2000 Major League Soccer season


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, 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

Season format

The season began on March 18 and concluded with MLS Cup on October 15. The 12 teams were split into three divisions. Each team played 32 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in their division four times, for a total of 12 games. The remaining schedule consisted of three games against four select opponents in one of the other divisions, and two games against the remaining four teams.
The eight teams with the most points qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The quarterfinals and semifinals were played as a best-of-three series, and the winners advanced to MLS Cup. In all rounds, draws were broken by penalty shootout 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. The winner of MLS Cup, and the runner-up, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

Stadiums and locations

TeamStadiumCapacity
Chicago FireSoldier Field66,944
Colorado RapidsMile High Stadium76,273
Columbus CrewColumbus Crew Stadium22,555
D.C. UnitedRFK Stadium46,000
Dallas BurnCotton Bowl92,100
Kansas City WizardsArrowhead Stadium81,425
Los Angeles GalaxyRose Bowl92,542
Miami FusionLockhart Stadium20,450
New England RevolutionFoxboro Stadium60,292
MetroStarsGiants Stadium80,200
San Jose EarthquakesSpartan Stadium30,456
Tampa Bay MutinyRaymond James Stadium69,218

Personnel and sponsorships

Coaching changes

Standings

Eastern Division

Central Division

Western Division

Overall standings

Fixtures and results

Note: * = Match required extra time

MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket

  • Points system
Win = 3 Pts.
Loss = 0 Pts.
Draw = 1 Pt.
SDET**=Sudden death extra time
'''Teams will advance at 5 points.'''

Quarterfinals

Kansas City Wizards advance 7–1 on points.
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Chicago Fire advance 6–3 on points.
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MetroStars advance 6–0 on points.
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'''Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.'''

Semifinals

Chicago Fire advance 6-3 on points.
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'''Kansas City Wizards advance 1–0 in series overtime after 4–4 tie on points.'''

MLS Cup

Player statistics

Goals

Hat-tricks

PlayerClubAgainstResultDate

Assists

Clean sheets

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player

Best XI

Player of the Month

Attendance