| Season | 2000 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | Kansas City Wizards (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Kansas City Wizards (1st shield) |
| 2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup | Kansas City Wizards Chicago Fire |
| 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
The 2000 Major League Soccer season was the fifth season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 88th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 22nd with a national first-division league.
The 2000 season marked the first time in league 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, a point was awarded to both teams. Additionally, the league was divided into three separate divisions, the East, Central and West divisions.
The San Jose Clash rebranded as the Earthquakes, a throwback to the NASL team of the same name.
The regular season began on March 18, and concluded on September 9. The 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs began on September 14, and concluded with MLS Cup 2000 on October 15. The Kansas City Wizards won their first MLS Cup with a victory over the Chicago Fire.
Overview
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | Soldier Field | 66,944 |
| Colorado Rapids | Mile High Stadium | 76,273 |
| Columbus Crew | Columbus Crew Stadium | 22,555 |
| 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 |
| Miami Fusion | Lockhart Stadium | 20,450 |
| New England Revolution | Foxboro Stadium | 60,292 |
| MetroStars | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | Raymond James Stadium | 69,218 |
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Fusion | Fired | May 8, 2000 | May 8, 2000 |
Standings
Eastern Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MetroStars | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 54 | MLS Cup 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 | MLS Cup 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 | MLS Cup 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 (C, S) | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 47 | 29 | +18 | 57 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 57 | |
| 3 | MetroStars | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 54 | |
| 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: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champion; (S) Supporters' Shield
Fixtures and results
Note: * = Match required extra time
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | MLS Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| 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, Illinois
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, Illinois
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, Illinois
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, Illinois
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
| Kansas City Wizards | 1–0 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Molnar |
Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 39,159
Player statistics
Goals
Assists
Clean Sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Wizards | 16 | |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 7 | |
| LA Galaxy | |||
| Dallas Burn | |||
| 5 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 6 | |
| 6 | Chicago Fire | 5 | |
| 7 | MetroStars | 4 | |
| Colorado Rapids | |||
| 9 | New England Revolution | 3 | |
| Columbus Crew | |||
Awards
Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
Attendance
| Team | Games | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 16 | 119,352 | 7,460 |
| Totals | 192 | 2,641,085 | 13,756 |
References
- MLS Site Archived August 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine