1998 Major League Soccer season
The 1998 Major League Soccer season was the third season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 86th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 20th with a national first-division league.
| Season | 1998 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | Chicago Fire (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Los Angeles Galaxy (1st shield) |
| Matches played | 192 |
| Goals scored | 701 (3.65 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Stern John (26 goals) |
| Longest winning run | Chicago Fire Games: 11 (05/16 – 07/09) |
| Longest losing run | New England Revolution Games: 9 (05/13 – 07/04) |
| Highest attendance | Los Angeles Galaxy Season: 348,549 Game Avg.: 21,784 |
| Lowest attendance | Kansas City Wizards Season: 129,163 Game Avg.: 8,073 |
| Total attendance | 2,747,897 |
| Average attendance | 14,312 |
← 1997 1999 → | |
D.C.
United
United
MetroStars
Miami
Fusion
Fusion
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Columbus Crew
New England Revolution
Colorado Rapids
Dallas
Burn
Burn
Los Angeles Galaxy
Kansas City Wizards
San Jose Clash
Chicago
Fire
Fire
The Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion played their inaugural seasons as the league's first two expansion teams.
The NY/NJ MetroStars dropped the New York/New Jersey from their name and rebranded as just MetroStars, with no city, state or regional name attached to it.
The regular season began on March 15, and concluded on September 27. The 1998 MLS Cup Playoffs began on September 30, and concluded with MLS Cup 1998 on October 25. Chicago became the first expansion team to win MLS Cup and the first to win it in its inaugural season.
Overview
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | Soldier Field | 66,944 |
| 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 Wizards | Arrowhead Stadium | 81,425 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Rose Bowl | 92,542 |
| MetroStars | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| Miami Fusion | Lockhart Stadium | 20,450 |
| New England Revolution | Foxboro Stadium | 60,292 |
| San Jose Clash | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | Houlihan's Stadium | 74,301 |
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Mutiny |  John Kowalski |
Resigned | June 6, 1998 |  Tim Hankinson |
June 8, 1998 |
| Miami Fusion |  Carlos Cordoba |
Fired | July 24, 1998 |  Ivo Wortmann |
July 25, 1998 |
| New England Revolution |  Thomas Rongen |
Fired | August 24, 1998 |  Walter Zenga |
August 24, 1998 |
| Metrostars |  Alfonso Mondelo |
Fired | September 21, 1998 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bora Milutinović |
September 21, 1998 |
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.C. United | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 58 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 56 | +11 | 45 | |
| 3 | MetroStars | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 39 | |
| 4 | Miami Fusion | 32 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 46 | 68 | −22 | 35 | |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 34 | |
| 6 | New England Revolution | 32 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 53 | 66 | −13 | 29 |
Source: FBREF.com
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 85 | 44 | +41 | 68 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 32 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 56 | |
| 3 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 62 | 69 | −7 | 44 | |
| 4 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 37 | |
| 5 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 48 | 60 | −12 | 33 | |
| 6 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 32 |
Source: FBREF.com
Overall Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (S) | 32 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 85 | 44 | +41 | 68 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | D.C. United | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 58 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire (C) | 32 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 56 | |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | 32 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 56 | +11 | 45 | |
| 5 | Colorado Rapids | 32 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 62 | 69 | −7 | 44 | |
| 6 | MetroStars | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 39 | |
| 7 | Dallas Burn | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 37 | |
| 8 | Miami Fusion | 32 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 46 | 68 | −22 | 35 | |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 34 | |
| 10 | San Jose Clash | 32 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 48 | 60 | −12 | 33 | |
| 11 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 32 | |
| 12 | New England Revolution | 32 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 53 | 66 | −13 | 29 |
Source: MLSsoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champion; (S) Supporters' Shield
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champion; (S) Supporters' Shield
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bracket
- The ties were a best of three series.
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | MLS Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | D.C. United | 2 | 0 (3) | x | ||||||||||||||
| E4 | Miami | 1 | 0 (2) | x | ||||||||||||||
| E1 | D.C. United | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Columbus | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Columbus | 5 | 1 (3) | x | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | MetroStars | 3 | 1 (2) | x | ||||||||||||||
| E1 | D.C. United | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 6 | 3 | x | ||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 1 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | 1 (1) | x | ||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Chicago | 1 | 1 (2) | x | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Chicago | 1 (3) | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Colorado | 1 (2) | 0 | x | ||||||||||||||
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference
Game 1
| D.C. United | 2–1 | Miami Fusion |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Game 2
| Miami Fusion | 0–0 | D.C. United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 2–3 | ||
- D.C. United advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Game 1
| Columbus Crew | 5–3 | MetroStars |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Game 2
| MetroStars | 1–1 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 2–3 | ||
- Columbus Crew advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Western Conference
Game 1
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 6–1 | Dallas Burn |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Game 2
| Dallas Burn | 2–3 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Game 1
| Chicago Fire | 1–1 | Colorado Rapids |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–2 | ||
Game 2
| Colorado Rapids | 0–1 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
- Chicago Fire advance 2–0, to the Conference Finals.
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
Game 1
| D.C. United | 2–0 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Game 2
| Columbus Crew | 4–2 | D.C. United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Game 3
| D.C. United | 3–0 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
- D.C. United advance 2–1, to MLS Cup
Western Conference
Game 1
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 0–1 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Game 2
| Chicago Fire | 1–1 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 2–1 | ||
- Chicago Fire advance 2–0, to MLS Cup
MLS Cup
Player statistics
Goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stern John |
Tampa Bay Mutiny | 26 |
| 2 | Cobi Jones |
Los Angeles Galaxy | 19 |
| 3 | Roy Lassiter |
D.C. United | 18 |
 Raúl Díaz Arce |
New England Revolution | ||
| 5 | Wélton |
Los Angeles Galaxy | 17 |
| 6 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jaime Moreno |
D.C. United | 16 |
| 7 |  Giovanni Savarese |
MetroStars | 14 |
| 8 |  Wolde Harris |
Colorado Rapids | 13 |
| Mauricio Cienfuegos |
Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| Ronald Cerritos |
San Jose Clash | ||
Assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eduardo Hurtado |
MetroStars | 14 |
| 2 | Marco Etcheverry |
D.C. United | 13 |
| 3 | Jerzy Podbrożny |
Chicago Fire | 12 |
| 4 | Joe-Max Moore |
New England Revolution | 11 |
| 5 |  Adrián Paz |
Colorado Rapids | 10 |
| 6 | Ronald Cerritos |
San Jose Clash | 9 |
 Paul Dougherty |
MetroStars | ||
| Cobi Jones |
Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| 9 | 10 players | 8 | |
Awards
Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Thornton, Chicago |
Thomas Dooley, Columbus Robin Fraser, LA Galaxy Luboš Kubík, Chicago Eddie Pope, D.C. United |
Chris Armas, Chicago Mauricio Cienfuegos, LA Galaxy Marco Etcheverry, D.C. United Piotr Nowak, Chicago |
Stern John, Columbus Cobi Jones, LA Galaxy |
Weekly awards
| Player of the Week | ||
|---|---|---|
| Week | Player | Club |
| Week 1 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 2 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 3 | Frank Klopas | Chicago Fire |
| Week 4 | Jason Farrell | Columbus Crew |
| Week 5 | Stern John | Columbus Crew |
| Week 6 | Paul Bravo | Colorado Rapids |
| Week 7 | Tony Meola | MetroStars |
| Week 8 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 9 |  Vitalis Takawira | Kansas City Wizards |
| Week 10 | Peter Nowak | Chicago Fire |
| Week 11 | Stern John | Columbus Crew |
| Week 12 | Jerzy Podbrożny | Chicago Fire |
| Week 13 | Zach Thornton | Chicago Fire |
| Week 14 | Roman Kosecki | Chicago Fire |
| Week 15 | Luboš Kubík | Chicago Fire |
| Week 16 | John Harkes | D.C. United |
| Week 17 | Roy Lassiter | D.C. United |
| Week 18 | Marco Etcheverry | D.C. United |
| Week 19 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 20 | Stern John | Columbus Crew |
| Week 21 | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 22 |  Diego Serna | Miami Fusion |
| Week 23 |  Carlos Hermosillo | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Week 24 | Josh Wolff | Chicago Fire |
| Week 25 | Diego Serna | Miami Fusion |
Monthly awards
| Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|
| Week | Player | Club |
| March | Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| April | Juergen Sommer | Columbus Crew |
| May | Piotr Nowak | Chicago Fire |
| June | Ross Paule | Colorado Rapids |
| July | Roy Lassiter | D.C. United |
| August | Stern John | Columbus Crew |
| September | Diego Serna | Miami Fusion |
Attendance
| Club | Games | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 16 | 348,549 | 21,784 |
| New England Revolution | 16 | 307,004 | 19,187 |
| Chicago Fire | 16 | 286,190 | 17,886 |
| MetroStars | 16 | 264,316 | 16,519 |
| D.C. United | 16 | 256,127 | 16,007 |
| Colorado Rapids | 16 | 236,995 | 14,812 |
| San Jose Clash | 16 | 218,450 | 13,653 |
| Columbus Crew | 16 | 196,394 | 12,274 |
| Dallas Burn | 16 | 175,162 | 10,947 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | 16 | 164,999 | 10,312 |
| Miami Fusion | 16 | 164,548 | 10,284 |
| Kansas City Wizards | 16 | 129,163 | 8,072 |
| Totals | 192 | 2,747,897 | 14,311 |
International Competition
- D.C. United
Defeat Joe Public F.C. 8–0 in quarterfinals.
Defeat
Deportivo Saprissa 2-0 in semifinals.
Defeat Toluca 1–0 in final. - Colorado Rapids
Lose Club León 4–3 on aggregate in qualifying round.
- D.C. United
Defeat Vasco da Gama 2–1 on aggregate.
First leg played at RFK Stadium
Second leg played at Lockhart Stadium.
References
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Western Conference | |
| Future teams |
|
| Former teams |
|
| Personnel | |
| Competition | |
| Associated competitions | |
| Other | |
| |
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