1998 Major League Soccer season

1998 Major League Soccer season
Season1998
MLS CupChicago Fire (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldLos Angeles Galaxy (1st shield)
CONCACAF Champions' CupChicago Fire
D.C. United
Los Angeles Galaxy
Matches played192
Goals scored701 (3.65 per match)
Top goalscorerStern John
(26 goals)
Longest winning runChicago Fire
Games: 11
(05/16 – 07/09)
Longest losing runNew England Revolution
Games: 9
(05/13 – 07/04)
Highest attendance56,404
MET 4–2 MIA
(May 23, 1998)
Lowest attendance4,130
KC 1–0 CHI
(April 8, 1998)
Total attendance2,747,897
Average attendance14,312
← 1997
1999 →
Locations of teams for the 1998 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   Eastern Conference

The 1998 Major League Soccer season was the third season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 86th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 20th with a national first-division league.

The Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion played their inaugural seasons as the league's first two expansion teams.

The NY/NJ MetroStars dropped the New York/New Jersey from their name and rebranded as just MetroStars, with no city, state or regional name attached to it.

The regular season began on March 15, and concluded on September 27. The MLS Cup Playoffs began on September 30, and concluded with MLS Cup on October 25. Chicago became the first expansion team to win MLS Cup and the first to win it in its inaugural season.

Overview

Season format

The season began on March 15 and concluded with MLS Cup on October 25. The 12 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 20 games. The remaining schedule consisted of two games against each team from the opposite conference.

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 and qualified automatically for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, also qualified for the Champions' Cup.

Stadiums and locations

Main article: List of Major League Soccer stadiums
Team Stadium Capacity
Chicago Fire Soldier Field 66,944
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
MetroStars Giants Stadium 80,200
Miami Fusion Lockhart Stadium 20,450
New England Revolution Foxboro Stadium 60,292
San Jose Clash Spartan Stadium 30,456
Tampa Bay Mutiny Houlihan's Stadium 74,301

Personnel and sponsorships

Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire United States Bob Bradley —
Colorado Rapids United States Glenn Myernick
Columbus Crew United States Tom Fitzgerald Snickers
D.C. United United States Bruce Arena MasterCard
Dallas Burn United States Dave Dir
Kansas City Wizards England Ron Newman —
Los Angeles Galaxy Ecuador Octavio Zambrano —
MetroStars Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bora Milutinović United States Tony Meola
Miami Fusion Brazil Ivo Wortmann —
New England Revolution Italy Walter Zenga —
San Jose Clash Republic of Ireland Brian Quinn United States John Doyle Honda
Tampa Bay Mutiny United States Tim Hankinson

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Incoming coach Date of appointment
Tampa Bay Mutiny Poland John Kowalski Resigned June 6, 1998 United States Tim Hankinson June 8, 1998
Miami Fusion Argentina Carlos Cordoba Fired July 24, 1998 Brazil Ivo Wortmann July 25, 1998
New England Revolution Netherlands Thomas Rongen Fired August 24, 1998 Italy Walter Zenga August 24, 1998
MetroStars Spain Alfonso Mondelo Fired September 21, 1998 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bora Milutinović September 21, 1998

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D.C. United 32 17 7 8 74 48 +26 58 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Columbus Crew 32 15 0 17 67 56 +11 45
3 MetroStars 32 12 3 17 54 63 −9 39
4 Miami Fusion 32 10 5 17 46 68 −22 35
5 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32 11 1 20 46 57 −11 34
6 New England Revolution 32 9 2 21 53 66 −13 29
Source: MLS

Western Conference

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 22 2 8 85 44 +41 68 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Chicago Fire 32 18 2 12 62 45 +17 56
3 Colorado Rapids 32 14 2 16 62 69 −7 44
4 Dallas Burn 32 11 4 17 43 59 −16 37
5 San Jose Clash 32 10 3 19 48 60 −12 33
6 Kansas City Wizards 32 10 2 20 45 50 −5 32
Source: MLS


Overall standings

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (S) 32 22 2 8 85 44 +41 68 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 D.C. United 32 17 7 8 74 48 +26 58
3 Chicago Fire (C) 32 18 2 12 62 45 +17 56
4 Columbus Crew 32 15 0 17 67 56 +11 45
5 Colorado Rapids 32 14 2 16 62 69 −7 44
6 MetroStars 32 12 3 17 54 63 −9 39
7 Dallas Burn 32 11 4 17 43 59 −16 37
8 Miami Fusion 32 10 5 17 46 68 −22 35
9 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32 11 1 20 46 57 −11 34
10 San Jose Clash 32 10 3 19 48 60 −12 33
11 Kansas City Wizards 32 10 2 20 45 50 −5 32
12 New England Revolution 32 9 2 21 53 66 −13 29
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield


MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket

  • The ties were a best of three series.
Conference semifinals Conference finals MLS Cup
             
E1 D.C. United 2 0 (3) x
E4 Miami 1 0 (2) x
E1 D.C. United 2 2 3
Eastern Conference
E2 Columbus 0 4 0
E2 Columbus 5 1 (3) x
E3 MetroStars 3 1 (2) x
E1 D.C. United 0
W2 Chicago 2
W1 Los Angeles 6 3 x
W4 Dallas 1 2 x
W1 Los Angeles 0 1 (1) x
Western Conference
W2 Chicago 1 1 (2) x
W2 Chicago 1 (3) 1 x
W3 Colorado 1 (2) 0 x

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
D.C. United2–1Miami Fusion
  • Lassiter 28'
  • Moreno 38'
 Report
Attendance: 15,187
Referee: Brian Hall
Game 2
Miami Fusion0–0D.C. United
Report
Penalties
 2–3
Attendance: 13,128
Referee: Tim Weyland
  • D.C. United advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Game 1
Columbus Crew5–3MetroStars
 Report
Attendance: 10,996
Referee: Ali Saheli
Game 2
MetroStars1–1Columbus Crew
 Report
Penalties
 2–3
Attendance: 11,686
Referee: Michael Kennedy
  • Columbus Crew advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.

Western Conference

Game 1
Los Angeles Galaxy6–1Dallas Burn
 Report
Attendance: 10,047
Referee: Ted Covaciu
Game 2
Dallas Burn2–3Los Angeles Galaxy
 Report
Attendance: 8,130
Referee: Brian Hall
  • Los Angeles Galaxy advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Game 1
Chicago Fire1–1Colorado Rapids
 Report
  • Sáenz 79'
Penalties
 3–2
Attendance: 12,610
Referee: Kevin Terry
Game 2
Colorado Rapids0–1Chicago Fire
Report
Attendance: 6,582
Referee: Noel Kenny
  • Chicago Fire advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
D.C. United2–0Columbus Crew
 Report
Attendance: 17,755
Referee: Kevin Stott
Game 2
Columbus Crew4–2D.C. United
 Report
Attendance: 13,193
Referee: Rich Grady
Game 3
D.C. United3–0Columbus Crew
 Report
Attendance: 21,453
Referee: Noel Kenny
  • D.C. United advance 2–1, to MLS Cup

Western Conference

Game 1
Los Angeles Galaxy0–1Chicago Fire
Report
Attendance: 25,107
Referee: Kevin Terry
Game 2
Chicago Fire1–1Los Angeles Galaxy
 Report
  • Pena 37'
Penalties
 2–1
Attendance: 32,744
Referee: Paul Tamberino
  • Chicago Fire advance 2–0, to MLS Cup

MLS Cup

Main article: MLS Cup 1998
Chicago Fire2–0D.C. United
 Report
Attendance: 51,350
Referee: Kevin Terry

Player statistics

Goals

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew 26
2 United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy 19
3 United States Roy Lassiter D.C. United 18
El Salvador Raúl Díaz Arce New England Revolution
5 Brazil Wélton Los Angeles Galaxy 17
6 Bolivia Jaime Moreno D.C. United 16
7 Venezuela Giovanni Savarese MetroStars 14
8 Jamaica Wolde Harris Colorado Rapids 13
El Salvador Mauricio Cienfuegos Los Angeles Galaxy
El Salvador Ronald Cerritos San Jose Clash

Hat-tricks

Player Club Against Result Date
Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew Miami Fusion 5–1 April 18
United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy Colorado Rapids 7–4 May 6
Liberia Musa Shannon Tampa Bay Mutiny New England Revolution 3–4 May 10
Zimbabwe Vitalis Takawira Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution 3–1 May 16
Guatemala Martín Machón Los Angeles Galaxy Columbus Crew 3–1 May 17
Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew Chicago Fire 5–1 May 30
Armenia Harut Karapetyan Los Angeles Galaxy Dallas Burn 8–1 June 4
United States Roy Lassiter D.C. United Chicago Fire 4–1 July 18
United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy Colorado Rapids 6–1 August 5
Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew Kansas City Wizards 5–3 August 16
United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution 5–1 August 22
Colombia Diego Serna Miami Fusion New England Revolution 3–2 August 30
United States Preki Kansas City Wizards San Jose Clash 5–1 September 5

Assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 Ecuador Eduardo Hurtado MetroStars 14
2 United States Marco Etcheverry D.C. United 13
3 Poland Jerzy Podbrożny Chicago Fire 12
4 United States Joe-Max Moore New England Revolution 11
5 Uruguay Adrián Paz Colorado Rapids 10
6 El Salvador Ronald Cerritos San Jose Clash 9
England Paul Dougherty MetroStars
United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
9 10 players 8

Clean sheets

Rank Player Club Clean
sheets
1 United States Zach Thornton Chicago Fire 8
2 United States Scott Garlick D.C. United 7
United States Kevin Hartman Los Angeles Galaxy
4 United States Mark Dodd Dallas Burn 6
5 United States Mike Ammann Kansas City Wizards 5
United States Ian Feuer New England Revolution
United States David Kramer San Jose Clash
8 United States Marcus Hahnemann Colorado Rapids 4
United States Tony Meola MetroStars
United States Juergen Sommer Columbus Crew

Awards

Individual awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player Bolivia Marco Etcheverry D.C. United
Defender of the Year Czech Republic Luboš Kubík Chicago Fire
Goalkeeper of the Year United States Zach Thornton Chicago Fire
Coach of the Year United States Bob Bradley Chicago Fire
Rookie of the Year United States Ben Olsen D.C. United
Scoring Champion Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew
Goal of the Year United States Brian McBride Columbus Crew
Fair Play Award United States Thomas Dooley Columbus Crew

Best XI

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
United States Zach Thornton, Chicago United States Thomas Dooley, Columbus
United States Robin Fraser, LA Galaxy
Czech Republic Luboš Kubík, Chicago
United States Eddie Pope, D.C. United 		United States Chris Armas, Chicago
El Salvador Mauricio Cienfuegos, LA Galaxy
Bolivia Marco Etcheverry, D.C. United
Poland Piotr Nowak, Chicago 		Trinidad and Tobago Stern John, Columbus
United States Cobi Jones, LA Galaxy

Player of the Month

Week Player Club
March United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
April United States Juergen Sommer Columbus Crew
May Poland Piotr Nowak Chicago Fire
June United States Ross Paule Colorado Rapids
July United States Roy Lassiter D.C. United
August Trinidad and Tobago Stern John Columbus Crew
September Colombia Diego Serna Miami Fusion

Weekly awards

Attendance

Main article: Major League Soccer attendance
Rank Team GP Cumulative High Low Mean
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 16 348,549 53,655 9,113 21,784
2 New England Revolution 16 307,004 35,462 13,074 19,188
3 Chicago Fire 16 286,190 37,122 7,598 17,887
4 MetroStars 16 264,316 56,404 8,826 16,520
5 D.C. United 16 256,127 23,631 9,755 16,008
6 Colorado Rapids 16 236,995 46,722 5,485 14,812
7 San Jose Clash 16 218,450 22,694 9,102 13,653
8 Columbus Crew 16 196,394 15,628 9,166 12,275
9 Dallas Burn 16 175,162 15,280 9,197 11,769
10 Tampa Bay Mutiny 16 164,999 22,704 4,473 10,312
11 Miami Fusion 16 164,548 20,450 6,127 10,284
12 Kansas City Wizards 16 129,163 13,146 4,130 8,073
Total 192 2,747,897 56,404 4,130 14,312

References

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