and won by Toronto, who gained Canada's berth into the CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10.

All-Star game
Main article: 2009 MLS All-Star Game

The 2009 MLS All-Star Game against Everton F.C., of the English Premier League, took place on July 29 from Rio Tinto Stadium home of Real Salt Lake. Everton defeated the MLS All-Stars in a penalty shootout 4-3 after the game was tied 1-1. No extra time was played following regular time. Tim Howard, the Everton and U.S. Men's National Team goalkeeper, was named the game's MVP.

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

See also

References
  1. Coon, John (April 25, 2009). "RSL's record-setting rout dooms Revs". MLSworks. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  2. King, Jeffrey J. (September 13, 2009). "Dallas earns crucial win over Galaxy". MLSworks. Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  3. "MLS Opener Set for March 19 on ESPN2". SounderFC.com. Renton, Washington: Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  4. "2009 Rules of Competition". Major League Soccer official website. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  5. MLS goldenboot stats Archived January 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. MLS Stats Archived January 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Save of the Week". MLSNet.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  8. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance?league=usa.1&year=2009&cc=4716
  9. "Red Bulls return New York to CONCACAF club championship". CONCACAF. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
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