2011 Major League Soccer season

Major League Soccer

Season	2011
MLS Cup	Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd title)
Supporters' Shield	Los Angeles Galaxy (4th shield)
Champions League (U.S.)	Los Angeles Galaxy Seattle Sounders FC (via U.S. Open Cup) Real Salt Lake Houston Dynamo
Champions League (Canada)	Toronto FC (via Canadian Championship)
Matches played	306
Goals scored	795 (2.6 per match)
Top goalscorer	Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski (16 goals)
Biggest home win	NY 5–0 TOR (July 6)
Biggest away win	DCU 0–4 NY (April 21) TOR 2–6 PHI (May 28) VAN 0–4 LA (July 30)
Highest scoring	8 goals: TOR 2–6 PHI (May 28) SEA 6–2 CLB (August 27) PHI 4–4 NE (September 7)
Longest winning run	5 matches: Real Salt Lake[1] (August 27 – Sep 21)
Longest unbeaten run	14 matches: Los Angeles Galaxy[1] (May 7 – July 30) Sporting KC[1] (May 28 – August 3)
Longest winless run	14 matches: Vancouver Whitecaps FC[1] (March 26 – June 11)
Longest losing run	5 matches: Sporting KC[1] (April 16 – May 21) New England Revolution[1](September 16 – October 15)
Highest attendance	64,140[2] SJ @ SEA
Lowest attendance	6,680[3] TOR @ NE
Average attendance	17,872[4]
← 2010 2012 →

The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 33rd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 16th season of Major League Soccer. The season marked the arrival of two new league clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, whose cities previously had clubs of similar name play in the USSF D2 Pro League. Those two new West Coast clubs led to a realignment of the league's conferences, with Houston Dynamo moving to the Eastern Conference to create two conferences of nine teams each.

Each team played a balanced 34-match regular season schedule, playing every team twice (once at home and once away). The regular season began on March 15, when the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders FC 1–0 at Qwest Field, and concluded with the host Houston Dynamo defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 on October 23 at Robertson Stadium. The season also featured the 2011 MLS All-Star Game on July 27, when Manchester United defeated the MLS All-Stars 4–0 at Red Bull Arena (hosted by the New York Red Bulls). The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs ran from October 26 until November 20, when the Los Angeles Galaxy claimed their third MLS championship by defeating Houston Dynamo 1–0 in MLS Cup 2011 at Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.^[5][6][7]

Changes from 2010

A number of structural changes were made prior to this season, involving both on- and off-the field aspects of the league.

Structural changes

To accommodate the arrival of the two new franchises, the league expanded the number of regular season matches to 34 total games.

The MLS Cup Playoffs expanded from eight teams to ten.^[8] Beginning with this season, the best three teams from each conference receive guaranteed playoff spots; the four teams with the next best point totals will play one-match knockout games to determine the final participant for each conference.^[9] With the new playoff structure, comes a new incentive for the MLS Supporters Shield winner, who will play the lowest seeded team to qualify for the conference semifinals.

Furthermore, the MLS Reserve Division returned; the rosters accordingly expanded to 30 players. Other minor changes included the shortening of the MLS SuperDraft from four rounds, down to three,^[10] and the expansion of the number of guaranteed spots reserved for away supporters from 150 to 500.

Roster rule changes

Team rosters were expanded to 30 players in order to accommodate the re-introduction of the MLS Reserve Division. Of these 30 players, 18–20 count against a club's salary cap of $2,675,000. Clubs may still have a maximum of three Designated Players per club, each of whom counts $335,000 for salary cap purposes. The transfer windows for acquisition of players under contract in another country run from January 21 – April 15 and from July 15 – August 14.

Other key roster rule changes were the introduction of Off-Budget players who do not count against a club's salary cap; the ability of clubs to forgo fielding a full roster of 30 players for salary reasons; the introduction of roster slots paid below last year's league minimum; the ability of the two Canadian clubs to count U.S. domestic players as domestic players for roster purposes; and the ability of clubs to buy out one guaranteed player contract during the off-season and free up the corresponding budget space.^[11]

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing coach	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Table	Incoming coach	Date of appointment	Table
Portland Timbers	Expansion club				John Spencer	August 10, 2010	Pre-season
Chivas USA	Martín Vásquez	Fired	October 27, 2010	8th West ('10)	Robin Fraser	January 4, 2011	Pre-season
Toronto FC	Nick Dasovic	Caretaker	September 14, 2010	5th East ('09)	Aron Winter	January 6, 2011	Pre-season
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Teitur Thordarson	Fired	May 29, 2011	9th West ('11)	Tom Soehn	May 29, 2011	9th West ('11)
Chicago Fire	Carlos de los Cobos	Fired	May 30, 2011	8th East ('11)	Frank Klopas	May 30, 2011	8th East ('11)

Teams

Two new expansion clubs entered the league: Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. These clubs, alluding to their history, are the immediate successors to clubs that played in the USSF D2 Pro League in 2010, and before that the USL First Division. Both clubs also bear the names of members of the original North American Soccer League.

Further, the Kansas City Wizards rebranded as Sporting Kansas City and moved into their new stadium at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Finally, with the arrival of two West Coast clubs, the Houston Dynamo transferred to the Eastern Conference.^[12]

Stadiums and locations

Chicago Fire	Chivas USA	Colorado Rapids	Columbus Crew	D.C. United	FC Dallas
Toyota Park	The Home Depot Center	Dick's Sporting Goods Park	Crew Stadium	RFK Memorial Stadium	Pizza Hut Park
Capacity: 22,000	Capacity: 27,000	Capacity: 19,680	Capacity: 20,455	Capacity: 45,596	Capacity: 21,193
Houston Dynamo	Los Angeles Galaxy	New England Revolution	New York Red Bulls	Philadelphia Union	Portland Timbers
Robertson Stadium	The Home Depot Center	Gillette Stadium	Red Bull Arena	PPL Park	Jeld-Wen Field
Capacity: 32,000	Capacity: 27,000	Capacity: 22,385	Capacity: 25,189	Capacity: 18,500	Capacity: 20,323
Real Salt Lake	San Jose Earthquakes	Seattle Sounders FC	Sporting Kansas City	Toronto FC	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Rio Tinto Stadium	Buck Shaw Stadium	CenturyLink Field	Livestrong Sporting Park	BMO Field	BC Place^1
Capacity: 20,008	Capacity: 10,300	Capacity: 36,700	Capacity: 18,467	Capacity: 23,000	Capacity: 22,000

Notes

¹Vancouver Whitecaps played home matches at Empire Field prior to moving into the newly renovated BC Place on October 2, 2011.^[13]

Fire

Chivas USA

Rapids

Crew

D.C. United

FC Dallas

Dynamo

Galaxy

Revolution

Red Bulls

Union

Timbers

Real Salt Lake

Earthquakes

Sounders FC

Sporting KC

Toronto FC

Whitecaps FC

Locations of teams for the 2011 Major League Soccer season. Orange: Western Conference members, Blue: Eastern Conference members.

Personnel and sponsoring

Both of the new teams to MLS received jersey sponsors, while several existing teams saw changes in jersey sponsorships for the 2011 season.

• Alaska Airlines signed on as the first MLS shirt sponsor for the Portland Timbers.
• Bell Canada became the first shirt sponsor for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in its MLS incarnation.
• Glidden declined to renew its jersey sponsorship of the Columbus Crew,^[14] which has not yet found a replacement.
• Greenstar are the new shirt sponsor for the Houston Dynamo,^[15] replacing Amigo Energy.
• Bimbo will serve as the first ever shirt sponsor for the Philadelphia Union.^[16]
• Chivas USA continue to be sponsored by Grupo Modelo, but this sponsorship is now through its Corona beer brand, as opposed to the Extra convenience store brand as used in 2010.^[17]
• UnitedHealthcare became the first ever kit sponsor for New England Revolution.^[18]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold one or more non-FIFA nationalities.

Team	Head Coach	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire	Klopas, FrankFrank Klopas	Pause, LoganLogan Pause	Adidas
Chivas USA	Fraser, RobinRobin Fraser	Elliott, SimonSimon Elliott	Adidas	Corona
Colorado Rapids	Smith, GaryGary Smith	Mastroeni, PabloPablo Mastroeni	Adidas
Columbus Crew	Warzycha, RobertRobert Warzycha	Marshall, ChadChad Marshall	Adidas
D.C. United	Olsen, BenBen Olsen	Wolff, JoshJosh Wolff	Adidas	Volkswagen
FC Dallas	Hyndman, SchellasSchellas Hyndman	Hernández, DanielDaniel Hernández	Adidas
Houston Dynamo	Kinnear, DominicDominic Kinnear	Ching, BrianBrian Ching	Adidas	Greenstar
Los Angeles Galaxy	Arena, BruceBruce Arena	Donovan, LandonLandon Donovan	Adidas	Herbalife
New England Revolution	Nicol, SteveSteve Nicol	Joseph, ShalrieShalrie Joseph	Adidas	UnitedHealthcare
New York Red Bulls	Backe, HansHans Backe	Henry, ThierryThierry Henry	Adidas	Red Bull
Philadelphia Union	Nowak, PiotrPiotr Nowak	Mondragón, FarydFaryd Mondragón	Adidas	Bimbo
Portland Timbers	Spencer, JohnJohn Spencer	Jewsbury, JackJack Jewsbury	Adidas	Alaska Airlines
Real Salt Lake	Kreis, JasonJason Kreis	Beckerman, KyleKyle Beckerman	Adidas	XanGo
San Jose Earthquakes	Yallop, FrankFrank Yallop	Corrales, RamiroRamiro Corrales	Adidas	Amway Global
Seattle Sounders FC	Schmid, SigiSigi Schmid	Keller, KaseyKasey Keller	Adidas	Xbox
Sporting Kansas City	Vermes, PeterPeter Vermes	Arnaud, DavyDavy Arnaud	Adidas
Toronto FC	Winter, AronAron Winter	Frings, TorstenTorsten Frings	Adidas	Bank of Montreal
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Soehn, TomTom Soehn	DeMerit, JayJay DeMerit	Adidas	Bell Canada

League standings

Overall table

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	LA Galaxy (SS) (W1)	67	34	19	5	10	48	28	+20	2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage ^2
2	Seattle Sounders FC	63	34	18	7	9	56	37	+19
3	Real Salt Lake	53	34	15	11	8	44	36	+8
4	FC Dallas	52	34	15	12	7	42	39	+3
5	Sporting Kansas City (E1)	51	34	13	9	12	50	40	+10
6	Houston Dynamo	49	34	12	9	13	45	41	+4	2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage ^2
7	Colorado Rapids	49	34	12	9	13	44	41	+3
8	Philadelphia Union	48	34	11	8	15	44	36	+8
9	Columbus Crew	47	34	13	13	8	43	44	−1
10	New York Red Bulls	46	34	10	8	16	50	44	+6
11	Chicago Fire	43	34	9	9	16	46	45	+1
12	Portland Timbers	42	34	11	14	9	40	48	−8
13	D.C. United	39	34	9	13	12	49	52	−3
14	San Jose Earthquakes	38	34	8	12	14	40	45	−5
15	Chivas USA	36	34	8	14	12	41	43	−2
16	Toronto FC	33	34	6	13	15	36	59	−23	2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round ^3
17	New England Revolution	28	34	5	16	13	38	58	−20
18	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	28	34	6	18	10	35	55	−20

Updated to matches played on October 22, 2011 (NER v TFC). Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion

(W1) = Western Conference champion

• ^Note 1 Teams qualify for the MLS Cup Conference Semifinals by finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in their respective conferences.
• ^Note 2 Since the LA Galaxy won both the 2011 MLS Supporters' Shield and the 2011 MLS Cup, a place in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League became available. The Seattle Sounders, the 2011 MLS Supporters' Shield runner-up, had already qualified as they also won the 2011 U.S. Open Cup. Therefore, the CCL place went to Real Salt Lake, the 2011 MLS Supporters' Shield third place. Houston Dynamo, the 2011 MLS Cup runner-up, also qualified for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League. All four teams directly enter the Group Stage as the Preliminary Round has been eliminated from CCL.
• ^Note 3 Toronto FC qualified for the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2011 Canadian Championship.

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	Sporting Kansas City (E1)	51	34	13	9	12	50	40	+10	2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2	Houston Dynamo	49	34	12	9	13	45	41	+4
3	Philadelphia Union	48	34	11	8	15	44	36	+8
4	Columbus Crew	47	34	13	13	8	43	44	−1	2011 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5	New York Red Bulls	46	34	10	8	16	50	44	+6
6	Chicago Fire	43	34	9	9	16	46	45	+1
7	D.C. United	39	34	9	13	12	49	52	−3
8	Toronto FC	33	34	6	13	15	36	59	−23
9	New England Revolution	28	34	5	16	13	38	58	−20

Updated to matches played on October 20, 2011. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion

• ^Note 1 - The top three clubs in each conference are guaranteed spots in the 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals. The other four clubs in the playoffs enter via-wild card entrees, regardless of their conference, based on their overall standings in a single table.

Western Conference

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	LA Galaxy (SS) (W1)	67	34	19	5	10	48	28	+20	2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2	Seattle Sounders FC	63	34	18	7	9	56	37	+19
3	Real Salt Lake	53	34	15	11	8	44	36	+8
4	FC Dallas	52	34	15	12	7	42	39	+3	2011 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5	Colorado Rapids	49	34	12	9	13	46	42	+4
6	Portland Timbers	42	34	11	14	9	40	48	−8
7	San Jose Earthquakes	38	34	8	12	14	40	45	−5
8	Chivas USA	36	34	8	14	12	41	43	−2
9	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	28	34	6	18	10	35	55	−20

Updated to matches played on October 22, 2011. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner

(W1) = Western Conference champion

• ^Note 1 - The top three clubs in each conference are guaranteed spots in the 2011 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals. The other four clubs in the playoffs enter via wild card entrees, regardless of their conference, based on their overall standings in a single table.

Tiebreakers

1. Head-to-Head (Points-per-match average)
2. Overall Goal Differential
3. Overall Total Goals Scored
4. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches on the road
5. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches at home
6. Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table
7. Coin toss

If more than two clubs are tied, once a club advances through any step, the process reverts to Tiebreaker 1 among the remaining tied clubs recursively until all ties are resolved.^[19]

Results

For the second year in a row, the league uses a balanced schedule. Each team will play every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 34 games.^[20]

Home ╲ Away

CHI

CHV

COL

CLB

DCU

FCD

HOU

LAG

NER

NY

PHI

POR

RSL

SJE

SEA

SKC

TOR

VAN

Chicago Fire

3–2

2–0

3–2

1–1

1–2

1–1

1–2

3–2

1–1

1–1

0–1

0–0

2–2

0–0

3–2

2–0

0–0

Chivas USA

1–1

0–1

0–0

0–3

1–2

3–0

0–1

3–0

0–0

1–1

1–0

0–1

2–0

1–3

2–3

3–0

1–1

Colorado Rapids

1–1

2–2

2–0

4–1

1–0

0–0

1–3

2–2

4–1

1–1

3–1

0–0

1–1

0–1

1–1

0–0

2–1

Columbus Crew

0–1

3–3

4–1

2–1

2–0

2–2

0–1

3–1

0–0

2–1

1–0

2–1

0–0

1–1

1–0

2–4

2–1

D.C. United

1–2

2–2

1–1

3–1

0–0

2–2

1–1

0–1

0–4

2–2

1–1

4–1

2–4

2–1

0–1

3–3

4–0

FC Dallas

1–1

1–0

3–0

2–0

0–0

0–1

2–1

1–0

0–1

2–0

4–0

0–0

0–2

0–1

1–4

1–0

2–0

Houston Dynamo

1–1

2–1

1–2

0–2

4–1

2–2

3–1

1–0

2–2

0–1

2–1

3–2

2–1

3–1

1–1

2–0

3–1

LA Galaxy

2–1

1–0

1–0

1–0

0–0

3–1

1–0

1–1

1–1

1–0

3–0

2–1

2–0

0–0

4–1

2–2

3–0

New England Revolution

1–1

2–3

0–0

0–3

2–1

2–0

1–1

0–1

2–2

4–4

1–1

0–2

1–2

1–2

3–2

0–0

1–0

New York Red Bulls

2–2

2–3

2–2

1–1

0–1

2–2

1–1

2–0

2–1

1–0

2–0

1–3

3–0

1–0

1–0

5–0

1–1

Philadelphia Union

2–1

3–2

1–2

1–0

3–2

2–2

1–1

1–1

3–0

1–0

0–0

1–1

1–0

1–1

0–0

1–1

1–0

Portland Timbers

4–2

1–0

0–1

1–0

2–3

3–2

0–2

3–0

3–0

3–3

1–0

1–0

1–1

2–3

1–2

2–2

2–1

Real Salt Lake

0–3

1–0

1–0

0–2

1–1

2–0

0–0

4–1

3–3

3–0

2–1

1–1

4–0

1–2

1–0

3–1

2–0

San Jose Earthquakes

2–0

1–2

1–2

3–0

0–2

4–2

2–0

0–0

2–1

2–2

0–0

1–1

0–1

2–2

1–1

1–1

2–2

Seattle Sounders FC

2–1

0–0

4–3

6–2

3–0

0–1

1–1

0–1

2–1

4–2

0–2

1–1

1–2

2–1

1–0

3–0

2–2

Sporting Kansas City

0–0

1–1

1–1

2–1

1–0

2–3

3–0

2–2

1–1

2–0

1–1

3–1

2–0

1–0

1–2

4–2

2–1

Toronto FC

2–2

1–1

2–1

1–1

0–3

0–1

2–1

0–0

2–2

1–1

2–6

2–0

1–0

1–1

0–1

0–0

1–0

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

4–2

0–0

1–2

0–1

2–1

1–2

1–0

0–4

1–1

1–1

1–0

0–1

3–0

1–1

1–3

3–3

4–2

Updated to games played on October 20, 2011.
Source: official website
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.

Playoff bracket

	Knockout Round					Conference Semifinals						Conference Finals					MLS Cup 2011
						E1	Sporting Kansas City	2	2
	8	Colorado Rapids	1			WC	Colorado Rapids	0	0
												E1	Sporting Kansas City	0
	9	Columbus Crew	0			Eastern Conference
												E2	Houston Dynamo	2
						E2	Houston Dynamo	2	1
						E3	Philadelphia Union	1	0
																	E2	Houston Dynamo	0
																	W1	LA Galaxy	1
						W2	Seattle Sounders FC	0	2
						W3	Real Salt Lake	3	0
												W3	Real Salt Lake	1
	7	FC Dallas	0			Western Conference
												W1	LA Galaxy	3
	10	New York Red Bulls	2			W1	LA Galaxy	1	2
						WC	New York Red Bulls	0	1

Note: The LA Galaxy, as MLS Supporters Shield winners, were assured of playing the lower seeded Wild Card series winner (New York Red Bulls) in the Conference Semifinals, while Sporting Kansas City would play the higher seeded Wild Card series winner (Colorado Rapids).

Statistical leaders

Full article: MLS Golden Boot

Top scorers Rank Scorer Club Goals[21] 1 Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 16 Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 16 3 Thierry Henry New York Red Bulls 14 4 Andrés Mendoza Columbus Crew 13 5 Camilo Vancouver Whitecaps FC 12 Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 12 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 12 Dominic Oduro Chicago Fire 12 9 Charlie Davies D.C. United 11 Sébastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union 11 Álvaro Saborío Real Salt Lake 11 Brek Shea FC Dallas 11 Last updated on October 23, 2011. Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics – Goals

Most assists Rank Player Club Assists[21] 1 Brad Davis Houston Dynamo 16 2 David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy 15 3 Mauro Rosales Seattle Sounders FC 13 4 Dwayne De Rosario D.C. United 12 5 Kyle Beckerman Real Salt Lake 9 Davide Chiumiento Vancouver Whitecaps FC 9 Sebastien Le Toux Philadelphia Union 9 Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders FC 9 Patrick Nyarko Chicago Fire 9 10 Jack Jewsbury Portland Timbers 8 Last updated on October 23, 2011. Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics – Assists

Top goalkeepers

(Minimum of 1,000 minutes played)^[1]

Rank	Goalkeeper	Club	GAA	SV	GA	Mins	GP	W-L-T	ShO
1	Donovan Ricketts	Los Angeles Galaxy	0.77	41	11	1284	15	7–3–4	7
2	Josh Saunders	Los Angeles Galaxy	0.93	55	17	1639	19	12–2–4	8
3	Kevin Hartman	FC Dallas	1.06	85	35	2970	33	15–11–7	13
	Faryd Mondragón	Philadelphia Union	1.06	49	28	2385	27	8–8–11	7
5	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC	1.09	110	37	3060	34	18–7–9	9
	Nick Rimando	Real Salt Lake	1.09	95	36	2970	33	14–11–8	13
7	Bouna Coundoul	New York Red Bulls	1.13	37	13	1035	12	3–2–6	3
8	Jimmy Nielsen	Sporting Kansas City	1.14	79	35	2767	31	12–8–11	7
9	Tally Hall	Houston Dynamo	1.21	99	41	3060	34	12–9–13	6
	Matt Pickens	Colorado Rapids	1.21	77	41	3060	34	12–9–13	8
11	Dan Kennedy	Chivas USA	1.22	100	39	2880	31	8–12–12	9
12	Troy Perkins	Portland Timbers	1.31	91	38	2610	29	9–12–8	9

Last updated on October 23, 2011. Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics – Goalkeeping

Individual awards

Annual awards

MLS Player of the Year[22]
Player	Club
Dwayne De Rosario	D.C. United

Monthly awards

Month	MLS Player of the Month			MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Month
	Player	Club	Link	Player	Club	Link
March	Nick Rimando	Real Salt Lake	1GA 2–0–0	Fredy Montero	Seattle Sounders FC	March Humanitarian
April	Brad Davis	Houston Dynamo	6A 3–0–2	Daniel Hernández	FC Dallas	April Humanitarian
May	Landon Donovan	Los Angeles Galaxy	6G	Danny Cruz	Houston Dynamo	May Humanitarian
June	Graham Zusi	Sporting Kansas City	2G 3GWA 3–0–3	Zak Boggs	New England Revolution	June Humanitarian
July	Kevin Hartman	FC Dallas	4SO 6GS	Jeb Brovsky	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	July Humanitarian
August	Dwayne De Rosario	D.C. United	3G 2A	Jack Jewsbury	Portland Timbers	August Humanitarian
September	Sébastien Le Toux	Philadelphia Union	7G	Mehdi Ballouchy Jason Hernandez Michael Lahoud Logan Pause	New York Red Bulls San Jose Earthquakes Chivas USA Chicago Fire	September Humanitarians
October	Chris Wondolowski	San Jose Earthquakes	5G	Geoff Cameron	Houston Dynamo	October Humanitarian

Weekly awards

Week	Player of the Week		AT&T Goal of the Week[23]		MLS Save of the Week[24]
	Player	Club	Player	Club	Player	Club
Week 1[25]	Omar Bravo	Sporting Kansas City	Juan Agudelo	New York Red Bulls	Nick Rimando	Real Salt Lake
Week 2[26]	Javier Morales	Real Salt Lake	Javier Martina	Toronto FC	Jake Gleeson	Portland Timbers
Week 3[27]	Camilo	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Khari Stephenson	San Jose Earthquakes	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 4[28]	David Ferreira	FC Dallas	O'Brian White	Seattle Sounders FC	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 5[29]	Luke Rodgers	New York Red Bulls	Jorge Perlaza	Portland Timbers	Jake Gleeson	Portland Timbers
Week 6[30]	Landon Donovan	Los Angeles Galaxy	Juan Agudelo	New York Red Bulls	Donovan Ricketts	Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 7[31]	Will Bruin	Houston Dynamo	Brek Shea	FC Dallas	Bobby Shuttleworth	New England Revolution
Week 8[32]	Joao Plata	Toronto FC	Thierry Henry	New York Red Bulls	Tim Ream	New York Red Bulls
Week 9[33]	Justin Braun	Chivas USA	David Beckham	Los Angeles Galaxy	Stefan Frei	Toronto FC
Week 10[34]	Jeff Parke	Seattle Sounders FC	Carlos Ruiz	Philadelphia Union	Troy Perkins	Portland Timbers
Week 11[35]	Justin Mapp	Philadelphia Union	Lamar Neagle	Seattle Sounders FC	Donovan & DeLaGarza	Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 12[36]	Jean Alexandre	Real Salt Lake	Jean Alexandre	Real Salt Lake	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 13[37]	Steven Lenhart	San Jose Earthquakes	Eric Hassli	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Greg Sutton	New York Red Bulls
Week 14[38]	Bernardo Anor	Columbus Crew	Fredy Montero	Seattle Sounders FC	Teemu Tainio	New York Red Bulls
Week 15[39]	Mike Magee	Los Angeles Galaxy	Tyson Wahl	Seattle Sounders FC	Mike Magee	Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 16[40]	Joel Lindpere	New York Red Bulls	Darlington Nagbe	Portland Timbers	Brian Perk	Los Angeles Galaxy
Week 17[41]	Fredy Montero	Seattle Sounders FC	David Beckham	Los Angeles Galaxy	Troy Perkins	Portland Timbers
Week 18[42]	Mauro Rosales	Seattle Sounders FC	Carlos Ruiz	Philadelphia Union	Troy Perkins	Portland Timbers
Week 19[43]	Sanna Nyassi	Colorado Rapids	Kei Kamara	Sporting Kansas City	Jimmy Nielsen	Sporting Kansas City
Week 20[44]	Dwayne De Rosario	D.C. United	Roger Torres	Philadelphia Union	Andy Gruenebaum	Columbus Crew
Week 21[45]	Dwayne De Rosario	D.C. United	Luis Gil	Real Salt Lake	Jimmy Nielsen	Sporting Kansas City
Week 22[46]	Chris Pontius	D.C. United	Adam Moffat	Houston Dynamo	Miloš Kocić	Toronto FC
Week 23[47]	Graham Zusi	Sporting Kansas City	Graham Zusi	Sporting Kansas City	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 24[48]	Lamar Neagle	Seattle Sounders FC	Lamar Neagle	Seattle Sounders FC	Nick Rimando	Real Salt Lake
Week 25[49]	No award given		Kyle Beckerman	Real Salt Lake	Jimmy Nielsen	Sporting Kansas City
Week 26[50]	Charlie Davies	D.C. United	Davide Chiumiento	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Joe Cannon	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Week 27[51]	Danny Koevermans	Toronto FC	Álvaro Fernández	Seattle Sounders FC	Zac MacMath	Philadelphia Union
Week 28[52]	Dwayne De Rosario	D.C. United	Fredy Montero	Seattle Sounders FC	Troy Perkins	Portland Timbers
Week 29[53]	Marco Pappa	Chicago Fire	Kenny Cooper	Portland Timbers	Nick Rimando	Real Salt Lake
Week 30[54]	No award given		Chris Wondolowski	San Jose Earthquakes	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 31[55]	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC	Danny Cruz	Houston Dynamo	Kasey Keller	Seattle Sounders FC
Week 32[56]	Jalil Anibaba	Chicago Fire	Adam Moffat	Houston Dynamo	Jimmy Nielsen	Sporting Kansas City

Transfers

Major League Soccer employs no fewer than 12 methods to acquire players. These include: signing players on transfers/free transfers as is done in most of the world; via trades; drafting players through mechanisms such as the MLS SuperDraft, MLS Supplemental Draft, or MLS Re-Entry Draft; rarely used methods which cover extreme hardship and injury replacement; signing players as Designated Players or Homegrown Players; placing a discovery claim on players; waivers; and methods peculiar to MLS such as through allocation or a weighted lottery.^[57]

Allocation ranking

The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. The allocation rankings may also be used in the event two or more clubs file a request for the same player on the same day. The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2010 season, taking playoff performance into account.

Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club’s ranking. At all times, each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS League season.^[57]

Original Ranking	Club	Date Allocation Used	Player Signed	Previous Club	Ref
1	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	November 18, 2010	Jay DeMerit	Watford	[58]
2	Portland Timbers	January 17, 2011	Kenny Cooper	1860 Munich	[59]
3	D.C. United	February 16, 2011	Charlie Davies	Sochaux¤	[60]
4	Chivas USA
5	Philadelphia Union	August 12, 2011	Freddy Adu	Benfica	[61]
6	New England Revolution	April 19, 2011	Benny Feilhaber	AGF Aarhus	[62]
7	Houston Dynamo
8	Toronto FC
9	Seattle Sounders FC¤¤	August 26, 2011	Sammy Ochoa	Estudiantes Tecos	[63]
10	Sporting Kansas City

¤ Davies was signed by United on a twelve-month loan deal.
¤¤ Chicago originally had the No. 9 ranking but traded it to Seattle on August 26, 2011.^[64]

The remaining order after Sporting Kansas City is: Chicago Fire¤¤, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas, and Colorado Rapids. In the unlikely event that all clubs use an allocation, the order begins anew with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Weighted lottery

Some players are assigned to MLS teams via a weighted lottery process. A team can only acquire one player per year through a weighted lottery. The players made available through lotteries include: (i) Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft; and (ii) Draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the SuperDraft.

The team with the worst record over its last 30 regular season games (dating back to previous season if necessary and taking playoff performance into account) will have the greatest probability of winning the lottery. Teams are not required to participate in a lottery. Players are assigned via the lottery system in order to prevent a player from potentially influencing his destination club with a strategic holdout.

The results of 2011 weighted lotteries thus far:

Lottery Date	Player	Position	Winning Club	Other Clubs Participating	Ref
January 26, 2011	David Bingham	GK	San Jose Earthquakes	New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC	[65]
February 11, 2011	Cody Arnoux	FW	Real Salt Lake	Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC	[66]
February 14, 2011	Chris Agorsor	FW	Philadelphia Union	Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC	[67]
February 15, 2011	Korey Veeder	DF	Columbus Crew	Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Colorado Rapids	[68]
July 5, 2011	Soony Saad	FW	Sporting Kansas City	Chivas USA, Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers	[69]

Related competitions

International competitions

CONCACAF Champions League

Prior to the start of the MLS regular season, Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake played against each other in the quarterfinals of 2010–11 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg, contested at Crew Stadium on February 22, 2011; ended in a scoreless draw between the sides. On March 1, 2011; the second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium was played, where Real Salt Lake won the series against the Crew 4–1 in the game and on aggregate, this ending Columbus' Champions League campaign.

As a result, Salt Lake became the first MLS team to advance into the semifinals of the Champions League under its current format. The team won its home fixture against Saprissa of Costa Rica 2–0 on March 15, 2011. Real Salt Lake lost the away fixture 2–1 on April 5, 2011, but advanced 3–2 on aggregate. They faced Monterrey of Mexico in the first leg of the final on April 20 in Monterrey. The game concluded in a 2–2 draw. The second leg was played at Rio Tinto on April 27, 2011. Monterrey won 1–0 (3–2 on aggregate) with a late goal in the first half.

Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy have qualified directly into Group Stage for the 2011–12 edition of the Champions League by being the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winners, respectively. Both Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas have earned preliminary entries in the tournament by winning the U.S. Open Cup and finishing runner up in the MLS Cup, respectively. Toronto FC secured the Canadian berth in the preliminary round with their Voyageurs Cup victory on July 2.

World Football Challenge

On March 29, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the 2011 edition of the North American SuperLiga would be replaced by the World Football Challenge,^[70] a friendly tournament which started play on July 14 and will end on August 6.^[71]

The following MLS sides entered the tournament based on invitation: Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Domestic competitions

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The MLS clubs that finished first through sixth place overall during last year's regular season earned a direct bye to the third round proper of the U.S. Open Cup. Clubs that finished seventh or lower will have to play for the final two spots in a series of play-in propers, based on their geographic location as well as their final regular season position.

Canadian championship

The two Canadian-based MLS clubs, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC participated in the Canadian Championship, Canada's domestic soccer cup. They competed against two other professional Canadian soccer teams from the NASL for the Voyageurs Cup, as well as a Preliminary Round birth in the CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament is organized in a knockout format with two-legged ties in both the semifinals and final, with the away goals rule in place.

The two began in the semifinal round, where the Whitecaps defeated the Montreal Impact and Toronto defeated FC Edmonton. The first leg of the final, held in Vancouver on May 18, ended in a 1–1 draw. The second leg, on May 25 in Toronto, was abandoned due to torrential rains with the Whitecaps leading 1–0. Under competition rules, the second leg was to be replayed in its entirety the following day, but the field remained unplayable. The second leg was replayed, again in its entirety, on July 2, with Toronto winning the game 2–1 and the championship 3–2 on aggregate.

League competitions

MLS Cup

Following the 2011 season, ten MLS clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs postseason tournament. Of the ten clubs, six will be automatic qualifiers from the top three clubs in each conference. These automatic qualifiers earn a bye to the conference semifinal, or quarterfinal round proper. Four more qualifiers will enter in a play-in round, where these for clubs will be determined by their final regular season standing, regardless of their conference. The winners of the play-in games will play in the conference semifinals, where the lowest seeded club will play against the Supporters' Shield winners.

The cup final will be held on a neutral venue.

Cups and Rivalries

This season marks the first time that the Cascadia Cup will be contested in Major League Soccer. Seattle, Portland and Vancouver contested this cup from 2004–08 until Seattle joined Major League Soccer. The competition continued between Portland and Vancouver for the next two years.

References

1. "2011 Extended Stats". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
2. "2011-06-23: Seattle Sounders vs. San Jose Earthquakes". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
3. "Toronto FC – New England Revolution". revolutionsoccer.net. June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
4. Jeremiah Oshan (October 24, 2011). "MLS Attendance Was Up Almost Across The Board In 2011". Retrieved October 25, 2011.
5. "Landon Donovan's strike gives L.A. Galaxy MLS Cup crown". Washington Times. November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
6. "Galaxy's Big Three finish season on top". Fox Sports. November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
7. "Galaxy defeats Dynamo, 1–0, to win championship". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
8. Jonah Freedman (November 21, 2010). "Playoffs to expand to 10 teams; more changes ahead | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
9. "MLS sets expanded playoffs format". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
10. Borg, Simon (January 5, 2011). "MLS SuperDraft trimmed to three rounds". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
11. "2011 MLS Roster Rules". Major League Soccer. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
12. "Houston Dynamo switch to Eastern Conference". Major League Soccer. January 28, 2011.
13. "Cooper's goal lifts Timbers past Whitecaps," from Associated Press via The Score, 10/2/2011
14. "Glidden withdraws Columbus Crew shirt sponsorship". FoxSoccer.com. Associated Press. January 10, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
15. "Dynamo unveil Greenstar as jersey sponsor". Houston Dynamo. December 7, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
16. "Union Partner with Bimbo Bakeries as Official Jersey Sponsor". Philadelphia Union. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
17. "Crossing cultures". Chivas USA. February 22, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
18. Summers, Lizz. "UnitedHealthcare, Revolution Announce Partnership". New England Revolution. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
19. "Playoff Standings: If postseason started today". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
20. "Videos | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
21. "Major League Soccer Statistics". Retrieved April 4, 2011.
22. "Dwayne De Rosario named MLS Player of the Year for 2011". USA Today. November 18, 2011.
23. "AT&T Goal of the Week: Vote Now". mls.com. May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
24. "MLS Save of the Week: Vote Now". mls.com. May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
25. "Bravo takes first Player of the Week award". March 28, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
26. "RSL's Morales is voted league's best in Week 2". March 28, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
27. "Vancouver's Camilo named Player of the Week". April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
28. "Reigning MVP Ferreira wins Player of the Week". April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
29. "Rodgers sparks RBNY, earns Player of the Week". April 18, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
30. "Donovan back in form, wins Player of the Week". April 25, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
31. "Bruin is 1st rookie to win Player of the Week in '11". May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
32. "TFC's Plata wins first MLS Player of the Week Award". May 8, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
33. "Hat trick earns Chivas' Braun Player of the Week honors". May 16, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
34. "Parke earns first career MLS Player of the Week award". May 21, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
35. "Union midfielder Mapp Earns Player of the Week award". May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
36. "RSL's Alexandre wins first career Player of the Week award". June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
37. "Quakes' Lenhart Wins first career Player of the Week award". June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
38. "Columbus' Anor wins first MLS Player of the Week Award". June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
39. "Magee becomes first GK to win Player of the Week award". June 27, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
40. "RBNY's Lindpere earns first Player of the Week award". July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
41. "Seattle's Montero earns first Player of the Week award". July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
42. "Seattle's Rosales named Week 18's Player of the Week". July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
43. "Colorado's Nyassi named MLS Player of the Week". July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
44. "De Rosario's two goals earn him Player of the Week honors". August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
45. "Hat trick nets De Rosario Player of the Week honors". August 8, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
46. "Pontius gives DC a hat trick of Player of the Week awards". August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
47. "Sporting's Zusi earns first career Player of the Week award". August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
48. "Seattle's Neagle claims Player of the Week honors". August 29, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
49. "No award given for Week 25 because of the paucity of games". September 12, 2011.
50. "DC's Davies claims first Player of the Week award". September 12, 2011.
51. "TFC's Koevermans claims first Player of the Week award". September 19, 2011.
52. "De Rosario wins third Player of the Week award of 2011". September 26, 2011.
53. "Pappa takes Player of the Week honors for Week 29". October 3, 2011.
54. "No award given for Week 30 because of the paucity of games". October 17, 2011.
55. "Keller takes Player of the Week after dramatic night in Seattle". October 17, 2011.
56. "Chicago's Anibaba wins 2011's final Player of the Week". October 24, 2011.
57. "2011 MLS Roster Rules | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
58. "USA World Cup star Jay DeMerit becomes first Whitecaps FC MLS signing | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Whitecapsfc.com. November 18, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
59. Portland Timbers (January 17, 2011). "Timbers Sign Forward Kenny Cooper". Portland Timbers. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
60. "acquires forward Charlie Davies". D.C. United. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
61. Dave Zeitlin (August 12, 2011). "Freddy Adu returns to MLS, joins Philadelphia Union". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
62. "New England Revolution Acquire Midfielder Benny Feilhaber | New England Revolution". Revolutionsoccer.net. April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
63. Public, Sounders FC. "Sounders FC adds Sammy Ochoa – Seattle Sounders Football Club". Soundersfc.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
64. "Sounders pick up ex-US youth forward Sammy Ochoa". MLSsoccer.com. August 26, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
65. "Quakes land goalkeeper David Bingham | San Jose Earthquakes". Sjearthquakes.com. January 26, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
66. Simon Borg (February 11, 2011). "Real Salt Lake land forward Cody Arnoux in lottery | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
67. Philadelphia Union Communications (February 14, 2011). "Union Acquire Forward Chris Agorsor". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
68. "Crew land right back Korey Veeder in lottery | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
69. "Sporting Kansas City win lottery for college phenom Saad | Major League Soccer". Mlssoccer.com. July 5, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
70. Borg, Simon. "World Football Challenge will replace SuperLiga". MLSSoccer.com. D.C. United. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
71. "Rules of the Competition". World Football Challenge. MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved July 14, 2011.