2010 Major League Soccer season

The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion Philadelphia Union, 2–0. The 2010 MLS All-Star Game was played at Reliant Stadium, hosted by the Houston Dynamo on July 28 as the MLS XI fell 5–2 to visiting Manchester United. The regular season concluded on October 24, with Los Angeles Galaxy winning the Supporters' Shield by one point over Real Salt Lake. Upon the completion of the regular season the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs culminated on November 21 with a 2–1 victory by the Colorado Rapids over FC Dallas at Toronto's BMO Field. It was the first time the MLS Cup final was played outside the United States.[3]

Major League Soccer
Season2010
MLS CupColorado Rapids (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldLos Angeles Galaxy (3rd shield)
Champions LeagueLos Angeles Galaxy
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
Seattle Sounders FC
SuperLigaReal Salt Lake
New York Red Bulls
Columbus Crew
S.J. Earthquakes
Matches played240
Goals scored591 (2.46 per match)
Top goalscorerChris Wondolowski (18 goals)
Biggest home winNE 0–5 RSL
(July 2)[1]
Biggest away winCHV 4–0 NE
(May 5)
LA 4–0 SEA
(May 8)
SEA 4–0 CLB
(Sept 18)
Highest scoring7 goals:
HOU 4–3 CHI
(August 21)
KCW 4–3 HOU
(September 22)
Longest winning run5 wins:
Real Salt Lake
(May 1 – May 29)
Seattle Sounders FC
(Sep 18 – Oct 15)
Longest unbeaten run18 matches:
FC Dallas
(May 27 – Oct 16)
Longest winless run10 matches:
Houston Dynamo
(May 22 – Aug 21)
Longest losing run6 losses:
C.D. Chivas USA
(May 8 – June 26)
Highest attendanceCHI @ SEA
Att: 36,386
Seattle Sounders FC
Season: 542,600
Game Avg.: 36,173
Lowest attendanceCHV @ NE
Lowest Gate: 5,990
S.J. Earthquakes
Season: 144,886
Game Avg.: 9,659
Average attendanceMLS: 16,675[2]
← 2009
2011 →

The expiration of and failure to sign a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union threatened the season. Negotiations resulted in a new contract being agreed to on March 20, 2010.

Changes from 2009
  • The players' union and league passed a new collective bargaining agreement that adjusted the players' contracts.[4]
  • The Philadelphia Union joined the league as its 16th club and is playing in the Eastern Conference.[5] Their first two home games of the season – against D.C. United April 10 and FC Dallas on May 15 – were played at Lincoln Financial Field while their permanent home, PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, opened with a game against Seattle Sounders FC on June 27.[6]
  • A natural grass field replaces the FieldTurf surface at Toronto FC's BMO Field.[5]
  • The New York Red Bulls began play in their new stadium Red Bull Arena, defeating the Chicago Fire in the first MLS match played there on March 27 by the score of 1–0.[7]
  • Adidas provided their Jabulani match ball with MLS colors of blue and green for the season, as well as new referee kits.
  • New Designated Player Rules were agreed upon early in the season:[8]
    • Teams can sign two Designated Players, up from one under the previous rules, and pay a "luxury tax" of $250,000 for the right to sign a third Designated Player. The $250,000 would be distributed evenly to all MLS teams that have not signed a third Designated Player in the form of allocation money.
    • Each Designated Player counts as $335,000 for the salary cap, down from $415,000 under the previous agreement, and only counts as half that amount if the player is signed during the middle of the season. Teams can use allocation money to reduce the salary cap value of a Designated Player.
    • Teams are no longer allowed to trade for additional Designated Player spots, so the New York Red Bulls will receive $70,000 of allocation money in exchange for effectively nullifying their earlier trade with Chivas USA for a second Designated Player spot.
    • Teams who have a Designated Player transfer out of the country during the MLS season will recoup a portion of the money spent on the Designated Player.
    • Landon Donovan is no longer grandfathered into the agreement, and must be counted as a Designated Player.
    • Unlike the previous Designated Player agreement, which was set to expire after three seasons, this agreement has no set expiration date.
    • The new Designated Player rule resulted in an explosion of DP signings in 2010, with the league boasting 13 Designated Players at the conclusion of the regular season (Omar Bravo signed with Kansas City in the summer of 2010 but remained with his previous club Guadalajara for the remainder of the season).[9][10]

Managerial Changes
Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Table Incoming coach Date of appointment Table
Philadelphia Union
Expansion Team
 Piotr Nowak May 29, 2009 Pre-season
New York Red Bulls Richie Williams Caretaker August 21, 2009 7th East ('09) Hans Backe January 7, 2010 Pre-season
Toronto FC Chris Cummins Contract expiration October 27, 2009 5th East ('09) Preki November 18, 2009 Pre-season
D.C. United Tom Soehn Resigned November 3, 2009 4th East ('09) Curt Onalfo December 28, 2009 Pre-season
Chivas USA Preki Mutual consent November 12, 2009 4th West ('09) Martín Vásquez December 2, 2009 Pre-season
Chicago Fire Denis Hamlett Fired November 24, 2009 2nd East ('09) Carlos de los Cobos January 11, 2010 Pre-season
D.C. United Curt Onalfo Fired August 4, 2010 8th East Ben Olsen August 4, 2010 8th East
Toronto FC Preki Fired September 14, 2010 3rd East Nick Dasovic September 14, 2010 3rd East

Personnel

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team Manager1 Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Carlos de los Cobos Brian McBride Adidas Best Buy
Chivas USA Martin Vasquez Jonathan Bornstein Adidas Comex
Colorado Rapids Gary Smith Pablo Mastroeni Adidas
Columbus Crew Robert Warzycha Frankie Hejduk Adidas Glidden
D.C. United Ben Olsen Jaime Moreno Adidas Volkswagen
FC Dallas Schellas Hyndman Daniel Hernández Adidas
Houston Dynamo Dominic Kinnear Brian Ching Adidas Amigo Energy
Kansas City Wizards Peter Vermes Davy Arnaud Adidas
L.A. Galaxy Bruce Arena Landon Donovan Adidas Herbalife
New England Revolution Steve Nicol Shalrie Joseph Adidas
New York Red Bulls Hans Backe Juan Pablo Ángel Adidas Red Bull
Philadelphia Union Piotr Nowak Danny Califf Adidas
Real Salt Lake Jason Kreis Kyle Beckerman Adidas XanGo
San Jose Earthquakes Frank Yallop Ramiro Corrales Adidas Amway Global
Seattle Sounders FC Sigi Schmid Kasey Keller Adidas Xbox LIVE
Toronto FC Nick Dasovic Dwayne De Rosario Adidas BMO

Collective Bargaining Agreement

After two extensions to facilitate additional talks, the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union expired February 25, 2010. The league had said that it would not lockout the players.[11] The union had voted in favor of a strike if a new deal was not reached before the beginning of the season.[12] Players were seeking free-agent rights and more guaranteed contracts from the league.[13] On March 20, 2010, MLS and the Players' Union agreed on a new, 5-year collective bargaining agreement that allowed the season to start on time.[14]

Competition format

The format for the 2010 season was as follows:[15]

  • The season began on March 25 and ended on November 21 with MLS Cup 2010.
  • The 16 teams were split evenly into two conferences. The Eastern Conference has eight teams with the addition of the Philadelphia Union, and the Western Conference also has eight teams. For the first time in league history, the season had a balanced schedule where each team playing every other team in the league once at home and once away for a total of 30 games.
  • Games were not played during the group stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The last MLS game prior to the World Cup was played on June 10, with no games scheduled until after the group stage concluded on June 25.
  • The two teams in each conference with the most points qualified for the 2010 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 2010. After the completion of any round, ties will be broken with two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by a 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 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League. The MLS Cup Winner also qualified for the Champions League Group Stage. The MLS Cup Runners-Up and the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winners qualified for the Preliminary Round of the Champions League. If a team qualifies for multiple berths into the Champions League, then additional berths will be awarded to the highest-placed team(s) in the 2010 MLS regular season's overall standings that have not already qualified.
  • The four teams with the most points, regardless of conference, who have not qualified for the Champions League qualified for the SuperLiga 2011.
  • The six U.S.-based teams with the most points, regardless of conference, qualified for the third round of the 2011 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 cannot qualify for the Champions League through MLS, and cannot enter the U.S. Open Cup. In either case, any berth in the Champions League or U.S. Open Cup that it would have earned by its league position is awarded to the highest-placed team in the overall standings which has not already qualified. TFC may instead qualify for the Champions League through the Canadian Championship.

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.[16]

Locations
Locations of teams in the 2010 Major League Soccer

Stadiums
Chicago Fire Chivas USA Colorado Rapids Columbus Crew
Toyota Park The Home Depot Center Dick's Sporting Goods Park Crew Stadium
Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 27,000 Capacity: 19,680 Capacity: 20,455
D.C. United FC Dallas Kansas City Wizards Houston Dynamo
RFK Memorial Stadium Pizza Hut Park CommunityAmerica Ballpark BBVA Compass Stadium
Capacity: 45,596 Capacity: 21,193 Capacity: 10,385 Capacity: 22,000
Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution Philadelphia Union New York Red Bulls
The Home Depot Center Gillette Stadium PPL Park Red Bull Arena
Capacity: 27,000 Capacity: 22,385 Capacity: 18,500 Capacity: 25,189
Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Toronto FC
Rio Tinto Stadium Buck Shaw Stadium Qwest Field BMO Field
Capacity: 20,008 Capacity: 10,300 Capacity: 35,700 Capacity: 21,800

Results table
Home \ Away CHI CHV COL CLB DCU FCD HOU KCW LAG NER NY PHI RSL SJE SEA TOR
Chicago Fire 1–1 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–1 1–2 0–1 0–0
Chivas USA 1–4 0–1 3–1 1–0 1–2 0–2 1–2 1–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–2 3–2 0–0 3–0
Colorado Rapids 2–2 3–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–1 4–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 3–1
Columbus Crew 2–1 1–0 3–1 2–0 0–0 3–0 0–1 0–2 3–2 2–0 3–1 1–0 0–0 0–4 2–0
D.C. United 0–2 3–2 0–1 0–1 1–3 1–3 2–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 0–0 0–2 0–1 2–3
FC Dallas 3–0 1–0 2–2 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 1–0
Houston Dynamo 4–3 3–0 2–2 0–0 2–0 0–1 0–2 3–0 1–2 2–2 2–3 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–2
Kansas City Wizards 2–2 0–1 1–0 0–1 4–0 1–3 4–3 0–0 4–1 0–3 2–0 1–1 4–1 1–2 1–0
LA Galaxy 2–3 2–0 1–3 3–1 2–1 2–1 4–1 0–2 1–0 0–2 3–1 2–1 2–2 3–1 0–0
New England Revolution 0–1 0–4 1–2 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–2 1–2 0–0 3–1 4–1
New York Red Bulls 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–3 0–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–0
Philadelphia Union 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 3–1 2–1
Real Salt Lake 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–0 2–0 3–1 4–1 1–0 5–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 3–1 2–1
San Jose Earthquakes 0–3 3–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 0–3 0–1 1–3
Seattle Sounders FC 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–4 3–0 0–1 2–0 0–0 0–1 3–2
Toronto FC 4–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–4 2–1 0–0 2–3 2–0
Updated to match(es) played on March 15, 2011. Source: official website
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Standings

Conference standings

Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 New York Red Bulls 51 30 15 9 6 38 29  +9
2 Columbus Crew 50 30 14 8 8 40 34  +6
3 Kansas City Wizards 39 30 11 13 6 36 35  +1
4 Chicago Fire 36 30 9 12 9 37 38  −1
5 Toronto FC 35 30 9 13 8 33 41  −8
6 New England Revolution 32 30 9 16 5 32 50  −18
7 Philadelphia Union 31 30 8 15 7 35 49  −14
8 D.C. United 22 30 6 20 4 21 47  −26
2010 MLS Cup Playoffs

Western Conference
Western Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 59 30 18 7 5 44 26  +18
2 Real Salt Lake 56 30 15 4 11 45 20  +25
3 FC Dallas 50 30 12 4 14 42 28  +14
4 Seattle Sounders FC 48 30 14 10 6 39 35  +4
5 Colorado Rapids 46 30 12 8 10 44 32  +12
6 San Jose Earthquakes 46 30 13 10 7 34 33  +1
7 Houston Dynamo 33 30 9 15 6 40 49  −9
8 Chivas USA 28 30 8 18 4 31 45  −14
2010 MLS Cup Playoffs

Overall standings
Pos Team Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts
1 LA Galaxy (SS, W1) 30 18 7 5 44 26 +18 59 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
2 Real Salt Lake 30 15 4 11 45 20 +25 56 2011 North American SuperLiga 3
3 New York Red Bulls (E1) 30 15 9 6 38 29 +9 51
4 FC Dallas 30 12 4 14 42 28 +14 50 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
5 Columbus Crew 30 14 8 8 40 34 +6 50 2011 North American SuperLiga 3
6 Seattle Sounders FC 30 14 10 6 39 35 +4 48 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 2
7 Colorado Rapids 30 12 8 10 44 32 +12 46 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
8 San Jose Earthquakes 30 13 10 7 34 33 +1 46 2011 North American SuperLiga 3
9 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 13 6 36 35 +1 39
10 Chicago Fire 30 9 12 9 37 38 −1 36
11 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 33 41 −8 35 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
12 Houston Dynamo 30 9 15 6 40 49 −9 33
13 New England Revolution 30 9 16 5 32 50 −18 32
14 Philadelphia Union 30 8 15 7 35 49 −14 31
15 Chivas USA 30 8 18 4 31 45 −14 28
16 D.C. United 30 6 20 4 21 47 −26 22
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 2010 MLS Supporters' Shield (Los Angeles Galaxy) and the winner of MLS Cup 2010 (Colorado Rapids) qualified for the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2010 (FC Dallas) and the winner of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup (Seattle Sounders) qualified for the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round.
  • ^Note 3 - 2011 SuperLiga berths are awarded to the top 4 finishing teams from MLS who do not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

Playoffs
Main article: 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs
  Conference Semifinals Conference Finals MLS Cup 2010
                             
E1 New York 1 1  
E4 San Jose 0 3  
  E4 San Jose 0  
Eastern Conference
  E3 Colorado 1  
E2 Columbus 0 2
E3 Colorado (5–4, PSO) 1 1  
  E3 Colorado 2
  W3 Dallas 1
W1 Los Angeles 1 2  
W4 Seattle 0 1  
  W1 Los Angeles 0
Western Conference
  W3 Dallas 3  
W2 Salt Lake 1 1
W3 Dallas 2 1  

Statistical leaders
Full article: MLS Golden Boot

Statistics current as of October 24, 2010

Top goalkeepers
Rank Goalkeeper Club
 GAA[17] SV% GP MINS GA W–L–T SHO
1 Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 0.62 0.789 20 1755 12 10–1–8 9
2 Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 0.67 0.78 27 2430 18 15–4–8 14
3 Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy 0.90 0.76 29 2610 26 18–7–4 11
4 Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls 1.04 0.784 27 2430 28 14–8–5 11
5 Jon Busch San Jose Earthquakes 1.06 0.779 18 1620 19 7–6–5 7
6 Matt Pickens Colorado Rapids 1.12 0.773 29 2610 32 11–8–10 7
7 William Hesmer Columbus Crew 1.1 0.689 30 2695 33 14–8–8 11
8 Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC 1.15 0.689 30 2655 34 14–10–5 11

Individual awards

Monthly awards
Month MLS Player of the Month MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month
Player Club Link Player Club Link
April Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy 7G 4–0–1 Sanna Nyassi Seattle Sounders FC April Humanitarian
May Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake 4G 3A 5–0–0 Chris Tierney New England Revolution May Humanitarian
June Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake 0G Allowed 1–0–2 Craig Waibel Houston Dynamo June Humanitarian
July Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 2G 3A 3–1–1 Jed Zayner Columbus Crew July Humanitarian
August Kevin Hartman FC Dallas 2G Allowed 2–0–2 Michael Lahoud Chivas USA August Humanitarian
September Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids 6G 1A 3–1–1 Kei Kamara Kansas City Wizards September Humanitarian
October Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 6G 2–2–1 James Riley Seattle Sounders FC October Humanitarian

Weekly awards
Week Player of the Week AT&T Goal of the Week[18] NAPA Save of the Week[19]
Player Club Player Club Player Club
Week 1[20] Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 2[21] Kenny Mansally New England Revolution Kenny Mansally New England Revolution Preston Burpo New England Revolution
Week 3[22] Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Marco Pappa Chicago Fire Jason Hernandez San Jose Earthquakes
Week 4[23] Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy Lovel Palmer Houston Dynamo Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 5[24] Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Andrew Dykstra Chicago Fire
Week 6[25] Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Joe Cannon San Jose Earthquakes
Week 7[26] Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy Logan Pause Chicago Fire Kevin Hartman FC Dallas
Week 8[27] Alvaro Saborio Real Salt Lake Danny Mwanga Philadelphia Union Gino Padula Columbus Crew
Week 9[28] Emilio Rentería Columbus Crew Dominic Oduro Houston Dynamo Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 10[29] Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC Shea Salinas Philadelphia Union Donovan Ricketts Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 11[30] Brek Shea FC Dallas Leo González Seattle Sounders FC Chris Seitz Philadelphia Union
Week 12[31] Chris Pontius D.C. United Kei Kamara Kansas City Wizards Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 13[32] Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 14[33] Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake Juninho Los Angeles Galaxy Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 15[34] Justin Braun Chivas USA David Ferreira FC Dallas Stefan Frei Toronto FC
Week 16[35] Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Roger Levesque Seattle Sounders FC Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 17[36] Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Ned Grabavoy Real Salt Lake Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 18[37] Juan Pablo Ángel New York Red Bulls Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 19[38] Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 20[39] Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Javier Morales Real Salt Lake Nick Rimando Real Salt Lake
Week 21[40] Brian Ching Houston Dynamo Rafael Márquez New York Red Bulls Sean Johnson Chicago Fire
Week 22[41] Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC Dane Richards New York Red Bulls Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City Wizards
Week 23[42] Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids Geovanni San Jose Earthquakes Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 24[43] Alan Gordon Chivas USA Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 25[44] Blaise Nkufo Seattle Sounders FC Blaise Nkufo Seattle Sounders FC Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 26[45] Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Nat Borchers Real Salt Lake Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders FC
Week 27[46] Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Bouna Coundoul New York Red Bulls
Week 28[47] Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Álvaro Fernández Seattle Sounders FC Brad Knighton Philadelphia Union
Week 29[48] Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC Fred Philadelphia Union
Week 30[49] Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes James Riley Seattle Sounders FC Eddie Gaven Columbus Crew

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League
Main articles: 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League and CONCACAF Champions League 2010–11

The Columbus Crew continued their 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League campaign that began during the previous season. They were defeated by Mexican club Toluca in the quarterfinals, 5–4 on aggregate.

Seattle Sounders FC became the first team to qualify for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League by winning the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Columbus Crew qualified next by winning the 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake also qualified by being the two 2009 MLS Cup finalists, while Toronto FC took the Canadian berth by virtue of their Canadian Championship win. Los Angeles, Seattle, and Toronto entered the competition in the preliminary round, while RSL and Columbus were seeded directly into the group stage.

Seattle and Toronto won their preliminary round ties, beating Isidro Metapán of El Salvador and Motagua of Honduras, respectively. Los Angeles crashed out of the preliminary round after losing their home match 4–1 to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF D-2 Pro League and failing to make up the deficit in the away leg.

The group stage was held August 17 – Oct 21. Real Salt Lake won Group A with 13 points over Cruz Azul, Toronto, and Arabe Unido of Panama. Toronto finished in 3rd place with 8 points. Columbus finished 2nd in Group B behind Club Santos Laguna but ahead of C.S.D. Municipal of Guatemala and Joe Public F.C. of Trinidad. Seattle finished 4th in Group C with 3 points behind C.F. Monterrey, C.D. Saprissa of Costa Rica, and C.D. Marathón of Honduras.

On November 1, the draw for the Championship round was held. Real Salt Lake will face Columbus in the quarterfinal in February/March 2011, immediately prior to the 2011 MLS Regular Season.

SuperLiga
Main article: 2010 North American SuperLiga

As was the case for the 2009 SuperLiga, the top four overall finishers in MLS in 2009 that hadn't already qualified for the Champions League qualified for SuperLiga. This year's competition was contested by the Houston Dynamo, the Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, and the New England Revolution from MLS. The four Mexican teams were Pachuca, Morelia, Puebla, and UNAM.[50]

New England, Houston, Morelia and Puebla advanced from their groups, with the Revolution beating Puebla on penalties in one semifinal, and Morelia defeating Houston in the other. Morelia defeated New England 2–1 in the final at Gillette Stadium on September 1.

Domestic competitions

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The top six overall teams from the 2009 MLS season (Columbus, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Chicago, and Chivas USA) received automatic berths into the Third round of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup, while the eight remaining U.S.-based MLS teams and the expansion Philadelphia Union competed in a single-elimination qualification tournament to determine the MLS's final two official entrants into the competition. Teams were seeded one through nine, with the seventh-place MLS team from 2009 earning the first seed (and would play the winner of the eight v. nine play-in game), while each following team would receive its respective seed. The New York Red Bulls and D.C. United earned the final two MLS spots in the Third round.

For the first time since 2006, the semifinals were contested exclusively by MLS teams, with Seattle beating Chivas USA and Columbus defeating D.C. United. The final was played October 5 at Qwest Field in Seattle with the defending cup holders, the Sounders, defeating the Crew 2–1. The Sounders became the first MLS team ever to successfully defend the U.S. Open Cup, and the first team from any league to do so since New York Pancyprian-Freedoms in 1983.

Canadian championship
Main article: 2010 Canadian Championship

Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based MLS team, is not eligible to compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and instead contested the Canadian Championship with the two Canadian-based teams in the Division-2 Pro League, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact. Toronto FC won the tournament, claiming the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's entry into the Preliminary Round of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League.

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

References
  1. "RSL offense explodes, Rimando picks up 100th win". MLSSoccer.com. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  2. "Statistics". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  3. "M.L.S. Cup in Toronto". The New York Times. March 30, 2010. pp. B13. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  4. Mickle, Tripp; Mullen, Liz (November 9, 2009). "MLS player-side sources float strike threat". Sports Business Journal. Street & Smith's Sports Group. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  5. "Toronto FC hosts Philadelphia in first MLS game on grass at BMO Field". The Canadian Press. October 14, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  6. Smallwood, John (March 25, 2010). "Union debut is dream come true". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  7. Romero, Jose (January 21, 2010). "The reason, perhaps, why Sounders FC hasn't confirmed international signings". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  8. Mayers, Joshua (April 1, 2010). "Major League Soccer adds second DP slot, can purchase a third (league release)". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  9. "Omar Bravo joining Kansas City Wizards in 2011". USA Today. August 14, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  10. "MLS Designated Player Dissection: Keeping Up With The Superpowers". Goal.com. October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  11. Dure, Beau (March 4, 2010). "MLS: No talks, no posturing despite lack of deal with players". USA Today. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  12. Booth, Tim (March 12, 2010). "MLS players say they're unified in labor talks". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  13. "MLS labor agreement expires; no strike for now". The Seattle Times. February 25, 2010. Other Sports. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  14. "MLS, Players Union reach agreement in principle on CBA". MLSnet.com. March 20, 2010. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  15. Romero, José (September 24, 2009). "Seattle will host first MLS game of 2010". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  16. Archived March 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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