This is an academic exploration of the 1997 Major League Soccer season, drawing data from Wikipedia. View the source article. (opens in new tab)

Major League Soccer: The 1997 Season

Unpacking the second year of professional soccer in America, from league standings to individual accolades.

Season Overview ๐Ÿ‘‡ Key Statistics ๐Ÿ“Š

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Season Overview

League Progression

The 1997 Major League Soccer season marked the league's second year of operation, building upon the foundation laid in 1996. This season saw continued development in team structures, player performance, and fan engagement across the United States. The league comprised 10 teams, evenly divided into two conferences, competing over a 32-game regular season schedule.

Championship Dominance

D.C. United established itself as a dominant force in the nascent league, securing both the Supporters' Shield for the best regular-season record and defending their MLS Cup championship. This achievement marked them as the first team in MLS history to win consecutive league titles, showcasing remarkable consistency and strategic prowess.

League Dynamics

The season featured notable team name changes and legal considerations, such as the Kansas City Wiz rebranding as the Wizards. The league's competitive landscape was defined by close standings, with playoff berths hotly contested. The introduction of specific rules, like the absence of the away goals rule and the use of penalty shootouts to decide draws, shaped the tactical approaches of the participating clubs.

Home Venues

The 1997 MLS season utilized a range of stadiums across the United States, varying significantly in capacity and historical context. These venues served as the home grounds for the league's 10 franchises.

Stadium Data

The following table details the primary stadiums used by each team during the 1997 season, along with their reported capacities.

Team Stadium Capacity
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
New England Revolution Foxboro Stadium 60,292
NY/NJ MetroStars Giants Stadium 80,200
San Jose Clash Spartan Stadium 30,456
Tampa Bay Mutiny Houlihan's Stadium 74,301

Team Leadership

Effective management and leadership are crucial for team success. The following tables outline the head coaches, captains, and shirt sponsors for each club, as well as significant coaching changes that occurred during the 1997 season.

Head Coaches and Captains

The strategic direction and on-field leadership were provided by these individuals.

Team Head Coach Captain Shirt Sponsor
Colorado Rapids Glenn Myernick
Columbus Crew Tom Fitzgerald Marcelo Carrera Snickers
D.C. United Bruce Arena MasterCard
Dallas Burn Dave Dir
Kansas City Wizards Ron Newman โ€”
Los Angeles Galaxy Octavio Zambrano โ€”
New England Revolution Thomas Rongen โ€”
NY/NJ MetroStars Carlos Alberto Parreira Tony Meola Fujifilm
San Jose Clash Brian Quinn John Doyle Honda
Tampa Bay Mutiny John Kowalski

Coaching Transitions

The dynamic nature of professional sports often necessitates changes in coaching staff. The following table details significant coaching changes during the 1997 season.

Team Outgoing Coach Manner of Departure Date of Vacancy Incoming Coach Date of Appointment
Los Angeles Galaxy Lothar Osiander Fired June 10, 1997 Octavio Zambrano June 10, 1997
San Jose Clash Laurie Calloway Fired June 25, 1997 Brian Quinn June 25, 1997

League Standings

The 1997 season saw teams compete within their respective conferences, with overall standings reflecting the league-wide performance. D.C. United and Kansas City Wizards emerged as the top teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference saw D.C. United lead the pack, followed closely by Tampa Bay Mutiny and Columbus Crew, all qualifying for the playoffs.

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D.C. United 32 17 4 11 70 53 +17 55 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32 14 3 15 55 60 โˆ’5 45 MLS Cup Playoffs
3 Columbus Crew 32 12 3 17 42 41 +1 39 MLS Cup Playoffs
4 New England Revolution 32 11 4 17 40 53 โˆ’13 37 MLS Cup Playoffs
5 NY/NJ MetroStars 32 11 2 19 43 53 โˆ’10 35
Source: MLS

Western Conference

The Western Conference was led by the Kansas City Wizards, with Los Angeles Galaxy and Dallas Burn also securing playoff berths.

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Kansas City Wizards 32 14 7 11 57 51 +6 49 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 14 2 16 55 44 +11 44 MLS Cup Playoffs
3 Dallas Burn 32 13 3 16 55 49 +6 42 MLS Cup Playoffs
4 Colorado Rapids 32 12 2 18 50 59 โˆ’9 38 MLS Cup Playoffs
5 San Jose Clash 32 9 3 20 55 59 โˆ’4 30
Source: MLS

Overall Standings

The overall league standings highlight D.C. United's superior performance, securing the Supporters' Shield.

Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D.C. United (C, S) 32 17 4 11 70 53 +17 55 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 Kansas City Wizards 32 14 7 11 57 51 +6 49
3 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32 14 3 15 55 60 โˆ’5 45
4 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 14 2 16 55 44 +11 44
5 Dallas Burn 32 13 3 16 55 49 +6 42
6 Columbus Crew 32 12 3 17 42 41 +1 39
7 Colorado Rapids 32 12 2 18 50 59 โˆ’9 38 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
8 New England Revolution 32 11 4 17 40 53 โˆ’13 37
9 NY/NJ MetroStars 32 11 2 19 43 53 โˆ’10 35
10 San Jose Clash 32 9 3 20 55 59 โˆ’4 30
(C) = Champions, (S) = Supporters' Shield
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored

MLS Cup Playoffs

The culmination of the season was the MLS Cup Playoffs, featuring the top four teams from each conference. The playoff structure involved best-of-three series in the conference semifinals and finals, leading to the championship match.

Conference Semifinals

The initial playoff round saw intense matchups across both conferences.

D.C. United 4โ€“1 New England Revolution
  • Wegerle 13', 56'
  • Moreno 65', 76'
Report
  • Burns 89'
Referee: Tim Weyland
Attendance: 12,540
New England Revolution 1โ€“1 D.C. United
  • Moore 72'
Report
  • Williams 53'
Referee: Joshua Patlak
Attendance: 16,233

D.C. United wins series 2-0.


Tampa Bay Mutiny 1โ€“2 Columbus Crew
  • Gilmar 35'
Report
  • Farrell 11'
  • Wood 83'
Referee: Noel Kenny
Attendance: 8,272
Columbus Crew 2โ€“0 Tampa Bay Mutiny
  • McBride 43'
  • Warzycha 73'
Report
Referee: Joshua Patlak
Attendance: 13,102

Columbus Crew wins series 2-0.


Los Angeles Galaxy 0โ€“0 Dallas Burn
  • Penalty Shootout: LA 0โ€“2 DAL
Report
Referee: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 18,921
Colorado Rapids 3โ€“2 Los Angeles Galaxy
  • Patiรฑo 22'
  • Henderson 87'
Report
  • Takawira 9'
  • Preki 88'
Referee: Noel Kenny
Attendance: 18,452

Colorado Rapids wins series 2-0.


Kansas City Wizards 0โ€“3 Colorado Rapids
Report
  • Henderson 25'
  • Bravo 67'
  • Paule 75'
Referee: Brian Hall
Attendance: 10,174
Colorado Rapids 3โ€“2 Kansas City Wizards
  • Bravo 16', 68'
  • Harris 83'
Report
  • Takawira 9'
  • Preki 88'
Referee: Paul Tamberino
Attendance: 13,117

Colorado Rapids wins series 2-0.

Conference Finals

The winners advanced to face each other in the Conference Finals.

Dallas Burn 0โ€“1 Colorado Rapids
Report
  • Henderson 42'
Referee: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 7,376
Colorado Rapids 2โ€“1 Dallas Burn
  • Patiรฑo 22'
  • Henderson 87'
Report
  • รlvarez 5'
Referee: Noel Kenny
Attendance: 18,452

Colorado Rapids wins series 2-0.


D.C. United 3โ€“2 Columbus Crew
  • Sanneh 9', 45'
  • Dรญaz Arce 29'
Report
  • Farrell 57'
  • Dooley 73'
Referee: Kevin Terry
Attendance: 11,820
Columbus Crew 0โ€“1 D.C. United
Report
  • Dรญaz Arce 47'
Referee: Arturo Angeles
Attendance: 9,506

D.C. United wins series 2-0.

MLS Cup 1997

The championship match pitted the Eastern Conference champions against the Western Conference champions.

D.C. United 2โ€“1 Colorado Rapids
  • Moreno 37'
  • Sanneh 68'
Report
  • Paz 75'
Referee: Brian Hall
Attendance: 57,431

D.C. United are crowned MLS Cup Champions for the second consecutive year.

Player Statistics

Individual player performances were critical to team success. The following sections highlight the top performers in goals, assists, and clean sheets.

Top Goal Scorers

Jaime Moreno of D.C. United led the league in scoring with 16 goals.

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Jaime Moreno D.C. United 16
2 Raรบl Dรญaz Arce D.C. United 15
3 Giovanni Savarese NY/NJ MetroStars 14
4 Preki Kansas City Wizards 12
Ronald Cerritos San Jose Clash
Dante Washington Dallas Burn
7 Damiรกn รlvarez Dallas Burn 11
Wรฉlton Los Angeles Galaxy
9 Jeff Baicher San Jose Clash 10
Mark Chung Kansas City Wizards
Roy Lassiter Tampa Bay Mutiny
Lawrence Lozzano San Jose Clash

Top Assist Providers

Carlos Valderrama of the Tampa Bay Mutiny led the league in assists with 15.

Rank Player Club Assists
1 Carlos Valderrama Tampa Bay Mutiny 15
2 Preki Kansas City Wizards 12
Eddie Lewis San Jose Clash
4 Chris Henderson Colorado Rapids 9
Mauricio Cienfuegos Los Angeles Galaxy
6 Lawrence Lozzano San Jose Clash 8
Steve Ralston Tampa Bay Mutiny
Eric Wynalda San Jose Clash
Miles Joseph NY/NJ MetroStars
Adriรกn Paz Colorado Rapids

Clean Sheets

Brad Friedel of Columbus Crew recorded the most clean sheets with 7.

Rank Player Club Clean Sheets
1 Brad Friedel Columbus Crew 7
2 Walter Zenga New England Revolution 6
3 Mike Ammann Kansas City Wizards 5
Marcus Hahnemann Colorado Rapids
Tony Meola NY/NJ MetroStars
6 Jorge Campos Los Angeles Galaxy 4
7 Mark Dodd Dallas Burn 3
Mark Dougherty Tampa Bay Mutiny
Kevin Hartman Los Angeles Galaxy
Mark Simpson D.C. United

Individual Accolades

The league recognized outstanding individual performances through several prestigious awards.

Major Awards

The following players received top honors for their contributions during the 1997 season.

Award Player Club
Most Valuable Player Preki Kansas City Wizards
Defender of the Year Eddie Pope D.C. United
Goalkeeper of the Year Brad Friedel Columbus Crew
Rookie of the Year Steve Ralston Tampa Bay Mutiny
Top Scorer Award Jaime Moreno D.C. United
Coach of the Year Bruce Arena D.C. United

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the 1997 Major League Soccer season Wikipedia page

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Disclaimer

Important Notice

This document has been generated by an AI model, synthesizing information from publicly available data sources, primarily Wikipedia. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy and completeness, the content may not reflect the most current information or nuances of the subject matter.

This is not professional sports analysis or advice. The data presented, including statistics and historical accounts, should not be considered a substitute for expert consultation or official league documentation. Always refer to primary sources and qualified professionals for definitive information.

The creators of this page are not liable for any errors, omissions, or actions taken based on the information provided herein.