2008 Major League Soccer season
13th season of Major League Soccer
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The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 96th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 30th with a national first-division league.
 | |
| Season | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 14 |
| MLS Cup | Columbus Crew (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Columbus Crew (2nd shield) |
| Champions League | Columbus Crew New York Red Bulls Houston Dynamo D.C. United |
| SuperLiga | Chicago Fire N.E. Revolution Chivas USA Kansas City Wizards |
| Matches | 210 |
| Goals | 591 (2.81 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy Goals: 20 |
| Biggest home win | COL 4–0 LA CHI 4–0 NE RSL 4–0 DCU |
| Biggest away win | FCD 1–5 LA NY 1–5 CHI |
| Highest scoring | NY 4–5 COL |
| Longest winning run | 5 games: Columbus Crew |
| Longest unbeaten run | 9 games: Columbus Crew San Jose Earthquakes |
| Longest losing run | 4 games: D.C. United |
| Highest attendance | LA @ NY: 46,754 |
| Lowest attendance | CLB @ CHV: 6,733 |
| Total attendance | 3,461,013 |
| Average attendance | 16,481 |
← 2007 2009 → | |
The San Jose Earthquakes returned to the league, following a two-year hiatus that began after the 2005 season.
The Kansas City Wizards left Arrowhead Stadium and moved to the Kansas side of the metropolitan area, occupying CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City. The league also debuted its newest soccer-specific stadium in October when Real Salt Lake opened Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The regular season began on March 29, and concluded on October 26. The 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 30, and concluded with MLS Cup 2008 on November 23. The Columbus Crew captured the league double by winning their second Supporters' Shield and by defeating the New York Red Bulls, 3-1, in MLS Cup.
Overview
Season format
The season began on March 29 and concluded with MLS Cup on November 23. The 14 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 30 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games. The remaining four games were played against four regional rivals, two at home and two away.
The top three teams from each conference automatically qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the two highest remaining point totals, regardless of conference, also qualified. In the first round, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners. The conference finals were played as a single match, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken with two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks 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 for the CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. An additional berth in the Champions League was also awarded to the winner of the U.S. Open Cup. If a team qualified for multiple berths into the Champions League, then additional berths were awarded to the highest overall finishing MLS team(s) not already qualified. Also, Toronto FC, as a Canadian-based team, could not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS, and had to instead qualify through the Canadian Championship.
Automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup was awarded to the top six overall finishers, as opposed to the top three finishers in each conference. The rest of the U.S.-based MLS teams had to qualify for the remaining two berths via a series of play-in games.
Due to fixture congestion, qualification for the SuperLiga was limited to the top four overall finishers not already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. This applied retroactively to the 2008 season, and thus was related to qualification for MLS teams to SuperLiga 2009.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | Toyota Park | 20,000 |
| Chivas USA | Home Depot Center | 27,000 |
| Colorado Rapids | Dick's Sporting Goods Park | 18,061 |
| Columbus Crew | Columbus Crew Stadium | 22,555 |
| D.C. United | RFK Stadium | 46,000 |
| FC Dallas | Pizza Hut Park | 21,193 |
| Houston Dynamo | Robertson Stadium | 32,000 |
| Kansas City Wizards | CommunityAmerica Ballpark | 10,385 |
| LA Galaxy | Home Depot Center | 27,000 |
| New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium | 68,756 |
| New York Red Bulls | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| Real Salt Lake | Rice-Eccles Stadium Rio Tinto Stadium |
45,017 20,213 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Buck Shaw Stadium | 10,525 |
| Toronto FC | BMO Field | 21,566 |
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Dallas |  Steve Morrow |
Fired | May 20, 2008 |  Marco Ferruzzi |
May 20, 2008 |
| FC Dallas | Marco Ferruzzi |
End of interim period | June 16, 2008 | Schellas Hyndman |
June 16, 2008 |
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 • 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 Fire | RSL | NE | SJ | KC | COL | NE | DC | HOU | NY | DC | DAL | CHV | SJ | CLB | TOR | RSL | KC | CHV | NE | DC | LA | HOU | NY | COL | DAL | LA | KC | CLB | TOR | NY |
| 1-1 | 0-4 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 5-1 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 4-1 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 2-5 | |
| Chivas USA | DAL | RSL | CLB | DAL | LA | HOU | NE | DC | COL | CLB | NY | RSL | CHI | NY | SJ | LA | CHI | KC | LA | HOU | SJ | TOR | TOR | NE | RSL | KC | DC | SJ | COL | HOU |
| 1-1 | 1-3 | 3-4 | 2-0 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 1-3 | 2-1 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3-1 | 0-4 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 1-1 | |
| Colorado Rapids | LA | KC | NE | SJ | CHI | DC | HOU | RSL | CHV | DAL | LA | TOR | HOU | CLB | NY | SJ | DAL | CLB | TOR | KC | DC | RSL | DAL | CHI | NE | NY | HOU | LA | CHV | RSL |
| 0-4 | 2-3 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-4 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-0 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 5-4 | 3-1 | 2-3 | 2-1 | 1-1 | |
| Columbus Crew | TOR | NY | CHV | DC | HOU | KC | SJ | TOR | NE | CHV | SJ | KC | LA | COL | CHI | RSL | KC | COL | HOU | DAL | RSL | DAL | NE | TOR | NY | NE | LA | CHI | NY | DC |
| 0-2 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 3-2 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 3-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 3-3 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 2-1 | 0-4 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 0-1 | |
| D.C. United | KC | TOR | RSL | CLB | RSL | COL | CHI | CHV | TOR | TOR | NE | CHI | NY | SJ | LA | HOU | KC | NY | CHI | NE | COL | NY | SJ | DAL | LA | DAL | CHV | HOU | NE | CLB |
| 0-2 | 1-4 | 0-4 | 2-1 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 1-4 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 4-1 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 2-5 | 0-3 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | |
| FC Dallas | CHV | HOU | NY | CHV | NE | SJ | RSL | LA | RSL | HOU | COL | NE | CHI | NY | HOU | KC | COL | LA | TOR | CLB | KC | CLB | COL | DC | CHI | DC | SJ | TOR | RSL | LA |
| 1-1 | 3-3 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 5-1 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 2-0 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 4-1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 2-2 | |
| Houston Dynamo | NE | DAL | KC | LA | CLB | CHV | COL | CHI | SJ | DAL | NY | TOR | NE | COL | DAL | RSL | DC | CLB | RSL | CHV | NY | CHI | KC | SJ | TOR | COL | DC | SJ | LA | CHV |
| 0-3 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 0-4 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 1-1 | |
| Kansas City Wizards | DC | COL | NE | HOU | CHI | TOR | CLB | NY | LA | RSL | CLB | TOR | RSL | DAL | NY | CLB | CHI | DC | CHV | COL | DAL | SJ | HOU | LA | TOR | CHV | CHI | NE | SJ | NE |
| 0-2 | 2-3 | 3-1 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 3-1 | |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | COL | SJ | TOR | HOU | CHV | RSL | NY | DAL | KC | TOR | COL | SJ | CLB | DC | NE | CHV | NY | DAL | SJ | CHV | CHI | NE | RSL | KC | DC | CHI | CLB | COL | HOU | DAL |
| 0-4 | 0-2 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 2-5 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 5-1 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-3 | 3-0 | 3-3 | 1-4 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0-3 | 2-2 | |
| New England Revolution | HOU | CHI | KC | COL | NY | DAL | CHI | CHV | SJ | CLB | DC | DAL | HOU | NY | RSL | TOR | LA | CHI | SJ | DC | TOR | LA | CLB | CHV | COL | CLB | RSL | KC | DC | KC |
| 0-3 | 0-4 | 3-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 0-2 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 0-4 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 3-1 | |
| New York Red Bulls | CLB | DAL | NE | SJ | TOR | LA | KC | CHI | HOU | CHV | DC | NE | DAL | CHV | COL | KC | LA | SJ | DC | TOR | HOU | DC | CHI | RSL | CLB | COL | TOR | RSL | CLB | CHI |
| 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 5-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 4-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 5-4 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 2-5 | |
| Real Salt Lake | CHI | CHV | DC | TOR | DC | LA | DAL | COL | DAL | SJ | KC | CHV | SJ | NE | KC | HOU | CLB | CHI | TOR | HOU | CLB | COL | LA | NY | CHV | SJ | NE | NY | DAL | COL |
| 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 1-1 | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | LA | CHI | COL | NY | DAL | CLB | NE | HOU | RSL | CLB | LA | RSL | DC | CHI | CHV | COL | TOR | NY | LA | NE | CHV | KC | DC | HOU | RSL | DAL | CHV | HOU | KC | TOR |
| 0-2 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 3-2 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2-3 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 3-2 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 0-2 | |
| Toronto FC | CLB | DC | LA | RSL | KC | NY | CLB | DC | DC | LA | HOU | COL | KC | NE | CHI | SJ | RSL | DAL | COL | NY | NE | CHV | CHV | CLB | KC | HOU | NY | DAL | CHI | SJ |
| 0-2 | 1-4 | 3-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0-2 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 0-2 | |
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 57 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | |
| 4 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | |
| 6 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | |
| 7 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 7 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
Overall standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Crew (C, S) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 57 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | North American SuperLiga |
| 4 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 5 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | |
| 6 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | |
| 7 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 10 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 11 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 | CONCACAF Champions League[a] |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:
- As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship
MLS Cup playoffs
| Conference semifinals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | |||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus Crew | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Kansas City Wizards | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus Crew | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago Fire | 1 | |||||||||||||
| E3 | New England Revolution | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago Fire | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus Crew | 3 | |||||||||||||
| W4 | New York Red Bulls | 1 | |||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston Dynamo | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | New York Red Bulls1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | New York Red Bulls | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||
| W3 | Real Salt Lake | 0 | |||||||||||||
| W3 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Chivas USA | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||
1 The New York Red Bulls earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.
Player statistics
Goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landon Donovan |
LA Galaxy | 20 |
| 2 | Kenny Cooper |
FC Dallas | 18 |
| 3 | Edson Buddle |
LA Galaxy | 15 |
| 4 |  Juan Pablo Ángel |
New York Red Bulls | 14 |
| 5 | Brian Ching |
Houston Dynamo | 13 |
| 6 |  Luciano Emilio |
D.C. United | 11 |
| Conor Casey |
Colorado Rapids | ||
| 8 |  Jaime Moreno |
D.C. United | 10 |
| 9 | Chad Barrett |
Chicago Fire Toronto FC |
9 |
| Chris Rolfe |
Chicago Fire |
Assists
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Busch |
Chicago Fire | 10 |
| Kevin Hartman |
Kansas City Wizards | ||
| Will Hesmer |
Columbus Crew | ||
| 4 | Joe Cannon |
San Jose Earthquakes | 9 |
| 5 | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake | 8 |
| 6 | Jon Conway |
New York Red Bulls | 7 |
 Pat Onstad |
Houston Dynamo | ||
 Darío Sala |
FC Dallas | ||
| 9 | Matt Reis |
New England Revolution | 6 |
| Greg Sutton |
Toronto FC | ||
Awards
Individual awards
MLS Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Busch, Chicago |
Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Chad Marshall, Columbus Bakary Soumaré, Chicago |
 Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Shalrie Joseph, New England Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA Robbie Rogers, Columbus Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus |
Kenny Cooper, Dallas Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy |
Player of the Month
| Week | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| April | Landon Donovan |
LA Galaxy |
| May | Cuauhtémoc Blanco |
Chicago Fire |
| June | Luciano Emilio |
D.C. United |
| July | Nick Rimando |
Real Salt Lake |
| August | Guillermo Barros Schelotto |
Columbus Crew |
| September |  Darren Huckerby |
San Jose Earthquakes |
| October | Juan Pablo Ángel |
New York Red Bulls |
Weekly awards
Attendance
| Rank | Team | GP | Cumulative | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Galaxy | 15 | 390,762 | 27,000 | 20,426 | 22,986 |
| 2 | Toronto FC | 15 | 303,623 | 22,264 | 19,657 | 17,860 |
| 3 | D.C. United | 15 | 297,531 | 35,979 | 13,329 | 17,502 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 15 | 263,706 | 54,045 | 7,606 | 15,512 |
| 5 | Chicago Fire | 15 | 255,618 | 20,492 | 13,274 | 15,036 |
| 6 | Houston Dynamo | 15 | 254,093 | 30,361 | 10,908 | 14,947 |
| 7 | Real Salt Lake | 15 | 242,619 | 26,391 | 10,333 | 14,272 |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 238,925 | 46,754 | 9,053 | 14,054 |
| 9 | Chivas USA | 15 | 226,717 | 27,000 | 10,267 | 13,336 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 15 | 219,332 | 22,685 | 6,733 | 12,902 |
| 11 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 205,875 | 39,872 | 9,046 | 12,110 |
| 12 | Colorado Rapids | 15 | 205,114 | 18,943 | 10,609 | 12,066 |
| 13 | FC Dallas | 15 | 196,455 | 23,500 | 7,103 | 11,556 |
| 14 | Kansas City Wizards | 15 | 160,384 | 26,211 | 8,096 | 9,434 |
| Total | 210 | 3,461,013 | 54,045 | 6,733 | 16,481 | |
Related competitions
International competitions
CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2008
The Houston Dynamo and D.C. United earned berths in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup by virtue of their MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield wins, respectively. Houston and D.C. were both victorious in their quarterfinal ties and advanced to the semifinals. For the second straight year, however, both lost their respective semifinals, and were eliminated.
SuperLiga 2008
D.C. United, Chivas USA, the New England Revolution, and the Houston Dynamo were MLS's entrants into SuperLiga 2008, based on their top-four finish in the 2007 regular season.
Following the Group Stage, which took place from July 12 to July 20, Houston and New England each won their respective groups to advance to the Semifinals, where they faced 2007 champion Pachuca on July 29 and Atlante on July 30, respectively. D.C. United finished last and Chivas USA finished third in their respective groups and failed to advance.
Both MLS teams were victorious in the Semifinals, setting up a rematch of the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups in the Final on August 5 at Gillette Stadium.
The teams played to a 2–2 draw after extra time. New England eventually defeated Houston 6–5 on penalty kicks.
CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09
The Houston Dynamo (MLS Cup winner), D.C. United (Supporters' Shield Winner), the New England Revolution (U.S. Open Cup winner and MLS Cup runner-up), and Chivas USA (Supporters' Shield runner-up) were the representatives in the rebranded successor to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
New England and Chivas USA entered at the preliminary round, and were eliminated over two legs by Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago and Tauro of Panama, respectively.
D.C. and Houston were seeded into the Group Stage as the top seeds in Groups A and B, respectively.
D.C. was eliminated from Group A with two games remaining in group play, while Houston qualified for the Championship Round with a 1–0 win in their last match against Luis Ángel Firpo on November 26, which was postponed from Matchday 1 due to Hurricane Ike.
Houston was eliminated in the Quarterfinals over two legs by Atlante.
National competitions
2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
MLS awarded the top three finishers in each conference last season automatic berths into the 2008 U.S. Open Cup's Third Round. D.C. United, the New England Revolution, and the New York Red Bulls qualified from the Eastern Conference while Chivas USA, the Houston Dynamo, and FC Dallas qualified from the Western Conference. The rest of MLS's U.S.-based teams would have to compete for the final two berths into the third round via a seven-team playoff. Eventually Chicago Fire and the Kansas City Wizards qualified by beating the Columbus Crew and the Colorado Rapids respectively.
Each of the qualified MLS teams was matched up against the winner of a Second Round game, all of whom came from either one of the USL's three divisions or the USASA, in the third round on July 1. Three MLS teams were eliminated by these lower division clubs. Chivas USA was eliminated by USL-1's Seattle Sounders, the New York Red Bulls were upset by Crystal Palace Baltimore of USL-2, and the Houston Dynamo lost a penalty shootout to the USL-1's Charleston Battery.
In the Quarterfinals on July 8, FC Dallas and the Kansas City Wizards were eliminated by the Charleston Battery and the Seattle Sounders, respectively. This meant an MLS team, either D.C. United or the New England Revolution would face a USL-1 team in the final.
In the Semifinals on August 12, D.C. United upset the Open Cup holding Revolution by a score of 3 to 1. This earned United a berth in the final against the USL-1's Charleston Battery on September 3 at RFK Stadium.
In the Final on September 3, D.C. United won their second U.S. Open Cup in a 2–1 win over the Charleston Battery.
2008 Canadian Championship
Due to the fact that none of the Canadian teams playing in the American soccer pyramid can qualify for Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League through their leagues or the U.S. Open Cup, the Canadian Soccer Association was forced to develop a tournament to determine the country's representative in the Champions League. The country's top three teams, MLS's Toronto FC and the USL-1's Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC were entered into the inaugural Canadian Championship. The tournament was played as a double round robin group from May 27 to July 22. The Montreal Impact finished first, claiming the Canadian berth in the Champions League.
All-Star game
The 2008 MLS All-Star Game was held at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, home of Toronto FC, on July 24.[1] The opponent was West Ham United, of England's Premier League. It was the first time that the game was played outside the United States.
The game was won by the MLS All-Stars by a score of 3–2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco was named MVP of the game after assisting the All-Stars' first goal and scoring their second.
See also
