MLS Site: http://www.mlssoccer.com/
Important Information
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league representing the sport's highest level in the United States and Canada. Sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer), the league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, MLS is a single entity where each team is owned and controlled by the league's investors. The league's closed membership makes it one of the world's few soccer leagues not using promotion and relegation. The first season took place in 1996 beginning with ten teams. Seasons presently run from March to December, with each team playing 34 games in the regular season. Ten teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup.
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. Akin to the minor premiership of Australasian sports (called a "premiership" by the A-League) and similar to the President's Trophy of the NHL, the Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1999, and has been recognized as a major trophy by the league. Since 2006, the Supporters' Shield winner has earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. With four regular season titles each, D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy have won the most Supporters' Shields of any MLS team. The San Jose Earthquakes are the defending 2012 Supporters' Shield winners.
2012 Year in Review:
MLS Championship: L.A. Galaxy
Supporters' Shield Winner: San Jose Earthquakes
US Open Cup Winner: Sporting Kansas City
MLS Cup 2012, the 17th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was a rematch between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2012 season. The match was played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on December 1, 2012. Los Angeles defeated Houston 3–1 giving the Galaxy their second-straight league title and their fourth overall. For the first time in MLS Cup history, the championship was not held at a predetermined neutral site. Instead, the match venue was held in the home stadium of the finalist with the best regular season record, in this case The Home Depot Center (Los Angeles), which broke the MLS record for hosting the most MLS Cup matches (5). The game was a rematch of the 2011 MLS Cup, won 1–0 by the Galaxy. As MLS Cup finalists, both Houston and Los Angeles qualified for the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (champion in Pot A, runner-up in Pot B).
Supporters' Shield Winner: San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes won the 2012 Supporters' Shield with solid play and on the back of Chris Wondolowski and his MLS record tying 27 goals in a season. Sporting Kansas City was the last remaining team with a chance of overhauling San Jose's 64 points, but a 0-0 draw with the New York Red Bulls made that scenario mathematically impossible, with one game remaining in the regular season. San Jose was nigh unbeatable in their own house ending 2012 with 10 home wins, 1 loss, and 6 draws.
US Open Cup Winner: Sporting Kansas City
The 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 99th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from May through early August. The Seattle Sounders FC, of Major League Soccer entered the competition as the three-time defending champions, making this tournament the first domestic tournament since 1970 that a team enters the tournament as the three-time defending winners. They appeared in their fourth consecutive U.S. Open Cup Final, losing to Sporting Kansas City on August 8, 2012. For the 2012 tournament, U.S. Soccer increased the main tournament from a 40-club tournament, to a 64-club tournament. All Major League Soccer clubs based in the U.S. received automatic berths. This made the U.S. Open Cup very similar to other domestic knock-out competitions where all top tier clubs earn automatic berths. The winner, Sporting Kansas City, received a cash prize of $100k and will also qualify for the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (placed in Pot B).
MLS Team Listings
Major League Soccer's regular season runs from March to October with its 19 teams playing 34 games in an unbalanced schedule. Teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conference.
------ Eastern Conference -----
Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact
Logos link to each team's MLS site*:
Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact
Logos link to each team's MLS site*:
------ Western Conference ------
Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, L.A. Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps
Logos link to each team's MLS site*:
Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, L.A. Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps
Logos link to each team's MLS site*:
Concurrent tournaments
- 2014 World Cup Qualifying: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html/
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament. The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament. The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).
- US Open Cup: http://thecup.us/
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. and is currently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League Soccer. The Open Cup was first held in 1913–14, when it was called the National Challenge Cup.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. and is currently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League Soccer. The Open Cup was first held in 1913–14, when it was called the National Challenge Cup.
- CONCACAF: http://www.concacaf.com/
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, commonly known as CONCACAF; is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, commonly known as CONCACAF; is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
- CONCACAF Champion's League: http://www.concacafchampions.com/
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: http://www.goldcup.org/
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is held every two years. When it does not fall the same year as an edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, the winner, or highest placed team that is a member of both CONCACAF and FIFA, qualifies for the next staging of that tournament.
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: http://www.goldcup.org/
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is held every two years. When it does not fall the same year as an edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, the winner, or highest placed team that is a member of both CONCACAF and FIFA, qualifies for the next staging of that tournament.
* Thanks to Akim who's hard work I shamelessly stole without permission from the 2012 thread.
