1999 News
MLS scraps shootout, shortens season NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (AP) - Major League Soccer cut its season by about two months on Wednesday and eliminated the shootout in a move toward playing by the sport's international rules. MLS, like the rest of the world, will now have games next season that end in ties. In addition, the referee will keep the official time next season and add injury time at the end of each 45-minute half as he determines.
``We have to go back and shore up our existence with the core soccer fan. Build the model with the core fans,'' commissioner Don Garber said.
``There was a negativity buzzing among the hardest-core fans. We do know in our research that there are approximately 60 million people in this country that consider themselves soccer fans. We don't have 60 million people going to our games.''
In shootouts, players start 35 yards from the goal and had five seconds to shoot at the goalkeeper. ``Beginning with the season in 2000, the shootout will be dead,'' Garber said. Instead, there will be 10 minutes of sudden-death overtime split into two periods. A winning team gets three points and each team gets one point for a tie.
MLS will realign from two divisions to three: East -- D.C. United, Miami, New England and New York-New Jersey
Playoff berths will be awarded to the winner of each conference and to the five wild cards teams with the most points. It is undetermined if the playoffs will remain a best-of-3 series, a three-game series determined by points or the international method of home-and-home, total-goals.
Next season will start in mid-March with the MLS Cup championship game in early October, cutting nearly two months. The league hasn't decided whether to cut the regular season from 32 games a team to 28.
The league also will award the regular season champion with one of the United States' two berths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The other will go to the MLS Cup winner.
MLS also is changing its television schedule. ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 will televise a game each Saturday rather than different nights of the week. ESPN2 also will produce a 60-minute MLS highlights program at 11 p.m. Eastern on Monday nights, similar to its shows for baseball, hockey, basketball and auto racing.
Stern John goes to Nottingham Forest COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 15 - It was feared that Stern John would make the jump to the English League after this season and it happened. However, the Crew organization was very happy for John and wishes him only the best.
John signed with the Crew before the 1998 season, won the 1998 MLS Scoring Title with 26 goals, and was a two-time All-Star. John scored a total of 52 goals for the Crew including 8 goals in 10 playoff matches.
MLS Playoffs: DC paysback Crew; DC United vs. Crew: DC advanced to their 4th straight consecutive MLS Championship Final by routing the Crew, 4-0, in RFK Stadium. The win was the 12th straight at RFK in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Crew dropped to 0-13 lifetime at RFK. DC opened up the scoring in the 17th minute with a goal by the Bolivian, Jaime Moreno. In the 34th minute, Roy Lassiter scored on assists by Bolivian Marco Etcheverry and Tom Presthus. In the second half, Roy Lassiter struck again in the 52nd minute to make it 3-0. "El Diablo" Etcheverry closed out the scoring with a goal in the 86th minute to make it 4-0 and help advance DC to its 4th consecutive MLS Final! Los Angeles vs. Dallas: The LA Galaxy defeated the Dallas Burn, 3-1, to advance to its second MLS Final. In the inaugural 1996 MLS season, the Galaxy was defeated by DC United in the Final. Greg Vanney scored the first goal of the match on a penalty kick in the 3rd minute to put LA up 1-0. In the 20th minute, Mexican striker Carlos Hermosillo scored of assists by Clint Mathis and Roy Myers to make it 2-0. In the second half, El Salvadorean mini-might, Mauricio Cienfuegos, closed out the scoring for LA with a goal in the 68th minute. The Burn was able to get the "goal of honor" on a penalty kick in the 89th minute to make it 3-1.
MLS Playoffs: Crew blows away DC; DC United vs. Crew: The Columbus Crew's new stadium with its loyal supporters proved what homefield can do for a club. The Crew embarrassed DC United 5-1 in front of surprisingly below average crowd of 12,778. DC got on the board first with an unassisted goal by Roy Lassiter in the 7th minute. That was pretty much it for DC's offense for the day. The Crew tied up the match in the 20th minute on a goal by Ansil Elcock. Jeff Cunningham gave the yellow and black attack the lead in the 41st minute to close out the first half with a 2-1 lead. In the second half, it was the Stern John show. John scored a hat trick with goals in the 48th, 61st and 84th minute to close out the Crew's power surge and even the playoff series at one apiece and force a third game. If the rules in MLS would follow those of the rest of the world, the need for a third game would not be necessary because the Crew would have advanced to the MLS Championship with a 6-3 aggregate score. However, this is not football like the rest of the world, it's the MLS, shootouts and all. But due to the differences in the MLS system, the Crew must face DC United in a third and deciding match.
Los Angeles vs. Dallas: This match had Latin American Futbol written all over, as far as offense was concerned. Mexico's all-time scoring leader, Carlos Hermosillo, also of club Necaxa, opened the scoring for the Galaxy in the 13 minute with assists by Cobi Jones and Roy Myers to take the lead, 1-0. Dallas strker, the Ecuadorian Ariel Graziani formerly of Atletico Morelia of Mexico, tied up the match in the 33rd minute. In the second half, Hermosillo untied the match in the 54th minute on an assist by El Salvadorean Mauricio Cienfuegos. However, LA's lead did not last long. In the 73rd minute, Graziani struck again to tie up the match at two apiece and force the game into shootouts. Again, under "normal" rules and regulations, LA would have advanced by the aggregate score of 4-3. But since this is the MLS, shootouts were used to decide the second match. Dallas won the shoot 4-3 to defeat LA 3-2 and force a third match.
MLS Playoffs: DC downs Crew at RFK; DC United vs. Crew: The defending Eastern Conference Champion DC United defeated the Columbus Crew, 2-1, for the 12th straight time at RFK. The Crew cannot even buy a win at RFK. It will be up to the yellow and black's new home to give them the advantage next Sunday and help them even the series at one apiece. DC built a 2-0 lead on goals by Bolivian Jaime Moreno (15') and American Ben Olsen (72'). The Crew's lone goal came too little too late as Stern John scored in the 82nd minute to give the Crew a glimmer of hope, but they weren't able to tie the match before time expired.
Los Angeles vs. Dallas: The visiting L.A. Galaxy managed to down the Burn, 2-1, in front of 17,372 fans. El Salvadorean, Mauricio Cienfuegos, opened up the scoring in the 39th minute. But in the 75th, Dallas tied the game on Ecuadorian, Ariel Graziani's equalizer. However, in the last minute of the match, Ezra Hendrikson scored the game-winning goal to give the Galaxy a one match to none advantage over the Burn.
Bora leaves Metrostars NEW JERSEY, Oct. 30 - Bora Milutinovic and the Metrostars have parted ways in a move that didn't surprise to many. The Metrostars were the worst team in the MLS this past season accumulating only 7 wins for 15 points in the MLS Eastern Conference.
Near the end of the season, SG was able to talk at length with Bora about the direction of his club. Bora was sad at the fact that they had not been able to do better this season, but felt worse for the players who he expressed played very hard, but that things just did not go there way.
Although Bora was being Bora who is a very optimistic and enthusiastic person, we got the impression that Bora may have other plans for next season or that other plans were being made for him. Nonetheless, this was expected.
Fernando Clavijo, Bora's Assistant Coach, was name the Metrostars' interim coach.
MLS Playoffs: Crew Advances; Fire turns up heat and routs Burn Tampa Bay vs. Crew: Columbus shutout the Mutiny for the second straight time, 2-0, on goals by Brian West (23') and Jeff Cunningham (88'). The Crew will most likely face defending Eastern Conference Champion DC United in the Conference Finals. However, DC will have to get past the Miami Fusion first.
Chicago vs. Dallas: The defending MLS Champs routed Dallas, 4-0, to force a deciding third match. Peter Nowak opened the scoring in teh 18th minute. Roman Kosecki followed Nowak's lead and added to Chicago's lead with a goal in the 36th minute. A third goal was added to before the end of the first half by Ante Razov in the 43rd minute. Dema Kovalenko added one more goal in the 46th minute at the start of the second half to conclude Chicago's rout of Dallas.
MLS Playoffs get underway with home team advantage DC vs. Miami: Powerful DC United got off to a good start by defeating the Miami Fusion 2-0. Jaime Moreno of Bolivia scored both goals for the red and black. Moreno's first tally came in the 35th minute of the first half off of an Etcheverry assist. The second DC goal came two minutes before the whistle with assists from Etcheverrey and Talley.
Dallas vs. Chicago: The burn proved to be hotter than the Fire as they defeated the MLS defending champions 2-1. Ecuadorian striker, Ariel Graziani, opened up the scoring in the 52nd minute with an assist from Pareja. In the 75th minute, Mark Santel gave Dallas a 2-0 lead (assists from Graziani and Pareja). Chicago's lone goal came in the 79th minute from second half substitute John Ball.
Crew vs. Tampa Bay: The Crew's new stadium witnessed its first playoff match as the yellow and black attack downed the Mutiny 2-0. The first half concluded with a 0-0 tie, however, the Crew came alive in the second half. Carribean goal scorer, Stern John, did what he does best and scored both second half goals for Columbus (78' and 84') to help them take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three playoff series.
Los Angeles vs. Colorado: The Galaxy rolled over the fading Rapids 3-0! Ezra Hendrikson opened up the scoring in the 8th minute off assists from Mauricio Cienfuegos and Roy Myers. In the second half, LA added to its lead with a penalty kick goal by Greg Vanney in the 52nd minute and with a goal by Cobi Jones in the 57th.
In all 4 playoff matches, the home team came out victorious by outscoring its opponents 9-1.
Week 18: Crew starts off second half of season with rout of Dallas After the Western Conference defeated the East, 6-4, and Chivas of Guadalajara edged by Universidad Católica of Chile, 2-1, the All-Star Weekend came to and end. Week 18 initiated the second half of the MLS season with a lot of goals! 27 goals were scored, not counting shootouts, for an average of 3.71 goals per game.
Kansas City got the goal scoring rolling in a 4-3 defeat of suffering Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, San Jose edged the MLS champions, the Chicago Fire, in shootouts to pull out a 3-2 victory. Of the seven matches held in the 18th week, only 2 resulted in shootouts.
The Columbus Crew began their second half campaign by trouncing on the Dallas Burn, 4-1, as 4 different players scored to pull them closer to Eastern Conference leader, DC United.
In other matches, the Eastern Conference basement matchup between Miami and the Metrostars was won by the beachboys, 1-0. DC United, playing shorthanded, defeated New England 2-0. Los Angeles keeps creeping up in the Western Conference standings by defeating Kansas City, 2-1. Bringing up the rear was Tampa Bay's upset of Colorado in shootouts for a surprising 3-2 victory although the win was only worth a point.
All Star Game: East vs. West The MLS All-Star Game takes place on July 17th in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium. The match will be televised nationally at 3:30pm ET on ABC.
DC United had 7 players voted to the starting lineup of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team while the Chicago Fire placed 5.
The All-Star Game will be followed by an international match between 10-time Mexican champion Guadalajara and 7-time Chilean champion Universidad Católica.
Week 17: United they stand COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Jeff Agoos and Brian Kamler scored for D.C. United in a shootout Wednesday night, giving the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference leaders a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew.
Columbus was scoreless in four shootout attempts.
The victory gave United 30 points for the season and extended its lead over the second-place Crew to seven points. United has won all three of its games against Columbus this year, all by one goal.
A.J. Wood opened the scoring for United in the 27th minute on assists by Geoff Aunger and Roy Lassiter. It appeared to some fans that Wood had used his left arm to control the ball, and the signal that the goal counted was greeted with scattered booing.
A header by Stern John in the 56th minute tied the score 1-1 on assists by Brian Maisonneuve and Jason Farrell. The shot appeared to catch United goalkeeper Tom Presthus off guard by bouncing in an unexpected direction. John has scored in four straight games, with six goals in that stretch.
It was a rough game, with 34 fouls called, 20 against United. Carlos Llamosa of United was ejected in the 75th minute for tackling from behind, and seven players received yellow cards.
Week 16 The Colombus Crew increased
their winning streak to 4 in a row as they outmuscled the San Jose Clash in Columbus during a mid-week
match, 4-3 in shootouts! Stern John has found his groove as he scored 4 goals in two matches to
help his club win 4 of 6 points in the Eastern Conference standings. In the second match of the week,
the Crew shutout the Colorado Rapids, 3-0, in front of 51,025 fans at Mile High Stadium. The Crew's
lack of scoring seems to be a thing of the past as they have been able to use their main scoring weapons
effectively (John, McBride, Cunningham) meanwhile their defense has been great with solid work in goal
by Mark Dougherty.
The Crew's main rival for first place
in the Eastern Conference, DC United, was defeated by San Jose, 2-1, who continues to win matches, but only
in shootouts. They continue to be unable to finish off opponents in regulation time. The Crew's
other Conference rival, New England, defeated the last place Metrostars, 3-2. Los Angeles dropped
one to Miami, 2-1. The surprise club of the year so far, Dallas, lost to the defending MLS champion
Chicago Fire, 2-1, 2-1 in back to back matches.
Week 16 Results
Week 14 The 14th week of the MLS
season got under way on June 16 with Dallas' shutout rout of DC United, 3-0! The loss ended
DC's 7 match winning streak. Meanwhile, the Columbus Crew squeaked out another point over
Eastern Conference rivals New England, 2-1, in a shootout win.
On June 19 DC fell for
the second consecutive time, 2-1. This time the lucky winner was the L.A. Galaxy who appears
to have regained its winning form with the reincorporation of Mexican League star, Carlos
Hermosillo, who scored his second goal in as many matches in the 22nd minute to put the Galaxians
ahead, 1-0. Hermosillo is back in L.A.'s lineup now that the Mexican season is over and his Mexican
club, Necaxa, was eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the playoffs after winning the previous season's
championship.
DC United tied the match
on a header by Brian Kamler in the 83rd minute, but Mauricio Cienfuegos was the hero of the day
as he scored the winning gol on a free kick in the 90th and final minute of regulation play pulling
off a dramatic win (3rd consecutive) for the L.A. Galaxy.
Kansas City finally exploded
and the Metrostars were the victim in a, so far, forgettable season for the Wizards. Kansas City
routed Bora Milutinovic's club, 6-0! Preki and Brown each scored 2 goals in leading the Kansas
City slaughter of the Metrostars.
In other matches, Tampa Bay
fell to New England, 3-2, Chicago defeated a San Jose, 2-0, and Colorado defeated Dallas,
2-1.
DC show's dominance over
Crew By Ed Chrnko Salas
COLUMBUS, Ohio -
The fight for first place in the Eastern Conference became more complicated on June 5 when
they faced DC United in RFK Stadium. The yellow and black fell to the two-time champions by
the minimum difference, 1-0, when Diego Soñora scored the game's only goal on a cross by
Roy Lassiter
The rematch took place
on June 13 in the Crew's new stadium in front of 19,000 plus fans. DC United demonstrated
their power in the first half when the two bolivians, Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno,
set up the first score of the day in the 34th minute. The Crew showed that they could play
man for man with DC throughout the match, but a couple of defensive lapses is what sunk the
Crew.
In the second half,
Moreno found the back of the net for the second time in the 66th minute to increase the red
and black lead, 2-0. In response to Moreno's second goal of the day, Jeff Cunningham cut DC's
lead in half in the 69th minute to make it 2-1. Despite the adverse score, the Crew dominated
the second half with the numerous opportunities they had in DC's side of the field. However, even
with the goal and the control of the ball for much of the second half, the yellow and black couldn't
find the back of the net a second time.
the goal and
DC played the match without
seven starters and one man down after an expulsion, but they were still able to win the match
worth 6 points. In an exclusive interview with Señor Gol, Marco Etcheverry said that they respect
the Crew just as much as all of the other teams in the league, but they always go out to win. He
also said that they have a strong bench which is what allows them to play strong without seven
starters. When asked how DC will do in July without key players due to national team duties
because of the Confederations Cup and Copa America, he said "it won't affect DC's level of play."
Crew headcoach, Fitzgerald,
said that, "we fought hard throughout the match, but it wasn't enough." He mentioned the they
are in need of a "10" like Etcheverry or Valderrama to take charge in the middle. He reflected
that they should have gone after Valderrama when they had the chance.
Crew defeats Los Angeles
in shootout By Ed Chrnko Salas
COLUMBUS, Ohio 29 May -
The Crew got back on the winning track in dramatic fashion this past Saturday after defeating the L.A. Galaxy,
2-1,on a perfect day for soccer, the most beautiful sport in the world! The Crew, as well
as their fans, started preparing early to start the celebration although they both passed through
some agonizing moments. Although the Crew's new soccer specific stadium didn't sell out, the
atmosphere was passionate and their were enough fans in the stands to cause the Galaxy to
panic.
With the Galaxy leading by
the minimum difference, 1-0, and only minutes to play, the Crew didn't give up. Instead, the Crew
attacked the best defense in the MLS without stopping. In the 88th minute, Jeff Cunningham scored
the equalizer to send the game to a shootout.
The Crew's goalkeeper, Mark
Dougherty along with striker Jeff Cunningham, were the heroes of the match. Dougherty blocked consecutive
shots from such goalscorers such as Mauricio Cienfuegos, U.S. national team member Cobi Jones and
the brazilian Welton to seal the victory for the yellow and black. Billy Thompson, Stern John and
Cunningham scored the shootout goals for the Crew's victory.
The Crewsers had varias
goal scoring opportunities in the second half, but luck was not on Stern John's side this
Saturday. On one clear goal scoring opportunity, John had the chance to rifle a shot right past
Hartman, but his shot was off and careened right over the cross bar. In an exclusive interview
with Señor Gol, Cunningham explained that "the ball hit the heal and that's why the shot went high
and away". However, the anguish of the wasted opportunities was all but forgotten after the
tying goal was scored which led to the Crew's eventual victory.
The Galaxy looked
exhausted after the match. The physical exhaustion as well as the frustration could clearly be
seen on the face of the El Salvadorean, Mauricio Cienfuegos. His club has not had the same
success as they enjoyed last year when they set an MLS club goalscoring record with 85 goals.
However, this year the Galaxians have turned into one of the least offensive clubs in the MLS, but
at the same time they have the league's best defense. L.A.'s stunning defense could be noted
in the Crew's difficulty in scoring its first and only goal of the match in regulation time.
The yellow and black demonstrated
a strong character in not folding and giving up on the match and instead fought until the final
whistle. Even though the majority of the excitement didn't happen until the end of the match, the
Crew did not deceive its fans and made the wait worthwhile. The Crew managed to win a valuable
point in the standings to stay in the hunt for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Central -- Chicago, Columbus, Dallas and Tampa Bay
West -- Colorado, Kansas City, Los Angeles and San Jose
Galaxy advances to Final
Dallas forces Game 3
Galaxy wins in last minute