1996 Major League Soccer season

The 1996 Major League Soccer season was the inaugural season of Major League Soccer. It was the 84th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 18th with a national first-division league.

1996 Major League Soccer season
Season1996
MLS CupD.C. United (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldTampa Bay Mutiny (1st shield)
CONCACAF Champions' CupD.C. United
Los Angeles Galaxy
Matches played160
Goals scored539 (3.37 per match)
Top goalscorerRoy Lassiter
(27 goals)
Longest winning runLos Angeles Galaxy
Games: 12
(04/13 – 06/30)
Longest losing runColumbus Crew
Games: 6
(05/15 – 06/22)
Highest attendance92,216
LA 2–2 TB
(June 16, 1996)
Lowest attendance6,013
COL 4–2 KC
(August 7, 1996)
Total attendance2,785,001
Average attendance17,406
1997 →
Locations of teams for the 1996 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   Eastern Conference

Overview

Preparation for first season

Major League Soccer had originally intended to begin competitive action in 1995. Various difficulties forced the league to postpone its first season until 1996. In preparation for its first season, the league began signing what it called marquee players, [1] beginning with Tab Ramos on January 3, 1995.[2] Beginning in October 1995, the league apportioned the marquee players in the MLS Inaugural Allocations.[3] Each team received two national team and two foreign players in the allocation.[4] The league then invited about 250 players to a tryout the second week of January 1996 on the campus of UC Irvine.[5] On February 6 and 7, 1996, the league held its 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft in which the ten teams selected 160 players over sixteen rounds. The Columbus Crew selected Brian McBride with the first pick of the draft. On March 4, 1996, the league then held the 1996 MLS College Draft followed by the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft later that day. Despite the numerous drafts, the teams were not obligated to sign only players from the drafts.[6]

Preseason

The preseason began the first week of March. The teams reduced their rosters to twenty-two players by March 25 and had to make a final roster reduction to eighteen by April 15.[7] The teams had a $1,200,000 salary cap with no player allowed to receive more than $192,500. In order to promote American players, teams were limited to five foreigners on the roster.[8]

Season

Each of the 10 MLS teams played 32 games. A regulation win was worth three points, a shootout win one point, and zero points for a loss in any manner. Fear of alienating fans with tied games had led the league to adopting the shootout when games ended even. The league also adopted a countdown clock instead of running clock, unlike IFAB's standards. The league also divided the teams equally into two conferences – Eastern and Western.

The league began its first season on Saturday, April 6, 1996, when the San Jose Clash hosted D.C. United at Spartan Stadium. ESPN carried the game live which the Clash won on a goal by Eric Wynalda. That goal was selected as the Goal of the Year. The regular season ended on September 22. The playoffs began two days later.

Stadiums and locations
Main article: List of Major League Soccer stadiums
Team Stadium Capacity
Colorado Rapids Mile High Stadium 76,273
Columbus Crew Ohio Stadium 102,329
D.C. United RFK Stadium 46,000
Dallas Burn Cotton Bowl 92,100
Kansas City Wiz Arrowhead Stadium 81,425
Los Angeles Galaxy Rose Bowl 92,542
New England Revolution Foxboro Stadium 60,292
NY/NJ MetroStars Giants Stadium 80,200
San Jose Clash Spartan Stadium 30,456
Tampa Bay Mutiny Houlihan's Stadium 74,301

Personnel and sponsorships
Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Colorado Rapids Bob Houghton
Columbus Crew Timo Liekoski Doctor Khumalo Snickers
D.C. United Bruce Arena MasterCard
Dallas Burn Dave Dir
Kansas City Wiz Ron Newman —
Los Angeles Galaxy Lothar Osiander —
New England Revolution Frank Stapleton —
NY/NJ MetroStars Eddie Firmani Peter Vermes
San Jose Clash Laurie Calloway John Doyle Honda
Tampa Bay Mutiny Thomas Rongen

Coaching changes
TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment
NY/NJ MetroStars Eddie Firmani Fired May 24, 1996 Carlos Queiroz May 30, 1996
Columbus Crew Timo Liekoski Resigned August 2, 1996 Tom Fitzgerald August 2, 1996
Colorado Rapids Bob Houghton Fired September 10, 1996 Roy Wegerle September 13, 1996

Standings

Eastern Conference
Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Tampa Bay Mutiny 32 19 1 12 66 51 +15 58 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 D.C. United 32 15 1 16 62 56 +6 46
3 NY/NJ MetroStars 32 12 3 17 45 47 −2 39
4 Columbus Crew 32 11 4 17 59 60 −1 37
5 New England Revolution 32 9 6 17 43 56 −13 33
Source: MLS

Western Conference
Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 15 4 13 59 49 +10 49 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Dallas Burn 32 12 5 15 50 48 +2 41
3 Kansas City Wiz 32 12 5 15 61 63 −2 41
4 San Jose Clash 32 12 3 17 50 50 0 39
5 Colorado Rapids 32 9 2 21 44 59 −15 29
Source: MLS

Overall standings
Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Tampa Bay Mutiny (S) 32 19 1 12 66 51 +15 58
2 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 15 4 13 59 49 +10 49 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
3 D.C. United (C) 32 15 1 16 62 56 +6 46
4 Dallas Burn 32 12 5 15 50 48 +2 41
5 Kansas City Wiz 32 12 5 15 61 63 −2 41
6 NY/NJ MetroStars 32 12 3 17 45 47 −2 39
7 San Jose Clash 32 12 3 17 50 50 0 39
8 Columbus Crew 32 11 4 17 59 60 −1 37
9 New England Revolution 32 9 6 17 43 56 −13 33
10 Colorado Rapids 32 9 2 21 44 59 −15 29
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield

MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket
Conference semifinals Conference finals MLS Cup
             
E1 Tampa Bay Mutiny 2 1 4
E4 Columbus Crew 0 2 1
E1 Tampa Bay Mutiny 1 1 x
Eastern Conference
E2 D.C. United 4 2 x
E2 D.C. United 2 (5) 1 2
E3 NY/NJ MetroStars *(pen.) 2 (6)* 0 1
E2 D.C. United (aet) 3
W1 Los Angeles Galaxy 2
W1 Los Angeles Galaxy 0 2 2
W4 San Jose Clash 1 0 0
W1 Los Angeles Galaxy *(pen.) 2 1 (3)* x
Western Conference
W3 Kansas City Wiz 1 1 (1) x
W2 Dallas Burn 2 2 2 (2)
W3 Kansas City Wiz *(pen.) 3 1 2 (3)*
  • Best of Three series winners will advance.

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
NY/NJ MetroStars2–2D.C. United
 Report
Penalties
 6–5
Attendance: 14,416
Game 2
D.C. United1–0NY/NJ MetroStars
 Report
Attendance: 21,442
Game 3
D.C. United2–1NY/NJ MetroStars
 Report
Attendance: 20,423
Referee: Brian Hall
  • D.C. United wins series 2–1, advances to Conference finals.
Game 1
Columbus Crew0–2Tampa Bay Mutiny
Report
Attendance: 20,807
Referee: Brian Hall
Game 2
Tampa Bay Mutiny1–2Columbus Crew
 Report
Attendance: 13,009
Referee: Rich Grady
Game 3
Tampa Bay Mutiny4–1Columbus Crew
 Report
Attendance: 6,871
Referee: Tim Weyland
  • Tampa Bay Mutiny wins series 2–1, advances to Conference finals.

Western Conference

Game 1
Kansas City Wiz3–2Dallas Burn
 Report
Attendance: 4,466
Referee: Tim Weyland
Game 2
Dallas Burn2–1Kansas City Wiz
 Report Preki 30'
Attendance: 10,125
Game 3
Dallas Burn2–2Kansas City Wiz
 Report
Penalties
 2–3
Attendance: 9,802
Referee: Rich Grady
  • Kansas City Wiz wins series 2–1, advances to Conference finals.
Game 1
San Jose Clash1–0Los Angeles Galaxy
 Report
Attendance: 17,209
Referee: Kevin Stott
Game 2
Los Angeles Galaxy2–0San Jose Clash
 Report
Attendance: 27,833
Referee: Joshua Patlak
Game 3
Los Angeles Galaxy2–0San Jose Clash
 Report
Attendance: 30,231
  • Los Angeles Galaxy wins series 2–1, advances to Conference finals.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Game 1
D.C. United4–1Tampa Bay Mutiny
 Report
Attendance: 23,566
Referee: Kevin Stott
Game 2
Tampa Bay Mutiny1–2D.C. United
 Report
Attendance: 9,339
Referee: Rich Grady
  • D.C. United wins series 2–0, advances to MLS Cup.

Western Conference

Game 1
Los Angeles Galaxy2–1Kansas City Wiz
 Report Preki 52'
Attendance: 25,212
Referee: Brian Hall
Game 2
Kansas City Wiz1–1Los Angeles Galaxy
 Report
Penalties
 1–3
Attendance: 11,041
Referee: Zimmerman Boulos
  • Los Angeles Galaxy wins series 2–0, advances to MLS Cup.

MLS Cup
Main article: MLS Cup 1996
Los Angeles Galaxy2–3 (a.e.t.)D.C. United
 Report
Attendance: 34,643

Player statistics

Goals
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Roy Lassiter Tampa Bay Mutiny 27
2 Raúl Díaz Arce D.C. United 23
3 Eduardo Hurtado Los Angeles Galaxy 21
4 Preki Kansas City Wiz 18
5 Brian McBride Columbus Crew 17
6 Steve Rammel D.C. United 14
7 Paul Bravo San Jose Clash 13
Jason Kreis Dallas Burn
Giovanni Savarese NY/NJ MetroStars
Vitalis Takawira Kansas City Wiz

Hat-tricks
Main article: List of Major League Soccer hat-tricks
PlayerClubAgainstResultDate
Steve RammelD.C. UnitedColumbus Crew5–2May 15
Giovanni SavareseNY/NJ MetroStarsColorado Rapids3–0May 16
Eduardo HurtadoLos Angeles GalaxyNY/NJ MetroStars4–0June 9
Eduardo HurtadoLos Angeles GalaxyColorado Rapids3–1June 26
Raúl Díaz Arce4D.C. UnitedDallas Burn6–1July 7
Cobi JonesLos Angeles GalaxyTampa Bay Mutiny3–4July 27
Roy LassiterTampa Bay MutinyColorado Rapids3–1August 3
Brian MaisonneuveColumbus CrewKansas City Wiz5–1September 7

Assists
Rank Player Club Assists
1 Marco Etcheverry D.C. United 16
2 Eric Wynalda San Jose Clash 11
Carlos Valderrama Tampa Bay Mutiny
4 Mauricio Cienfuegos Los Angeles Galaxy 10
5 Preki Kansas City Wiz 9
Mark Chung Kansas City Wiz
Tab Ramos NY/NJ Metrostars
8 Adrián Paz Columbus Crew 8
Roberto Donadoni NY/NJ MetroStars
John Harkes D.C. United

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets
1 Tony Meola NY/NJ Metrostars 9
2 Mark Dodd Dallas Burn 6
3 Jorge Campos Los Angeles Galaxy 4
Brad Friedel Columbus Crew
Aidan Heaney New England Revolution
Tom Liner San Jose Clash
Dave Salzwedel San Jose Clash
8 Mark Dougherty Tampa Bay Mutiny 3
Garth Lagerway Kansas City Wiz
Mark Simpson D.C. United

Awards

Individual awards
AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Carlos ValderramaTampa Bay Mutiny
Defender of the Year John DoyleSan Jose Clash
Goalkeeper of the Year Mark DoddDallas Burn
Coach of the Year Thomas RongenTampa Bay Mutiny
Rookie of the Year Steve RalstonTampa Bay Mutiny
Scoring Champion Roy LassiterTampa Bay Mutiny
Goal of the Year Eric WynaldaSan Jose Clash

Best XI
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Mark Dodd, Dallas Leonel Álvarez, Dallas
John Doyle, San Jose
Robin Fraser, LA Galaxy		 Mauricio Cienfuegos, LA Galaxy
Roberto Donadoni, MetroStars
Marco Etcheverry, D.C. United
Preki, Kansas City
Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay		 Eduardo Hurtado, LA Galaxy
Roy Lassiter, Tampa Bay

Player of the Month
MonthPlayerClubStats
April Mauricio CienfuegosLos Angeles Galaxy2G
May Carlos ValderramaTampa Bay Mutiny2G, 4A
June Eduardo HurtadoLos Angeles Galaxy7G, 1A
July Jason KreisDallas Burn5G
August Marco EtcheverryD.C. United1G, 8A
September Brad FriedelColumbus Crew2GA

Weekly awards

Attendance
Main article: Major League Soccer attendance
Rank Team GP Cumulative High Low Mean
1Los Angeles Galaxy16462,65092,2168,56128,916
2NY/NJ Metrostars16382,36053,25014,00723,898
3New England Revolution16304,39238,63311,00919,025
4Columbus Crew16303,20231,55012,83218,950
5San Jose Clash16275,71231,72810,89417,232
6Dallas Burn16256,17335,2507,33816,011
7D.C. United16244,19935,0327,36015,262
8Kansas City Wiz16206,04421,1418,06212,878
9Tampa Bay Mutiny16186,85626,4736,28111,679
10Colorado Rapids16163,41321,7116,01310,213
Total1602,785,00192,2166,01317,406

References
  1. 1996 marquee players - 90soccer.com- Ken Salmon
  2. "SPORTS PEOPLE: SOCCER; Ramos Signs With Major League Soccer (Published 1995)". The New York Times. January 5, 1995. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023.
  3. Yannis, Alex (October 17, 1995). "SOCCER; Major League Soccer Gets Set for Unveilings (Published 1995)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
  4. Yannis, Alex (October 18, 1995). "SOCCER;Giants Stadium Will Go Natural Again (Published 1995)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
  5. Pro Soccer Combine Begins Today at UC Irvine
  6. 1996 draft - latimes.com
  7. RAPIDS RELEASE THREE PLAYERS
  8. "The Year in American Soccer - 1995". Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
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