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1996 Major League Soccer season

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1996 Major League Soccer season
Season1996
MLS CupD.C. United (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldTampa Bay Mutiny (1st shield)
Matches played160
Goals scored539 (3.37 per match)
Top goalscorerRoy Lassiter
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Goals: 27
Longest winning runLos Angeles Galaxy
Games: 12
(04/13 – 06/30)
Longest losing runColumbus Crew
Games: 6
(05/15 – 06/22)
Highest attendanceLos Angeles Galaxy
Season: 462,650
Game Avg.: 28,916
Lowest attendanceColorado Rapids
Season: 163,413
Game Avg.: 10,213
Average attendanceMLS
Season: 2,785,001
Game Avg.: 17,406

The 1996 Major League Soccer season was the inaugural season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 84th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, and the 18th with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada.

Overview

Preparation for first season

Major League Soccer had originally intended to begin competitive action in 1995. Various difficulties forced the league to postpone its first season until 1996. In preparation for its first season, the league began signing what it called marque players, beginning with Tab Ramos on January 3, 1995.[1] Beginning in October 1995, the league apportioned the marque players in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Allocations.[2] Each team received two national team and two foreign players in the allocation.[3] The league then invited about 250 players to a tryout the second week of January 1996 on the campus of UC Irvine.[4] On February 6 and 7, 1996, the league held its 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft in which the ten teams selected 160 players over sixteen rounds. The Columbus Crew selected Brian McBride with the first pick of the draft. On March 4, 1996, the league then held the 1996 MLS College Draft followed by the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft later that day. Despite the numerous drafts, the teams were not obligated to sign only players from the drafts.

Pre-season

The preseason began the first week of March. The teams reduced their rosters to twenty-two players by March 25 and had to make a final roster reduction to eighteen by April 15.[5] The teams had a $1,200,000 salary cap with no player allowed to receive more than $192,500. In order to promote American players, teams were limited to five foreigners on the roster.[6]

Season

The teams played thirty-two games each. Each win was worth three points, a loss counted for zero and a shootout win earned a team one point. Fear of alienating fans with tied games had led the league to adopting the shootout when games ended even. The league also adopted a count down clock instead of running clock. The league also divided the teams equally into two conferences – Eastern and Western. The league began its first season on Saturday, April 6, 1996 when the San Jose Clash hosted D.C. United at Spartan Stadium. ESPN carried the game live which the Clash won on a goal by Eric Wynalda. That goal was selected as the 1996 MLS Goal of the Year. The regular season ended on September 22. The playoffs began two days later.

Team locations

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Locations of teams in the 1996 Major League Soccer season

Stadiums

Colorado Rapids Columbus Crew D.C. United Dallas Burn Kansas City Wiz
Mile High Stadium Ohio Stadium RFK Memorial Stadium Cotton Bowl Arrowhead Stadium
Capacity: 76,273 Capacity: 102,329 Capacity: 46,000 Capacity: 92,100 Capacity: 81,425
Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution NY/NJ MetroStars San Jose Clash Tampa Bay Mutiny
Rose Bowl Foxboro Stadium Giants Stadium Spartan Stadium Houlihan's Stadium
Capacity: 92,542 Capacity: 60,292 Capacity: 80,200 Capacity: 30,456 Capacity: 74,301

Standings

Conference standings

Eastern Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L SOW GF GA GD
1 Tampa Bay Mutiny 58 32 19 12 1 66 51  +15
2 D.C. United 46 32 15 16 1 62 56  +6
3 New York/New Jersey MetroStars 39 32 12 17 3 45 47  −2
4 Columbus Crew 37 32 11 17 4 59 60  −1
5 New England Revolution 33 32 9 17 6 43 56  −13
1996 MLS Cup Playoffs
Western Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L SOW GF GA GD
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 49 32 15 13 4 59 49  +10
2 Dallas Burn 41 32 12 15 5 50 48  +2
3 Kansas City Wiz 41 32 12 15 5 61 63  −2
4 San Jose Clash 39 32 12 17 3 50 50  0
5 Colorado Rapids 29 32 9 21 2 44 59  −15
1996 MLS Cup Playoffs

Overall standings

Major League Soccer
Pos Club Pts GP W L SOW GF GA GD
1 Tampa Bay Mutiny (E1) 58 32 19 12 1 66 51  +15
2 Los Angeles Galaxy1 (W1) 49 32 15 13 4 59 49  +10
3 D.C. United1 (E2) 46 32 15 16 1 62 56  +6
4 Dallas Burn (W2) 41 32 12 15 5 50 48  +2
5 Kansas City Wiz 41 32 12 15 5 61 63  −2
6 San Jose Clash 39 32 12 17 3 50 50  0
7 New York/New Jersey MetroStars 39 32 12 17 3 45 47  −2
8 Columbus Crew 37 32 11 17 4 59 60  −1
9 New England Revolution 33 32 9 17 6 43 56  −13
10 Colorado Rapids 29 32 9 21 2 44 59  −15
MLS Supporters' Shield, 1996 MLS Cup Playoffs
1996 MLS Cup Playoffs
  • ^Note 1 – CONCACAF Champions' Cup berths awarded to the participants of MLS Cup 1996 (D.C. and Los Angeles)

Playoff bracket

Template:8TeamBracket-MLS Divisional Version 1

  • Best of Three series winners will advance.

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

NY/NJ MetroStars3 – 2
6 – 5 (SO)		D.C. United
De Ávila 38'
Savarese 75'		 Díaz Arce 24'
Moreno 56'
Attendance: 14,416
D.C. United1 – 0NY/NJ MetroStars
Etcheverry 72'
Attendance: 21,442
D.C. United2 – 1NY/NJ MetroStars
Rammel 67'
Diaz Arce (pen.) 89'		 De Ávila 86'
Attendance: 20,423
Referee: Brian Hall
  • D.C. United wins series 2 – 1, advances to Conference finals.
Columbus Crew0 – 2Tampa Bay Mutiny
Lassiter 82', 87'
Attendance: 20,807
Referee: Brian Hall
Tampa Bay Mutiny1 – 2Columbus Crew
Lassiter 26' Paz 1'
McBride 58'
Attendance: 13,009
Referee: Rich Grady
Tampa Bay Mutiny4 – 1Columbus Crew
Vásquez 3'
Lassiter 41',58'
Pittman 55'		 McBride 35'
Attendance: 6,871
Referee: Tim Weyland
  • Tampa Bay Mutiny wins series 2 – 1, advances to Conference finals.

Western Conference

Kansas City Wiz3 – 2Dallas Burn
Johnston 16'
McKeon 79'
Preki 89'		 Elliott 21'
Ashton 25'
Attendance: 4,466
Referee: Tim Weyland
Dallas Burn2 – 1Kansas City Wiz
Kreis 5'
Washington 32'		 Preki 30'
Attendance: 10,125
Dallas Burn2 – 3
2 – 3 (SO)		Kansas City Wiz
Sánchez 27'
Elliott 66'		 Chung 41'
Takawira 62'
Attendance: 9,802
Referee: Rich Grady
  • Kansas City Wiz wins series 2 – 1, advances to Conference finals.
San Jose Clash1 – 0Los Angeles Galaxy
Ianni 36'
Attendance: 17,209
Referee: Kevin Stott
Los Angeles Galaxy2 – 0San Jose Clash
Fraser 84'
Hurtado 90'
Attendance: 27,833
Referee: Joshua Patlak
Los Angeles Galaxy2 – 0San Jose Clash
Hurtado 31'
Cienfuegos (pen.) 36'
Attendance: 30,231
  • Los Angeles Galaxy wins series 2 – 1, advances to Conference finals.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

D.C. United4 – 1Tampa Bay Mutiny
Díaz Arce 36', 58', 60'
Rammel 54'		 Lassiter 42'
Attendance: 23,566
Referee: Kevin Stott
Tampa Bay Mutiny1 – 2D.C. United
Ralston 14' Williams 49'
Díaz Arce 82'
Attendance: 9,339
Referee: Rich Grady
  • D.C. United wins series 2 – 0, advances to MLS Cup '96.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Galaxy2 – 1Kansas City Wiz
Armas 48'
Vanney 57'		 Preki 52'
Attendance: 25,212
Referee: Brian Hall
Kansas City Wiz1 – 2
1 – 3 (SO)		Los Angeles Galaxy
Preki 69' Vanney 76'
Attendance: 11,041
  • Los Angeles Galaxy wins series 2 – 0, advances to MLS Cup '96.

MLS Cup '96

Main article: MLS Cup '96
Los Angeles Galaxy2 – 3 (AET)D.C. United
Hurtado 5'
Armas 56'		 Sanneh 72'
Medved 81'
Pope 94'
Attendance: 34,643
Weather: Rain, 44 °F

Team awards

Player of the Week

Week Player of the Week Club
Week 1 United States Eric Wynalda San Jose Clash
Week 2 United States Brian McBride Columbus Crew
Week 3 United States Marcelo Balboa Colorado Rapids
Week 4 United States Bo Oshoniyi Columbus Crew
Week 5 Venezuela Giovanni Savarese MetroStars
Week 6 United States Brian McBride Columbus Crew
Week 7 Mexico Jorge Campos Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 8 United States Preki Kansas City Wiz
Week 9 United States John Doyle San Jose Clash
Week 10 Ecuador Eduardo Hurtado Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 11 United States Mark Dodd Dallas Burn
Week 12 United States Mark Chung Kansas City Wiz
Week 13 United States Tony Meola MetroStars
Week 14 El Salvador Raúl Díaz Arce D.C. United
Week 15 United States Paul Bravo San Jose Clash
Week 16 United States Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 17 United States Joe-Max Moore New England Revolution
Week 18 United States Tony Meola MetroStars
Week 19 Uruguay Adrián Paz Columbus Crew
Week 20 Bolivia Marco Etcheverry D.C. United
Week 21 United States Brad Friedel Columbus Crew
Week 22 United States Brian Maisonneuve Columbus Crew
Week 23 Canada Frank Yallop Tampa Bay Mutiny
Week 24 United States Brad Friedel Columbus Crew

Player of the Month

Month Player of the Month Club
April El Salvador Mauricio Cienfuegos Los Angeles Galaxy
May Colombia Carlos Valderrama Tampa Bay Mutiny
June Ecuador Eduardo Hurtado Los Angeles Galaxy
July United States Jason Kreis Dallas Burn
August Bolivia Marco Etcheverry D.C. United
September United States Brad Friedel Columbus Crew

Individual awards

Award Player Club
Most Valuable Player Colombia Carlos Valderrama Tampa Bay Mutiny
Scoring Champion United States Roy Lassiter (58 points) Tampa Bay Mutiny
Defender of the Year United States John Doyle San Jose Clash
Goalkeeper of the Year United States Mark Dodd Dallas Burn
Rookie of the Year United States Steve Ralston Tampa Bay Mutiny
Coach of the Year Netherlands Thomas Rongen Tampa Bay Mutiny
Goal of the Year United States Eric Wynalda San Jose Clash

Top goal scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 United States Roy Lassiter Tampa Bay Mutiny 27
2 El Salvador Raúl Díaz Arce D.C. United 23
3 Ecuador Eduardo Hurtado Los Angeles Galaxy 21
4 United States Preki Kansas City Wiz 18
5 United States Brian McBride Columbus Crew 17
6 United States Steve Rammel D.C. United 14
7 United States Paul Bravo San Jose Clash 13
United States Jason Kreis Dallas Burn
Venezuela Giovanni Savarese NY/NJ MetroStars
Zimbabwe Vitalis Takawira Kansas City Wiz

Goalkeeping leaders

(Minimum 1,000 minutes)

No. Player Club Games
Played 		Minutes Goals
Against 		GA
Average 		Wins Loses
1 Mexico Jorge Campos Los Angeles Galaxy 24 2025 27 1.20 13 8
2 United States Dave Salzwedel San Jose Clash 14 1168 17 1.31 9 4
3 United States Tony Meola NY/NJ MetroStars 29 2610 38 1.31 14 15
4 United States Mark Dodd Dallas Burn 31 2776 45 1.46 17 14
5 United States Mark Simpson D.C. United 15 1260 21 1.50 7 6
6 United States Mark Dougherty Tampa Bay Mutiny 28 2520 47 1.68 17 11
7 United States Aidan Heaney New England Revolution 19 1534 29 1.70 8 9
8 United States Tom Liner San Jose Clash 20 1712 33 1.73 7 12
9 United States Garth Lagerwey Kansas City Wiz 23 1959 38 1.75 12 10
10 United States Jim St. Andre New England Revolution 15 1346 27 1.81 6 9
11 England Chris Woods Colorado Rapids 23 2070 43 1.87 8 15
12 United States Jeff Causey D.C. United 19 1620 35 1.94 9 10
13 United States Bo Oshoniyi Columbus Crew 13 1170 33 2.54 3 10

Team attendance totals

Club Games Season totals Game average
Los Angeles Galaxy 16 462,650 28,916
NY/NJ MetroStars 16 382,360 23,898
New England Revolution 16 304,392 19,025
Columbus Crew 16 303,202 18,950
San Jose Clash 16 275,712 17,232
Dallas Burn 16 256,173 16,011
D.C. United 16 244,199 15,262
Kansas City Wiz 16 206,044 12,878
Tampa Bay Mutiny 16 186,856 11,679
Colorado Rapids 16 163,413 10,213
OVERALL 160 2,785,001 17,406

Winningest coaches (by wins)

Coach Club Wins Loss PCT. PTS. SOW
Netherlands Thomas Rongen Tampa Bay Mutiny 20 12 0.625 58 1
Germany Lothar Osiander Los Angeles Galaxy 19 13 0.594 49 4
United States Dave Dir Dallas Burn 17 15 0.531 41 5
England Ron Newman Kansas City Wiz 17 15 0.531 41 5
United States Bruce Arena D.C. United 16 16 0.500 46 1
England Laurie Calloway San Jose Clash 15 17 0.469 39 3
Republic of Ireland Frank Stapleton New England Revolution 15 17 0.469 33 6
Mozambique Carlos Queiroz NY/NJ MetroStars 12 12 0.500 34 1
England Bobby Houghton Colorado Rapids 11 20 0.355 29 2
United States Tom Fitzgerald Columbus Crew 9 1 0.900 23 2
Finland Timo Liekoski Columbus Crew 6 15 0.286 14 2
South Africa Eddie Firmani NY/NJ MetroStars 3 5 0.375 5 2
United States Roy Wegerle Colorado Rapids 0 1 0.000 0 0

References

  1. ^ Ramos Signs With Major League Soccer
  2. ^ Major League Soccer Gets Set for Unveilings
  3. ^ Giants Stadium Will Go Natural Again
  4. ^ Pro Soccer Combine Begins Today at UC Irvine
  5. ^ RAPIDS RELEASE THREE PLAYERS
  6. ^ The Year in American Soccer - 1995
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