2000 Major League Soccer season
The 2000 Major League Soccer season was the 88th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 22nd with a national first-division league, and the fifth season of Major League Soccer. The regular season began on March 25 and continued through September 9, culminating with the 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs.
| Season | 2000 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | Kansas City Wizards (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Kansas City Wizards (1st shield) |
| Matches played | 192 |
| Goals scored | 612 (3.19 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mamadou Diallo Tampa Bay Mutiny Goals: 26 |
| Longest winning run | MetroStars Games: 5 (1 Jul – 2 Aug) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Kansas City Wizards Games: 12 (25 Mar – 4 Jun) |
| Longest losing run | San Jose Earthquakes Games: 6 (15 Jul – 19 Aug) |
| Highest attendance | Los Angeles Galaxy Season: 326,392 Game Avg.: 20,400 |
| Lowest attendance | Miami Fusion Season: 119,352 Game Avg.: 7,460 |
| Total attendance | 2,641,085 |
| Average attendance | 13,756 |
← 1999 2001 → | |

United
Fusion
Fire
Burn
Overview
Changes from 1999
Most notably the 2000 season marked the first time in Major League Soccer history (and the first season of American first division soccer since 1974), that ties were allowed to stand. Following a ten-minute sudden death extra time, rather than going to a penalty shoot-out, if two teams were tied, the tie would stand. Also, the league adopted the IFAB-standard running clock, as well as injury time.[1]
Additionally, the league broke into three separate divisions, the East, Central and West divisions. The league would use this format until 2002, when the two Florida franchises, Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion folded.
Standings
Eastern Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MetroStars | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 54 | Playoffs |
| 2 | New England Revolution | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 45 | |
| 3 | Miami Fusion | 32 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 54 | 56 | −2 | 41 | |
| 4 | D.C. United | 32 | 8 | 18 | 6 | 44 | 63 | −19 | 30 |
Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Fire | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 57 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 62 | 50 | +12 | 52 | |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 46 | |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 38 |
Western Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 47 | 29 | +18 | 57 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 50 | |
| 3 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 43 | |
| 4 | San Jose Earthquakes | 32 | 7 | 17 | 8 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 29 |
Overall standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards (SS, W1) | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 47 | 29 | +18 | 57 | 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | Chicago Fire (C1) | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 57 | |
| 3 | MetroStars (E1) | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 54 | 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 62 | 50 | +12 | 52 | |
| 5 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 50 | |
| 6 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 46 | |
| 7 | New England Revolution | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 45 | |
| 8 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 43 | |
| 9 | Miami Fusion | 32 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 54 | 56 | −2 | 41 | |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 38 | |
| 11 | D.C. United | 32 | 8 | 18 | 6 | 44 | 63 | −19 | 30 | |
| 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | 32 | 7 | 17 | 8 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 29 |
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head record; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored.
(SS) = MLS Supporters' Shield; (E1) = Eastern Division champion, (C1) = Central Division champion, (W1) = Western Division champion
Fixtures and results
Note: * = Match required extra time
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | MLS Cup 2000 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards (7 Points) | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Colorado Rapids (1 Points) | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards (SDET**) (4 Points) | 0 | 1 | 1** | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET*) (4 Points) | 0 | 2* | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tampa Bay Mutiny (0 Points) | 0 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Los Angeles Galaxy (6 Points) | 1 | 5 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Fire (6 Points) | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | New England Revolution (3 Points) | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Fire (6 Points) | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | MetroStars (3 Points) | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | MetroStars (ASDET*) (6 Points) | 2* | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas Burn (0 Points) | 1 | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
- Points system
Win = 3 Pts.
Loss = 0 Pts.
Draw = 1 Pt. - ASDET*=Added Sudden Death Extra Time (Game tie breaker)
SDET**=Sudden Death Extra Time (Series tie breaker)
Teams will advance at 5 points.
Quarterfinals
| Colorado Rapids | 0–1 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
| Molnar |
Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 8,682
| Kansas City Wizards | 0–0 | Colorado Rapids |
|---|---|---|
Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 8,789
| Colorado Rapids | 2–3 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
| Bravo |
Henderson Molnar Gomez |
Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 4,156
Kansas City Wizards advance 7–1 on points.
| New England Revolution | 1–2 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Harris |
Wright Kovalenko |
Chicago
Attendance: 10,476
| Chicago Fire | 1–2 | New England Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| Kovalenko |
Wynalda Wright |
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Attendance: 10,723
| New England Revolution | 0–6 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Razov Stoichkov Nowak George |
Chicago
Attendance: 5,972
Chicago Fire advance 6–3 on points.
| Dallas Burn | 1–1 (AET) 0–1 (ASDET) | MetroStars |
|---|---|---|
| Rhine |
Mathis Valencia |
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 14,868
| MetroStars | 2–1 | Dallas Burn |
|---|---|---|
| Mathis |
Rodríguez |
Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 7,555
MetroStars advance 6–0 on points.
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 1–0 | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
|---|---|---|
| Vanney |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2–5 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Diallo |
Hendrickson Kelly Hernández Cienfuegos Jones |
Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.
Semifinals
| MetroStars | 0–3 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Stoichkov Kovalenko Razov |
Chicago
Attendance: 7,141
| Chicago Fire | 0–2 | MetroStars |
|---|---|---|
| Chung Valencia |
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 15,476
| MetroStars | 2–3 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Valencia |
Brown Stoichkov Razov |
Chicago
Attendance: 10,133
Chicago Fire advance 6-3 on points.
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 0–0 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 11,815
| Kansas City Wizards | 1–1 (AET) 0–1 (ASDET) | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| McKeon |
Jones Califf |
Pasadena, California
Attendance: 20,849
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 0–1 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
| Molnar |
Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 8,320
Kansas City Wizards advance 1–0 in series overtime (SDET) after 4–4 tie on points.
MLS Cup 2000
| Kansas City Wizards | 1–0 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Molnar |
Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 39,159
Player awards
End-of-season awards
| Award | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Kansas City Wizards | |
| Scoring Champion | Tampa Bay Mutiny | |
| Defender of the Year | Kansas City Wizards | |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Kansas City Wizards | |
| Rookie of the Year | Chicago Fire | |
| Coach of the Year | Kansas City Wizards | |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Kansas City Wizards | |
| Goal of the Year | Colorado Rapids | |
| Fair Play Award | Tampa Bay Mutiny | |
| Humanitarian of the Year | San Jose Earthquakes |
Player statistics
Top goal scorers
| Position | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 26 | |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 18 | |
| 3 | LA Galaxy, MetroStars | 16 | |
| Miami Fusion | 16 | ||
| MetroStars | 16 | ||
| 6 | Dallas Burn | 15 | |
| Columbus Crew | 15 | ||
| New England Revolution | 15 | ||
| 9 | MetroStars | 13 | |
| 10 | Kansas City Wizards | 12 | |
| D.C. United | 12 |
Attendance
| Club | Games | Season | Game Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 16 | 326,392 | 20,400 |
| D.C. United | 16 | 297,279 | 18,580 |
| MetroStars | 16 | 281,938 | 17,621 |
| New England Revolution | 16 | 247,409 | 15,463 |
| Columbus Crew | 16 | 247,220 | 15,451 |
| Chicago Fire | 16 | 214,189 | 13,387 |
| Dallas Burn | 16 | 209,637 | 13,102 |
| Colorado Rapids | 16 | 201,280 | 12,580 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 16 | 199,364 | 12,460 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | 16 | 151,232 | 9,452 |
| Kansas City Wizards | 16 | 145,793 | 9,112 |
| Miami Fusion F.C. | 16 | 119,352 | 7,460 |
| OVERALL | 192 | 2,641,085 | 13,756 |
International Competition
- Los Angeles Galaxy
Defeated
Real C.D. España 5-3 in PK, 0-0 draw (Quarter-finals).
Defeated
D.C. United 4-2 in PK, 1-1 draw (Semi-finals).
Defeated
C.D. Olimpia 3-2 in regulation (Final). - D.C. United
Defeated
L.D. Alajuelense 2-1 (Quarter-finals).
Lost
Los Angeles Galaxy 4-2 in PK, 1-1 draw (Semi-finals).
Coaches
References
- "About MLS". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2000. Retrieved March 1, 2021.