THE MLS ALL TIME RANKINGS
Links:
Implausible Dreams (Home)
World Cup Resource
The Red Book (Dallas Burn)
Chaotica (Music, Etc.)
For those who read 3rd Degree
, you are familiar with my Weekly MLS Rankings. Here is
another ranking system, this time for the All-Time MLS Ranking.
Please find below: Rankings
| The System
| Awards
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
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Team
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Totals
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Average
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Chicago Fire
|
NA
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NA
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27
|
10
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24
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17
|
5
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26
|
|
109
|
18.17
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Los Angeles Galaxy
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15
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8
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10
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18
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13
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27
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27
|
5
|
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123
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15.38
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DC United
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24
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27
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23
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25
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3
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6
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1
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8
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117
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14.63
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Dallas Burn
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9
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16
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9
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14
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9
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7
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11
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1
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76
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9.5
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Columbus Crew
|
4
|
8
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16
|
12
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5
|
12
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15
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3
|
|
75
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9.38
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Miami Fusion FC
|
NA
|
NA
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
19
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
38
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9.5
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Kansas City Wizards
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9
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10
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2
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2
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25
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7
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6
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10
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71
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8.88
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San Jose EarthQuakes
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6
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2
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4
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6
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2
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20
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11
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19
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70
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8.75
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Tampa Bay Mutiny
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16
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10
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5
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7
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10
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1
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NA
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NA
|
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49
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8.17
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Colorado Rapids
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2
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10
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9
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13
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6
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2
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11
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7
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60
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7.5
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NY/NJ MetroStars
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5
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4
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10
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1
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15
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8
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3
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12
|
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58
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7.25
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New England Revolution
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2
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4
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1
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3
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7
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9
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12
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12
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|
50
|
6.25
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Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League)
|
3
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7
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10
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1.25
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Charleston Battery (A-League)
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2
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1
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3
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0.38
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Milwaukee Rampage (A-League)
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1
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1
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2
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0.25
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Pittsburgh Riverdogs (A-League)
|
|
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2
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2
|
0.25
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Richmond Kickers (A-League)
|
|
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2
|
|
|
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2
|
0.25
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San Francisco Bay Seals (D3 Pro League)
|
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2
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|
|
|
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|
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2
|
0.25
|
Long Island RoughRiders (A-League)
|
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1
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|
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|
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1
|
0.13
|
Chicago Stingers (D3 Pro League)
|
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1
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1
|
0.13
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Nashville Metro (A-League)
|
|
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1
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|
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1
|
0.13
|
Staten Island Vipers (A-League)
|
|
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1
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1
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0.13
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El Paso Patriots (A-League)
|
|
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1
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|
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1
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0.13
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Seattle Sounders Select (PDL)
|
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1
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1
|
0.13
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Connecticut Wolves (A-League)
|
|
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1
|
|
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1
|
0.13
|
Hershey Wildcats (A-League)
|
|
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1
|
|
|
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1
|
0.13
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Seattle Sounders (A-League)
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|
|
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1
|
|
1
|
0.13
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Wilmington Hammerheads (PDL)
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|
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1
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1
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0.13
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Rankings
| The System
| Awards
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
| Back to Top
|
THE SYSTEM
In putting this system together, I tried to create something
that would accurately reflect all of the aspects of playing as an MLS
team -- regular season, MLS playoffs, the USOC, and other competitions.
Unfortunately, since MLS hasn't always had the same number of teams,
and the USOC hasn't been uniformly formatted, the system is not perfect.
This is the best I have come up with so far.
As such, each team gets:
An inverted point for every place in the end of the year standings
(1st place gets 10 or 12 points, depending on how many teams are in that
year, 1 point for last place.) [L-Place]
A point for making the MLS Playoffs. [L-P]
Two points for winning an MLS playoff quarterfinal. [L-QF]
Three points for winning an MLS playoff semifinal. [L-SF]
Four points for winning the MLS Cup. [L-F]
Three points for winning the Supporters Shield. [SS]
One point for every US Open Cup quarterfinal or other non-semi
or final win (i.e., Round of 32, Round of 16.) [OC QF/O]
Two points for every US Open Cup semifinal win. [OC SF]
Three points for winning the US Open Cup. [OC F]
Three points for any inter-league championship (InterAmerica
Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, etc.) [Other]
I do not include any recognition for division or conference "championships."
Most of that 'honor' plays itself out in the playoff system. If
anything, I might reconsider adding a point for that, but for no other
reason than the conferences and divisions (and number of said groups)
have changed from year to year, it is difficult to find a way to give
that equal weight.
Notice that since you can get points for winning US Open Cup
matches, I will go ahead and include other teams that get points in this
system even if they are not MLS squads. In certain years, there
are A-League teams that do better than some MLS sides.
Two other points regarding the US Open Cup. One -- I begin
counting games when the MLS sides join in. Winning a match between
a USASA side and a PDL side doesn't mean all that much. But Rochester
beating everyone on the way to winning the Open Cup in 1999 means something
since they had to go through a few MLS teams to get there. Two --
I know that this system punishes teams that did not play in the Open Cup.
Whether by choice or because they didn't qualify, those teams that
did not participate had a rest advantage on the teams that did play
in the Open Cup, so in that sense I believe it balances out. Besides,
teams should play in the Open Cup.
Also note that I have included a link to David Litterer's American
Soccer History pages Year In Review for each year.
Finally, I found it very interesting that as I played with the
numbers some to see how changing certain factors affected things, little
changed at the top and bottom -- almost no matter what I did.
Needless to say, this is a somewhat imperfect system. I
am more than willing to listen to suggestions, and if you have one, please
let me know. Email me here
to pass on your suggestions or comments.
|
Rankings
| The System
| Awards
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
| Back to Top
DC United (8)
|
1996 MLS, 1996 Open; 1997 Shield,
1997 MLS; 1998 CONCACAF Champions,1998 InterAmerica Cup; 1999 Shield,
1999 MLS
|
Los Angeles Galaxy (5)
|
1998 Shield; 2001 CONCACAF Champions,
2001 Open; 2002 Shield, 2002 MLS
|
Chicago Fire (5)
|
1998 MLS, 1998 Open; 2000 Open; 2003
Shied, 2003 Open
|
San Jose EarthQuakes (2)
|
2001 MLS; 2003 MLS
|
Kansas City Wizards (2)
|
2000 Shield, 2000 MLS
|
Columbus Crew (1)
|
2002 Open
|
Dallas Burn (1)
|
1997 Open
|
Miami Fusion FC (1)
|
2001 Shield
|
Tampa Bay Mutiny (1)
|
1996 Shield
|
(Rochester Raging Rhinos) (1)
|
1999 Open
|
Rankings
| The System
| Awards
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
| Back to Top
|
L-Place
|
L-P
|
L-QF
|
L-SF
|
L-F
|
SS
|
OC QF/O
|
OC SF
|
OC F
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Other
|
Totals
|
Tampa Bay
|
10
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1
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2
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3
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16
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Los Angeles
|
9
|
1
|
2
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3
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15
|
DC
|
8
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
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1
|
2
|
3
|
|
24
|
Dallas
|
7
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
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9
|
Kansas City
|
6
|
1
|
2
|
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9
|
San Jose
|
5
|
1
|
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6
|
NY/NJ
|
4
|
1
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5
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Columbus
|
3
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1
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4
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New England
|
2
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2
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Colorado
|
1
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1
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2
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Rochester
|
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1
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2
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3
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Notes
Shield -- Tampa Bay Mutiny
League -- DC United
US Open Cup -- DC United
Other -- N/A
League Standings
| League
Schedule
|
US Open Cup
| Litterer's
Year In Review
AND SO IT BEGINS
In Major League Soccer's first year, the Supporters' Shield
did not yet exist and only five MLS sides participated in the US Open
Cup, with the Tampa Bay Mutiny being upset by the Rochester Raging Rhino's
of the A-League.
At the same time, this was the debut of a league which would eventually
show great promise and talent to the world -- most recently at the 2002
World Cup in Korea/Japan, where a team full of current, future and former
MLSers downed dark horse candidate Portugal and Group G winner, Mexico.
Frankie Hejduk, who began his career playing for the Tampa Bay Mutiny
in 1996, as well as Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, Tony Sanneh, Cobi Jones, Eddie
Lewis, Carlos Llamosa, Tony Meola and of course, both Brian McBride and
the Man from Mars, Brad Friedel -- both playing for the Columbus Crew --
all played in MLS in 1996. Add in the youngsters to come in Landon
Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley, Clint Mathis and Josh Wolff, as well as Joe-Max
Moore and Pablo Mastroeni, and you have only seven players on the US 23
man squad in Korea who had never worn an MLS kit.
|
Rankings
| The System
| Awards
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
| Back to Top
|