All-Time MLS Year 1 (1998)

[Wolfpack]

Hi all, and welcome to my new replay dynasty focusing on MLS. As the title says, this will be an "All-Time" league, but not in the usual sense. It won't feature exclusively the great teams of the league's history, though they will be involved along the way. Instead, every team that's ever completed a season will be involved at some point in this dynasty.

Here's how it will work: the league will play out over a number of years, starting with a "1998" season. Why? Because that will include all the teams that played in 1996 and in 1997. The teams from both season will be put together into a two-division league to play out a double-round-robin schedule. Here's the fun part: the divisions will be built on promotion and relegation, not geography. With 20 teams as the seeding ground, that means two 10-team divisions playing an 18-game schedule in each division.

As the years pass, more teams will be added to the all-time league from the just completed MLS season. For instance, in the second season (1999), all the 1998 teams will join the all-time league and the number of additional teams will mean a third division will be added to the mix for 32 teams altogether. However, to prevent the league structure from being overwhelming to my interests and time, I'm going to limit the league to just those three divisions. Also, the second and third divisions will really be one true second tier being split East/West rather than one above the other, much as there's a Conference North and Conference South below the main pro divisions in the FA. Each division will also cap out at 16 teams apiece (48 total teams, 16 in the first division and 32 in the combined second division). This means after a few years, teams that finish at the bottom of the second-tier divisions will be relegated completely out of the all-time league and never return because they have to make room for each new season that comes along.

[Wolfpack]

The gameplaying environment will be a tabletop sports game called "The Beautiful Game", which is a semi-quick-play game created by Lambourne Games (www.owzatgames.com) in the UK. In TBG, each team is given a number of cards in a game deck (typically a standard 52-card deck) to represent potential scoring chances. The number of cards a team gets in a deck depends on their scoring average plus the opposing team's scoring average (which can be more accurately detailed for home and away if those stats are available). Therefore, the better teams will have a higher percentage of cards in the deck.

The total cards in the deck is shuffled and using up the deck represents a half of play. As a half plays out, a die is rolled and game action occurs based on the roll. Many actions don't result in scoring chances, but some do. These chances are further sub-divided in to "full" and "half" chances, which as their name implies are higher- and lower-percentage chances of scoring based on a roll of 2d6. The chances themselves are small text descriptions written on up to 144 cards that give a description of game action and then a small chart to roll the 2d6 against to see if a goal is scored. Sometimes a red card or a penalty or a rebound chance will result with either new cards added to the man-advantaged-team's allotment of deck cards (if a red card) or a new scoring chance coming off special penalty or rebound charts. If a goal is scored, then a basic percentile roll is made against a team's list of goal scorers to find out who scored. Each team has goalies and penalty-takers listed, though they have no true bearing on gameplay other than as specific identifiers for game action (that is, they don't modify dice rolls that are made to determine if a goal is scored).

An interesting facet of this game engine is while you know the general structure of the deck (one team has seven cards, while the other has five, for example), the deck is played out face-down to you so you don't know what card is coming up off the deck when a game action occurs. What's more, if there is no game action or the game action doesn't result in a specific scoring chance, then you discard the card on top of the deck without actually knowing what the card is. In this way, you don't know who lost a chance at scoring when the more mundane parts of the game play out. The better teams do have more chances to score, but because they have more cards in the deck, they are reeled in a little because they'll also have greater odds of losing a card to a non-chance game action. The better teams do win and do score, but they will still suffer the occasional bout of bad luck that will result in upsets.

As noted, many game actions result in no scoring chance, but some of them may result in injuries or yellow cards. The team in trouble is not determined by the card deck, but a roll against a chart, so injuries and cards will tend to be evenly distributed over a match. The impact isn't felt by a team in match being played, but does affect them in future matches through reduced scoring averages (injuries) or outright loss cards to contribute to the match deck (discipline). In addition, a team receives a match card bonus for "good form" if they've won their previous match,but only if the other team lost or tied their previous match--two winners cancel each other out and no bonus is given if that happens. Each injury is checked before the next match to see if the unidentified player has recovered, while a match card is lost for each five discipline points handed out (reds are five points, yellows are one point). The five points then are subtracted from the team's total so they don't factor into match card losses in future matches.

Now that I've set the background up, it's time to lay out how this first season will play out.

[Wolfpack]

For this first season, there are 20 teams, broken up into a first and a second division. The 20 teams are the teams that played in MLS in 1996 and in 1997. These were the first two years for the new American league and DC United were the first powers of the league, winning both MLS Cups. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles were also very good teams with Tampa Bay winning the Supporter's Shield in 1996 for having the best regular season (DC United won the "double" in 1997 by winning the regular season in addition to the MLS Cup that year).

The league will be "seeded" by pairing a 1996 team with a 1997 team and playing a two-legged home-and-home series between them. The winner of the series is placed in Division 1 and the loser is placed in Division 2. The pairings are determined by order of finish in the regular season standings with the best team from 1996 (Tampa Bay) being paired against the worst team from 1997 (?) and on down the line until the worst team from 1996 (?) plays the best team from 1997 (DC United).

This produced the following set of pairings:
1996 Tampa Bay vs 1997 San Jose
1996 Los Angeles vs 1997 New York/New Jersey
1996 DC United vs 1997 New England
1996 Dallas vs 1997 Colorado
1996 Kansas City vs 1997 Columbus
1996 San Jose vs 1997 Dallas
1996 New York/New Jersey vs 1997 Los Angeles
1996 Columbus vs 1997 Tampa Bay
1996 New England vs 1997 Kansas City
1996 Colorado vs 1997 DC United

This will be the only year to do division placement this way. In future years there will be promotion and relegation (some automatic, some done by playoffs) to handle team placement.

The regular season will be 18 games long and played out on Saturdays, starting on May 2, 1998 with a one week break at midseason. (As an aside, this midseason break will occur every year on 4th of July week for no good reason other than I'm an American and I want a midseason break on 4th of July week ).

At the end of the season, the top eight teams in Division 1 will go on to play in the MLS Cup playoffs (this eight-team format will be true every year even as Division 1 grows to 16 teams). The quarters and semis will be home-and-home two-legged matchups while the MLS Cup final will be a single neutral-site game.

The bottom two teams will be relegated to Division 2 for 1999 and replaced by the two best teams from Division 2, along with 1998 MLS Cup winners Chicago and 1998 Supporter's Shield winners Los Angeles to create a 12-team Division 1 for 1999. (Each new season that comes into the league will automatically promote their MLS Cup and Supporter's Shield winners--or runners-up in the event of a "double" winner-- will gain automatic promotion to Division 1.)

[Wolfpack]

There will be two other cup competitions: an "MLS Open Cup" and a "Champions League". These Cup tournaments will play out during the regular season on mid-week nights. Teams that are participating will still be subject to penalties from injuries suffered in weekend league games, but the discipline points will be kept separately.

The Open Cup will feature a single-elimination random draw tournament of all the teams in league history to date (even ones that have been relegated from existence in league play). Some teams will gain byes and later placement in the tournament field by performance from prior years. This year, the first round will consist of the 10 teams in Division 2 playing one another, followed by a second round where the five survivors are joined by nine teams from Division 1. The lucky TBD tenth team will get a bye to the quarterfinals alongside the seven winners from round two. Knockouts will proceed in the normal way from that point on.

Meanwhile, the Champions League will have a minimum of eight teams and will eventually have more participants than that over time. The only eligible teams for this competition each year will be teams who have won championships either in the real life MLS, or in this all-time league. Real life winners eligible are all MLS Cup winners to date and all Supporter's Shield winners to date, while All-time winners eligible are any teams that have won an all-time competition in the league's history (a prior all-time MLS Cup, all-time Supporter's Shield, all-time Open Cup, or all-time Champions League). Occasionally, this may result in an odd number of teams, so to even numbers out, the highest available team from the prior year's standings may be drawn into the field, as well. For this first season, the field will merely consist of the four semi-finalists from each of 1996 and 1997 since that is sufficient to cover the only "trophy" holders from 1996 and 1997 (DC United both years, Tampa Bay from 1996). These teams will be drawn into two groups to play a double-round robin of six games. Group winners advance to a one-game final that's played out after the regular season is over.

[bbgunn]

Interesting concept. Looking forward to this!

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Interesting concept. Looking forward to this!

Thanks. I'm certainly hoping I can follow through and deliver a good history, though I may let it go dormant sometimes as my level of interest in soccer fluctuates. Still, at least with the smaller leagues and shorter schedules the first couple of years, I think I can build up some easy momentum in the short term. I know I've been watching a fair amount more soccer than I have in quite a while between the World Cup and laying the groundwork for this project.

[Wolfpack]

Time for some thread necromancy.....

Yeah, I let this one go not too long after starting it, but I never let it completely slip from my mind. I always had intentions of returning to it, but the time away gave me some time to re-think how I wanted to set the world up. Ultimately, I've decided to scrap the original structure, though not the promotion/relegation idea. That was an essential component of the project and so it stays. It's just the league structure that has been re-thought.

So, the new form is this: for this first year, there will be two co-equal "first" divisions of ten teams. Each division will feature one member of each franchise and the divisions should roughly be equal in overall strength (though the stratification will be different). Each division will also have an equal number of teams (five each) from 1996 and 1997. So, here is our new division structure for 1998:

Division A
1996 Colorado Rapids
1996 Dallas Burn
1996 LA Galaxy
1996 New England Revolution
1996 San Jose Clash
1997 Columbus Crew
1997 DC United
1997 Kansas City Wizards
1997 New York/New Jersey MetroStars
1997 Tampa Bay Mutiny

Division B
1996 Columbus Crew
1996 DC United
1996 Kansas City Wizards
1996 New York/New Jersey MetroStars
1996 Tampa Bay Mutiny
1997 Colorado Rapids
1997 Dallas Burn
1997 LA Galaxy
1997 New England Revolution
1997 San Jose Clash

The 18-game regular season remains, as does the MLS Open Cup and the MLS Champions League. The playoffs will still have eight teams, but now it's the first four of each division that qualify.

The future league structure will also be changing. Initially, I was going to have a two-tiered structure with three levels (the second level being split into two divisions) of 16 teams each as the final structure. I've changed the approach to a bigger pyramid of three levels and six divisions, split 1/2/3 with 11 teams each. It's more teams, but the shorter round-robin will translate into fewer total games to play. Also, there will be no grace period for the worst teams in the early years of the league. Previously, I was letting teams stay until the full structure could be built. Now, teams will be dropped into oblivion from the first season. The expectation is that after the 1998 season that the table-footers in both Division A and Division B will be dropped, and then the 12 teams that played the 1998 MLS season in real life will be added and the structure re-organized to three levels with a 10-team division in each level. Future years will fill out the pyramid and once that is complete, the number of teams that are dropped and added will balance each other to maintain the pyramid at the same size. This will mean heavy attrition from the third level by the latter part of the 2000s as more than half the level will have to be kicked out to make room for each year's newcomers. The structural changes will also mean changes to the structures of each of the trophy playoffs over time, but the essential notion of qualification for them will remain unchanged (MLS Cup taking the best regular season performers, Open Cup involving every team that ever played to that point regardless of whether they're part of the league pyramid anymore, and Champions League taking trophy winners as the primary qualifiers).

So, there you have it. It is now time to kick off the All-Time MLS 1998 regular season!

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 2, 1998
Division A
1997 DC United at 1996 Colorado
1996 LA Galaxy at 1996 New England
1997 Kansas City at 1997 NY/NJ
1997 Tampa Bay at 1997 Columbus
1996 San Jose at 1996 Dallas (GOTW)

Division B
1996 Tampa Bay at 1997 San Jose
1996 DC United at 1997 Colorado
1997 LA Galaxy at 1997 New England
1997 Dallas at 1996 NY/NJ
1996 Kansas City at 1996 Columbus (GOTW)

(GOTW=Game of the Week--these games will feature a detailed play-by-play as determined by the game engine whereas the other games will receive summary commentary)

[Wolfpack]

Division A Game of the Week: 1996 Dallas Burn v 1996 San Jose Clash

14' (SJ): A defender allows a ball through and mistakenly thinks offside will be called, leaving Altimont Butler with a golden chance. Butler drives it in off the post from 10 yards - GOAL!

28' (DAL): A clever run is then crossed into the penalty area where Washington Rodriguez volleys it, but Dave Salzwedel blocks it - REBOUND! Brian Haynes knocks the simple header into the empty net from close-in - GOAL!

31': Dallas are looking dangerous pushing forward but aren't creating any chances.

37' (SJ): A good punch clear by Mark Dodd under pressure.

41' (SJ): A hard-hit ball is sent across the face of the goal. Dodd fails to gather it in and Paul Bravo turns it into the empty net - GOAL!

45+' (DAL): A swift break down the left, but the offside flag is up for Zak Ibsen.

HT: 1996 Dallas Burn 1 - 2 1996 San Jose Clash

48' (DAL): Jason Kreis gets a clear chance from 10 yards as his defender misses a tackle. He makes the defender pay by driving the ball low into the corner of the net - GOAL!

52' (SJ): A neat one-two creates space for Eduardo Espinoza to get a shot off from 15 yards, but his drive is blocked by a defender.

56' (DAL): Lawrence Lozzano moves forward unchallenged. He takes a well-hit shot, but Salzwedel has it covered.

66' (DAL): Salzwedel fails to cut out a high cross, but Lawrence Lozzano's header goes over the goal.

69' (DAL): A hard-hit low cross goes into a crowded goal area. Salzwedel is able to make a brave claim on it to end the chance.

74' (DAL): A clever interchange of passes creates a chance for Rodriguez, who volleys it from the edge of the area. Though Salzwedel is beaten, it goes inches wide.

79' (DAL): Salzwedel fails to cut out a high cross, but Hugo Sanchez's header is too high even though Salzwedel is off his line.

83' (SJ): A poor clearance is intercepted, resulting in a clear chance for Jorge Rodas on the edge of the penalty area. His shot hits the underside of the bar but does cross the line before bouncing out. A big dispute ensues, but the referee says it crossed the line - GOAL!

FT: 1996 Dallas Burn 2 - 3 1996 San Jose Clash

1996 Dallas		1996 San Jose
Haynes, 28' Kreis, 48'	GOALS	Butler, 14' Bravo, 41' Rodas, 83'
58%	POSS	42%
1	YELLOWS	0
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division A Scores
1996 Colorado 3 - 2 1996 DC United (HT: 3-1)
*Chris Henderson and Marcelo Balboa strike for two in the first 15 minutes to give Rapids a good start in season opener
GOALS: COL--Henderson 11', Balboa 15', Wegerle 36'; DCU--Marsch 34', Diaz Arce 63'

1996 New England 1 - 0 1996 Los Angeles (HT: 0-0)
*A benign affair in Foxboro comes to a sudden and surprising end as a second-half injury-time long ball drops to Joe-Max Moore, who's able to beat Jorge Campos for the goal and the win.
GOALS: NE--Moore 90+'

1997 NY/NJ 1 - 3 1997 Kansas City (HT: 0-2)
*An early goal by Paul Wright and a first half injury-time goal by Mo Johnston is more than enough to overcome the mistake-prone (missed penalty, own goal) MetroStars.
GOALS: NY--Savarese 81'; KC--Wright 8', Johnston 45+', NY own goal 75'

1997 Columbus 1 - 1 1997 Tampa Bay (HT: 1-0)
*Robert Warzycha's early goal stakes Crew to the lead, but Gilmar stuns the Ohio Stadium crowd with an injury-time strike to salvage a road point for the Mutiny.
GOALS: CBS--Warzycha 6'; TB--Gilmar 90+'

[Wolfpack]

Division A Standings

                           |--- H O M E ---|   |--- A W A Y ---|        
Pos Team               P   W   D   L   F   A   W   D   L   F   A  GD Pts
  1 1997 Kansas City   1   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   3   1   2   3 
  2 1996 Colorado      1   1   0   0   3   2   0   0   0   0   0   1   3 
  3 1996 San Jose      1   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   3   2   1   3 
  4 1996 New England   1   1   0   0   1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   3 
  5 1997 Columbus      1   0   1   0   1   1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1 
  6 1997 Tampa Bay     1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   1   0   1 
  7 1996 Dallas        1   0   0   1   2   3   0   0   0   0   0  -1   0 
  8 1997 DC United     1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2   3  -1   0 
  9 1996 Los Angeles   1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1  -1   0 
 10 1997 NY/NJ         1   0   0   1   1   3   0   0   0   0   0  -2   0

[JonInMiddleGA]

Lambourne does some good stuff, this ought to be good as long as you can deal with the grind that sometimes comes with the manual labor.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Lambourne does some good stuff, this ought to be good as long as you can deal with the grind that sometimes comes with the manual labor.

Yeah. I've dealt with the most intensive part, though--the games themselves. Once again, I've successfully found a use for Excel that was never intended. Suffice to say it'll take more time to write up reports than to actually play the games (working on it, though).

[Wolfpack]

Division B Game of the Week - 1996 Columbus Crew v 1996 Kansas City Wiz

A heated contest in Columbus with the Crew getting the worst of it. A very card-happy ref shows five yellows to the Crew to one for the Wiz. Worse, the Crew dominated the run of play, but KC made the most of their chances to pick up the win.

13' (CBS): A good through ball is made but Garth Lagerway just beats Brian McBride to the ball and clears it.

21' (KC): A corner is flicked on for a volley from 10 yards by Mike Sorber and he smashes it home - GOAL!

HT: 1996 Columbus Crew 0 - 1 1996 Kansas City Wiz

47' (CBS): A swift break down the left, but the offside flag is up for Doctor Khumalo.

49' (CBS): Pete Marino makes a clever run and shoots from the edge of the area, but the shot is closed down by the defence.

74' (CBS): A beautifully weighted pass leaves Brian McBride through on goal. McBride slots the ball into the corner of the net, beating the oncoming Lagerway - GOAL!

77' (CBS): Pete Marino's free kick from 30 yards curls just wide of the post.

80' (KC): A great ball comes in from the bye-line, giving Vitalis Takawira a close range header. The powerful header gives Bo Oshoniyi no chance - GOAL!

FT: 1996 Columbus Crew 1 - 2 1996 Kansas City Wiz

1996 Columbus		1996 Kansas City
McBride, 74'	GOALS	Sorber, 21' Takawira, 80'
55%	POSS	45%
5	YELLOWS	1
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division B Scores
1997 San Jose Clash 3 - 1 1996 Tampa Bay Mutiny (HT: 2-0)
*A pair of strikes late in the first half propel the Clash. An injury time goal spoils Dave Salzwedel's clean sheet, though.
GOALS: SJ--Cerritos 38', Baicher 45'+, Medved 74'; TB--Vasquez 90+'

1997 Colorado Rapids 3 - 2 1996 D.C. United (HT: 2-1)
*DC United get the quick goal, but the Rapids dominate play for much of the next hour to pull ahead and then hold off a late United push.
GOALS: COL--Paz 12', Balboa 25', Bravo 57'; DCU--Rammel 3', Etcheverry 77'

1997 New England Revolution 0 - 1 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy (HT: 0-1)
*A quick goal by Harut Karapetyan leaves the Galaxy ahead after just two minutes. A chippy affair ensues with seven yellows passed out, but no one else scores for the next 88-plus minutes and LA leaves New England with three road points.
GOALS: LAG--Karapetyan 2'

1996 NY/NJ MetroStars 1 - 4 1997 Dallas Burn (HT: 0-3)
*It's the Dante Washington show at the Meadowlands. Washington racks up a natural hat trick in the final quarter hour before halftime in an astonishing display of skill, luck, and lousy MetroStars defense.
GOALS: NY--Savarese 68'; DAL--Washington 31' 37' 45+', Suarez 65'

[Wolfpack]

Division B Standings

Pos Team              HW  HD  HL  HF  HA  AW  AD  AL  AF  AA  GD Pts 
  1 1997 Dallas        0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   4   1   3   3 
  2 1997 San Jose      1   0   0   3   1   0   0   0   0   0   2   3 
  3 1997 Colorado      1   0   0   3   2   0   0   0   0   0   1   3 
  4 1996 Kansas City   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   2   1   1   3 
  5 1997 Los Angeles   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   1   0   1   3 
  6 1996 DC United     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2   3  -1   0 
  7 1996 Columbus      0   0   1   1   2   0   0   0   0   0  -1   0 
  8 1997 New England   0   0   1   0   1   0   0   0   0   0  -1   0 
  9 1996 Tampa Bay     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   3  -2   0 
 10 1996 NY/NJ         0   0   1   1   4   0   0   0   0   0  -3   0 

[Wolfpack]

1998 MLS Champions League Draw
Each year, all trophy winners past and present, real or replay, will be invited to contest the MLS Champions League. As this is the first year of the competition, the field will be fairly small, eight teams and non-champions have been added to fill the field out. Each season will put four teams into this year's field.

From 1996:
DC United (MLS Cup winners)
Tampa Bay (Supporters Shield winners)
Los Angeles (MLS Cup runners-up, Supporters Shield runners-up)
Dallas (#4 overall standings)

From 1997:
DC United (MLS Cup winners, Supporters Shield winners)
Kansas City (Supporters Shield runners-up)
Tampa Bay (#3 overall standings)
Colorado (MLS Cup runners-up)

The teams will be drawn into two four-team groups from four two-team pots:
Pot A: DC United teams
Pot B: Tampa Bay teams
Pot C: 1996 Los Angeles, 1997 Kansas City
Pot D: 1996 Dallas, 1997 Colorado

The draw resulted in the following groups:
Group A
1997 DC United
1996 Tampa Bay
1996 Los Angeles
1997 Colorado

Group B
1996 DC United
1997 Tampa Bay
1997 Kansas City
1996 Dallas

The group stage will be a double round-robin for six matches running concurrently with the regular season, played during the middle of the week and every few weeks. Play will begin on May 13. The group winners will then advance to the one-game Champions League final, which will be played in between the end of the regular season and the start of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 9, 1998
Division A
1996 New England at 1997 DC United
1996 Colorado at 1997 NY/NJ
1996 LA Galaxy at 1997 Columbus
1997 Kansas City at 1996 Dallas (GOTW)
1997 Tampa Bay at 1996 San Jose

Division B
1997 Colorado at 1996 Tampa Bay
1997 San Jose at 1997 New England
1996 DC United at 1996 NY/NJ
1997 LA Galaxy at 1996 Columbus
1997 Dallas at 1996 Kansas City (GOTW)

(Total coincidence that Dallas and KC would play a double-header the same week and both matches would feature the best combination of teams to be Game of the Week matchups.)

[Wolfpack]

Division A Match of the Week: 1996 Dallas v 1997 Kansas City

A tight battle in Texas, but a goal by KC's Matt McKeon against the run of play early in the second half proves to be the game winner.

8' (KC): A defender makes a back pass under pressure, causing some trouble for Dallas keeper Mark Dodd, but Dodd is able to make a hurried clearance.

12': 1997 Kansas City Wizards player suffers injury

14' (DAL): A quickly-taken corner goes to Jason Kreis, who delivers a fierce shot. KC goalie Mike Ammann does well to hold on to it.

20': 1996 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

28' (KC): Matt McKeon charges down a clearance on the edge of the area. He then makes a clinical finish with a shot into the corner of the net - GOAL!

40' (DAL): A misunderstanding between Ammann and one of his defenders lets in Chad Ashton. Ashton's kick goes off Ammann's body - REBOUND! Kreis knocks the simple header into the empty net from close-in - GOAL!

44': 1997 Kansas City Wizards player suffers injury

45+': 1996 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

HT: 1996 Dallas Burn 1 - 1 1997 Kansas City Wizards

47' (DAL): Ted Eck takes an ambitious shot from 30 yards that's hit well, but Ammann saves easily.

52' (DAL): Washington Rodriguez evades a despairing tackle and shoots, but it's well-stopped by Ammann.

56' (KC): The defence is carved open by a swift attack. The ball comes to McKeon and he side-foots it home with Dodd coming out to challenge - GOAL!

59' (DAL): 1996 Dallas Burn are controlling the midfield well, but aren't carving out the chances.

68' (KC): A hard, low cross goes into the crowded goalmouth. Dodd makes a brave save among the all the bodies and limbs.

74' (KC): A fierce drive by Vitalis Takawira is deflected by a defender. Dodd is unsighted, but makes a brilliant stop anyway.

78' (KC): A free kick is floated in, but defenders hesitate trying to figure out who's going to stop it. It falls to Mark Chung, but he fluffs the volley and blasts it over instead.

87' (KC): A defender slips, leaving Preki alone in a 1-on-1 with Dodd. Preki then slips the ball past Dodd and into the net - GOAL!

FT: 1996 Dallas Burn 1 - 3 1997 Kansas City Wizards

1996 Dallas		1997 Kansas City
Kreis, 40';	GOALS	McKeon, 28' 56' Preki, 87'
46%	POSS	54%
2	YELLOWS	0
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division A Scores
1997 D.C. United 3 - 1 1996 New England Revolution
A controversial match at RFK as DC United get a pair of calls their way. New England scored just three minutes in on a header from Darren Sawatzky, but from there, it's all United. The first controversy comes from a penalty awarded to DC United on a close play in the box in the 23rd minute. Raul Diaz Arce puts in the penalty to level the match. Then in first half injury time, major controversy breaks out as Diaz Arce's volley from in close strikes the bar and bounces down to the goal line. Initially ruled as a no-goal by the referee, the linesman instead informs that the ball did cross over into the goal and the referee subsequently changes his call to allow the goal. Diaz Arce bags the hat trick late in the match after an incidental handball leads to his second PK goal.
GOALS: DCU--Diaz Arce 23'(p) 45+' 90+'(p); NE--Sawatzky 3'

1997 NY/NJ MetroStars 3 - 1 1996 Colorado Rapids
The Metros play a man down for most of the match, but didn't play like it. After an early red and subsequent penalty conversion by Colorado's Jean Harbor put them one down on the scoreboard as well as the pitch, NY/NJ force a stalemate until Giovanni Savarese levels the match late in the first half. The Metros then get an own goal and a goal from Marcelo Balboa in the first part of the second half to take the win. All is not rosy for the Metros, though, as a late red card gave a penalty shot to Branco, but for the second straight match, he blew the penalty.
GOALS: NY/NJ--Savarese 37', COL own goal 57', Ramos 64'; COL--Harbor 3'(p)

1997 Columbus Crew 2 - 0 1996 Los Angeles Galaxy
An efficient, grinding victory by the Crew at Ohio Stadium. LA has the early jump, but the Crew get a goal from Thomas Dooley 15 minutes in and then wear down the Galaxy in the second half before Doctor Khumalo buries the clincher with a header in the 79th minute.
GOALS: CBS--Dooley 15', Khumalo 79'

1996 San Jose Clash 2 - 1 1997 Tampa Bay Mutiny
The visiting Mutiny break ahead really early with a second-minute goal from Gilmar, but the Clash would level it with an Eric Wynalda goal in the 21st minute. The Mutiny would have a golden chance slide by in the 55th minute as Roy Lassiter was brought down in the box, but Carlos Valderrama's PK attempt was stopped by San Jose's Tom Liner. San Jose would then grab the lead on a John Doyle goal in the 65th minute. The Clash then rode out a fierce push by the Mutiny in the final ten minutes to claim the win.
GOALS: SJ--Wynalda 21', Doyle 65'; TB--Gilmar 2'

[Wolfpack]

Division A Standings

Pos Team              HW  HD  HL  HF  HA  AW  AD  AL  AF  AA  GD Pts
  1 1997 Kansas City   0   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   6   2   4   6 
  2 1996 San Jose      1   0   0   2   1   1   0   0   3   2   2   6 
  3 1997 Columbus      1   1   0   3   1   0   0   0   0   0   2   4 
  4 1997 DC United     1   0   0   3   1   0   0   1   2   3   1   3 
  5 1997 NY/NJ         1   0   1   4   4   0   0   0   0   0   0   3 
  6 1996 Colorado      1   0   0   3   2   0   0   1   1   3  -1   3 
  7 1996 New England   1   0   0   1   0   0   0   1   1   3  -1   3 
  8 1997 Tampa Bay     0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   2   3  -1   1 
  9 1996 Dallas        0   0   2   3   6   0   0   0   0   0  -3   0 
 10 1996 Los Angeles   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   2   0   3  -3   0 

[Wolfpack]

Division B Game of the Week: 1996 Kansas City vs 1997 Dallas

An action-packed first half of action deals a pair of goals to both sides, but the defenses clamp down in the second half and neither team can claim the extra two points.

5' (KC): A hard-hit low cross flies into the six-yard area, but no one can get a foot on it.

9' (KC): Preki takes a speculative shot from 30 yards that is saved by Dallas's Mark Dodd.

12' (DAL): A series of heavy tackles leads to a flare-up and a free kick awarded from 25 yards. The ball comes to Dante Washington, who chips it into the top corner of the net - GOAL!

16' (DAL): A headed clearance is mis-directed. Jorge Rodriguez gets to the ball and delivers a snap-shot from the edge of the area. It hits Wiz keeper Garth Lagerway's body, leading to a rebound chance, but a defender gets his body in the way to block the shot out of harm's way.

22' (KC): Preki gets off a waist-high volley in a goalmouth scramble that causes a fine reflex save by Dodd.

27' (KC): A slow build-up leads to a final decisive pass that splits the defense and gives Mike Sorber a shot from 10 yards. The fine shot goes just inside of the near post - GOAL!

31' (KC): A long-range attempt by Vitalis Takawira goes a couple of yard wide, but it wouldn't have mattered as Dodd had it covered.

41' (DAL): A headed clearance is mis-directed. Damian goes up and delivers a looping header on it, but it goes over.

45+' (KC): KC is controlling the possession in midfield, but are unable to find an opening.

HT: 1996 Kansas City Wiz 1 - 1 1997 Dallas Burn

48' (KC): Two defenders are beaten on the edge of the penalty area. Alan Prampin volleys a shot, but Dodd makes a good stop.

52': 1997 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

54' (DAL): Dallas get a good build-up but the final pass to Damian goes astray.

58' (DAL): A deep cross to Washington is headed back across the goal, but Lagerway claims the ball well.

63': 1996 Kansas City Wiz player shown a yellow card

65': 1997 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

70' (DAL): Washington's shot from 25 yards takes a deflection but Lagerway gets down to save.

74' (KC): A clever play goes through the middle, but ends with an offside call.

78': 1996 Kansas City Wiz player suffers injury

81' (DAL): A clever run to the bye-line but the header off the cross by Washington is too high.

85' (KC): Brilliant footwork wins Mo Johnston half-a-yard of space, but his shot drags wide of the far post.

FT: 1996 Kansas City Wiz 1 - 1 1997 Dallas Burn

1996 Kansas City		1997 Dallas
Sorber, 27'	GOALS	Washington, 12'
54%	POSS	46%
1	YELLOWS	2
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division B Scores
1996 Tampa Bay Mutiny 1 - 2 1997 Colorado Rapids (HT: 0-2) (big ol' *)
The visiting Rapids score a pair in the first half and surprisingly shut down the Mutiny in Tampa. Only a late Martin Vasquez strike spoils the clean sheet for Marcus Hahnemann.
GOALS: TB--Vasquez 90+'; COL--Trittschuh 12', Henderson 45'

1997 New England Revolution 1 - 2 1997 San Jose Clash (HT: 0-1)
Each team dominates stretches of the match in Foxboro, but San Jose has control over more of the match, leading to a pair of goals from Shawn Medved and Ronald Cerritos, giving the visitors the three points.

1996 NY/NJ MetroStars 1 - 2 1996 D.C. United (HT: 1-1)
The Atlantic Cup rivals have a fast and furious first half of action with chances exchanged end-to-end. The home team gets up early on a 9th minute goal from Rob Johnson, but DC United come back to level the match on a Diaz Arce strike in the 31st minute. However, none of the other chances are cashed in and it is a different, much quieter affair in the second half with fewer chances. However, the Black and Red are able to cash in on one of them as a cross into an unmarked Steve Rammel finds its way into the net in the 77th minute, proving to be the game winner.
GOALS: NY--Johnson 9'; DCU--Diaz Arce 31', Rammel 77'

1996 Columbus Crew 2 - 2 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy (HT: 1-1)
Brian McBride strikes first and last for a very literal brace in Columbus. The Crew get an early goal from McBride, only to see the Galaxy level the match just four minutes later on an Eduardo Hurtado rebound goal. However, no further goals come through until the second half when Martin Machon gives the Galaxy a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute. Then with injury time clicking away, Columbus's Pete Marino breaks in on the Galaxy goal, but is brought down heavily in the box. Without hesistation, the referee awards the penalty to Columbus and McBride delivers the needed strike to level the match and save the home team a point.
GOALS: CBS--McBride 3' 90+'(p); LA--Hurtado 7', Machon 68'

*--I misread my schedule and had played 97 Tampa against 96 Colorado, reversing the years of the two teams. So, I had to scrub the Mutiny's win from the records and replay with the correct years while also re-checking the stats tracking I had done to get everything back in order. Fun, fun.

[Wolfpack]

Division B Standings

Pos Team              HW  HD  HL  HF  HA  AW  AD  AL  AF  AA  GD Pts 
  1 1997 San Jose      1   0   0   3   1   1   0   0   2   1   3   6 
  2 1997 Colorado      1   0   0   3   2   1   0   0   2   1   2   6 
  3 1997 Dallas        0   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   5   2   3   4 
  4 1996 Kansas City   0   1   0   1   1   1   0   0   2   1   1   4 
  5 1997 Los Angeles   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   3   2   1   4 
  6 1996 DC United     0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   4   4   0   3 
  7 1996 Columbus      0   1   1   3   4   0   0   0   0   0  -1   1 
  8 1997 New England   0   0   2   1   3   0   0   0   0   0  -2   0 
  9 1996 Tampa Bay     0   0   1   1   2   0   0   1   1   3  -3   0 
 10 1996 NY/NJ         0   0   2   2   6   0   0   0   0   0  -4   0

[Wolfpack]

1998 MLS Open Cup Draw

Similar to the real-life US Open Cup or the English FA Cup tournaments, the MLS Open Cup is an "open to all" single-elimination tournament. Each year, every available team to that date (including any who have been permanently relegated out of the All-Time MLS in prior years) will be drawn into this tournament.

For 1998, this means a 20-team tournament. The tournament will last five rounds. 1996 DC United (MLS Cup winners), 1997 DC United (MLS Cup winners), 1996 Tampa Bay (Supporter's Shield winners), and 1997 Kansas City (1997 #2 team) have all been given double-byes and will enter at the third round, the tournament quarterfinals. The remaining 16 teams have been randomly drawn against one another to play in the first round. The only restriction is that teams from the same franchise history may not play one another unless it is unavoidable.

All first round winners will play each other in the second round.

Any matches ending in ties will be replayed on the 27th at the visiting team's home field. A tie in the replay match goes to OT and then PKs to determine the winner.

The first round will be played May 20, 1998. The matchups drawn are (home team first):
1996 Dallas vs 1997 Columbus
1996 NY/NJ vs 1996 LA Galaxy
1996 Kansas City vs 1997 Dallas
1997 New England vs 1997 San Jose
1996 Columbus vs 1997 LA Galaxy
1997 Tampa Bay vs 1996 Colorado
1997 NY/NJ vs 1996 San Jose
1996 New England vs 1997 Colorado

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 13, 1998 (MLS Champions League)
Group A
1997 DC United at 1996 Tampa Bay Mutiny
1996 Los Angeles Galaxy at 1997 Colorado Rapids

Group B
1996 DC United at 1997 Tampa Bay Mutiny
1997 Kansas City Wizards at 1996 Dallas Burn

NOTE: team injuries being carried from regular season play will affect Champions League matches, but yellow cards and red cards will not as this is a separate competition

[Wolfpack]

Champions League Games

May 13 1998
1996 Tampa Bay	2		1997 DC United	2
Diego Viera 34 Roy Lassiter 57			John Maessner 53 Jaime Moreno 61
			Half-Time: 1-0
A quiet first half that nets one goal eventually gives way to a wide-open, tense second half with all the scoring done in the first 16 minutes of the half. More chances follow, but none are able to break through.
1997 Colorado	0		1996 Los Angeles	3
			Greg Vanney 11 Eduardo Hurtado 18,90
			Half-Time: 0-2
The Rapids had been somewhat of a questionable addition to the Champions League, receiving a berth only because of their 1997 MLS Cup Finals appearance. A thrashing at home against the Galaxy isn't going to prove the doubters wrong.
1997 Tampa Bay	4		1996 DC United	0
Roy Lassiter 10 Gilmar 16 Alan Prampin 31 Carlos Valderrama Pen 76
			Half-Time: 3-0
While the DC-Tampa matchup in Group A was a tight draw, this one was a rampage by the Mutiny.
1996 Dallas	4		1997 Kansas City	1
John Kerr 7 Mark Santel 35,52 Hugo Sanchez 90			Mark Chung 74
			Half-Time: 2-0
For the second straight match, the Wizards call on Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. However, the results are significantly worse for the visitors as they get pounded in a complete reversal of the weekend result.

[Wolfpack]

All-Time MLS 1998 Champions League

Group A
Pos	Team	HW	HD	HL	HF	HA	AW	AD	AL	AF	AA	GD	Pts
1	1996 Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
2	1996 Tampa Bay	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
3	1997 DC United	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	0	1
4	1997 Colorado	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	-3	0

Group B
Pos	Team	HW	HD	HL	HF	HA	AW	AD	AL	AF	AA	GD	Pts
1	1997 Tampa Bay	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3
2	1996 Dallas	1	0	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	3
3	1997 Kansas City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0
4	1996 DC United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	-4	0

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 16, 1998
Division A
1997 DC United (1-0-1) at 1997 NY/NJ (1-0-1)
1996 New England (1-0-1) at 1997 Columbus (1-1-0) (GOTW)
1996 Colorado (1-0-1) at 1996 Dallas (0-0-2)
1996 LA Galaxy (0-0-2) at 1996 San Jose (2-0-0)
1997 Kansas City (2-0-0) at 1997 Tampa Bay (0-1-1)

Division B
1996 Tampa Bay (0-0-2) at 1997 New England (0-0-2)
1997 Colorado (2-0-0) at 1996 NY/NJ (0-0-2)
1997 San Jose (2-0-0) at 1996 Columbus (0-1-1)
1996 DC United (1-0-1) at 1996 Kansas City (1-1-0)
1997 LA Galaxy (1-1-0) at 1997 Dallas (1-1-0) (GOTW)

[Wolfpack]

Division A Game of the Week: 1997 Columbus v 1996 New England

The Crew and Revs have gotten off to solid starts so far, so this is a battle for a top-4 position in the standings. Neither team had to contend with Champions League play, so both teams are coming in healthy. However, the Revs, known as a team with a fairly anemic road form in 1996, are further hampered after accumulated cards resulted in a suspension after last week. Columbus is also bringing some momentum off a suprisingly strong win over LA last week.


8': 1997 Columbus Crew player shown a yellow card

10' (CBS): The Crew get a good build-up but the final pass to Pete Marino goes astray.

17': 1996 New England Revolution player suffers injury

26' (CBS): A swift raid almost catches the defense sleeping, but the final pass to Marino is too strong.

28' (CBS): A curling free kick has the defence in trouble. Thomas Dooley gets a head to it, but it goes onto the crossbar.

36': 1996 New England Revolution player suffers injury

43' (CBS): Brian Bliss makes a quick turn on the edge of the box and shoots on goal. New England goalkeeper Aidan Heaney is able to get a hand to it, but not enough to stop it from going in - GOAL!

HT: 1997 Columbus Crew 1 - 0 1996 New England Revolution
The Crew have dominated the play so far, but only have one goal and number of missed chances to show for it.

47' (CBS): An overhead shot by Ansil Elcock in a crowded goalmouth is saved by Heaney.

56' (CBS): A slick move produces a clear chance for Marcelo Carrera and only a reflex save by Heaney is able to stop the fierce drive.

60' (CBS): A great run down the left wing, but the cross to Ansil Elcock is too close to Heaney and he snares it.

69' (CBS): Carrera delivers a sweetly-hit free kick from 25 yards that hits the bar with Heaney beaten - REBOUND! A New England defender scrambles the loose ball to safety.

73': 1997 Columbus Crew player suffers injury

79': 1997 Columbus Crew player shown a yellow card

89': 1996 New England Revolution player shown a yellow card

90+': 1996 New England Revolution player shown a yellow card

FT: 1997 Columbus Crew 1 - 0 1996 New England Revolution
The Crew dominate everywhere but on the scoreboard. The Revs attempted nary a shot on goal, let alone actually threaten to score. However, in league standings, a one-goal win gets the same three points a four-goal win does, so the Crew will take it and move on.

1997 Columbus		1996 New England
Bliss, 43'	GOALS
65%	POSS	35%
2	YELLOWS	2
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division A Games

May 16 1998
1996 Dallas	1		1996 Colorado	0
Hugo Sanchez 90
			Half-Time: 0-0
Another matchup featuring one team on form hosting a bad shorthanded road team. Similar results, even, but the Burn had to sweat out the full 90 before getting a winner.
1996 San Jose	4		1996 Los Angeles	2
Eduardo Espinoza 4 Eric Wynalda 52 Paul Bravo 68 96 LA Own Goal og 90			Harut Karapetyan 45,60
			Half-Time: 1-1
The first California Clasico of the season in either division tips San Jose's way in spite of a brace from LA's Harut Karapetyan and four yellows dished out to the Clash.
1997 NY/NJ	3		1997 DC United	2
Antony De Avila 11 Tab Ramos 41 Giovanni Savarese 63			Raul Diaz Arce 45 Ben Iroha 76
			Half-Time: 2-1
The Metros level the Atlantic Cup series with a solid, hard-fought win over DC United. Diaz Arce strikes for his fifth to add to his league lead.
1997 Tampa Bay	1		1997 Kansas City	2
Gilmar 71			Frank Klopas 60 Preki Pen 64
			Half-Time: 0-0
KC digs out a tough road win in Tampa with a flurry of chances resulting in a goal from play and one from the spot past the 60 minute mark.

[Wolfpack]

All-Time MLS 1998 Division A
		HOME					AWAY					OVERALL
Pos	Team	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	1997 Kansas City	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	8	3	3	0	0	5	9
2	1996 San Jose	2	0	0	6	3	1	0	0	3	2	3	0	0	4	9
3	1997 Columbus	2	1	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	3	7
4	1997 NY/NJ	2	0	1	7	6	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	1	6
5	1997 DC United	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	2	4	6	1	0	2	0	3
6	1996 Colorado	1	0	0	3	2	0	0	2	1	4	1	0	2	-2	3
7	1996 Dallas	1	0	2	4	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	-2	3
8	1996 New England	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	1	4	1	0	2	-2	3
9	1997 Tampa Bay	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	1	2	3	0	1	2	-2	1
10	1996 Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2	7	0	0	3	-5	0

[Wolfpack]

Division B Game of the Week: 1997 Dallas v 1997 Los Angeles

Dallas gets to have their regular season home opener, while LA remains on the road for the third straight game. Both teams earned four points in the first two weeks of the season and those points are money in the bank since they came from road matches. As neither team was a participant in this year's Champions League, both teams are in good health, though there are some minor dings being sorted out on the LA roster. However, the Galaxy are contending with a suspension from bookings in the first two weeks, so they'll be at a disadvantage overall.

7': 1997 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

17' (DAL): A great crossfield ball leaves Damian in space, but poor ball control lets him down.

19' (LA): A deep cross to Harut Karapetyan is headed back across the goal, but Dallas goalkeeper Mark Dodd claims the ball well.

31' (DAL): The ball is pulled back from the bye-line to Dante Washington in space. He shoots, but the volley is blocked by a defender.

35' (DAL): A clever run is then crossed into the penalty area where Washington gets a head on it, but the header is superbly turned over by LA's Kevin Hartman.

45+' (DAL): A great crossfield ball sets up a dangerous attack. The ball comes to Alain Sutter, who finds Hartman off his line. He attempts to lob it, but the shot drops just over and out of play.

45+' (LA): In the dying moments of injury time, Greg Vanney makes a clever run and shoots from the edge of the area, but the shot is closed down by the defence.

HT: 1997 Dallas Burn 0 - 0 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy
Scoreless so far, but Dallas has had the better of play. Washington has had a superb start to the season for Dallas and once again is menacing his opponents with good chances.

47' (DAL): A great run down the left wing, but the cross to Washington is too close to Hartman and he snares it.

53': 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy player shown a yellow card

65': 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy player shown a yellow card

71': 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy player suffers injury

78': 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy player shown a yellow card

83' (LA): A mistake between Dodd and a Dallas defender allows Mauricio Cienfuegos a chance on goal, but the good chance is wasted as Cienfuegos waits too long to shoot.

87': 1997 Dallas Burn player shown a yellow card

90+' (DAL): A great crossfield ball leaves Washington in space, but poor ball control lets him down.

FT: 1997 Dallas Burn 0 - 0 1997 Los Angeles Galaxy
Dallas, and in particular Dante Washington, outplayed the Galaxy, but couldn't finish the job. So, a draw for both sides and LA banks another road point.

1997 Dallas		1997 Los Angeles
	GOALS
56%	POSS	44%
2	YELLOWS	3
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division B Games

May 16 1998
1996 Columbus	2		1997 San Jose	2
Brian McBride 48 Paul Caligiuri 85			Eddie Lewis 22 Jeff Baicher 71
			Half-Time: 0-1
Columbus battles back twice to force a draw. While no longer perfect, the Clash maintain first in the division and remain unbeaten in three regular season games.
1996 Kansas City	3		1996 DC United	2
Uche Okafor 21 Mo Johnston 59 Mark Chung 81			Steve Rammel 39,90
			Half-Time: 1-1
The 1996 MLS Cup champs continue to struggle early, aside from Steve Rammel. For the Wiz, it's a good home win to move them to second.
1996 NY/NJ	1		1997 Colorado	1
Antony De Avila 45			Peter Vermes 76
			Half-Time: 1-0
The Metros may be somewhat fortunate to hold onto the point, even if they have regrets about losing the lead. The Rapids controlled the final 20 minutes, but could only net the equalizer.
1997 New England	2		1996 Tampa Bay	0
Imad Baba 3 Alejandro Farias 65
			Half-Time: 1-0
The mysteriously poor start for the Mutiny continues as they remain at the foot of the table without a point so far this season.

[Wolfpack]

All-Time MLS 1998 Division B
		HOME					AWAY					OVERALL
Pos	Team	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	1997 San Jose	1	0	0	3	1	1	1	0	4	3	2	1	0	3	7
2	1996 Kansas City	1	1	0	4	3	1	0	0	2	1	2	1	0	2	7
3	1997 Colorado	1	0	0	3	2	1	1	0	3	2	2	1	0	2	7
4	1997 Dallas	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	5	2	1	2	0	3	5
5	1997 Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	3	2	1	2	0	1	5
6	1997 New England	1	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	3
7	1996 DC United	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	6	7	1	0	2	-1	3
8	1996 Columbus	0	2	1	5	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	-1	2
9	1996 NY/NJ	0	1	2	3	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	-4	1
10	1996 Tampa Bay	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	2	1	5	0	0	3	-5	0

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 20, 1998 (MLS Open Cup)
1996 Dallas vs 1997 Columbus
1996 NY/NJ vs 1996 LA Galaxy
1996 Kansas City vs 1997 Dallas
1997 New England vs 1997 San Jose
1996 Columbus vs 1997 LA Galaxy
1997 Tampa Bay vs 1996 Colorado
1997 NY/NJ vs 1996 San Jose
1996 New England vs 1997 Colorado

[Wolfpack]

MLS Open Cup

May 20 1998
1996 Dallas	0		1997 Columbus	2
			Pete Marino 39 Ansil Elcock 70
			Half-Time: 0-1
The visiting Crew knock out the Burn with a strong performance. Dallas had several strong chances early in the second half to level the match, but couldn't convert.
1996 NY/NJ	2		1996 Los Angeles	0
A.J. Wood 6 Nicola Caricola 26
			Half-Time: 2-0
The Galaxy control the run of play, but are unable to create many threats. The Metros, meanwhile, make the most of their chances and move on to the next round.
1996 Kansas City	0		1997 Dallas	0
Kansas City and Dallas should be sick of each other by now. Unfortunately, they'll have to see each other again next week as neither team scored, resulting in a replay match in Dallas.
1997 New England	2		1997 San Jose	1
Ivan McKinley 1 Joe-Max Moore Pen 86			Dominic Kinnear 6
			Half-Time: 1-1
Goals come early for both teams (and in the Revs' case, VERY early), but then the defenses clamp down until an 86th minute penalty decision goes against the Clash. Joe-Max Moore converts the penalty and the Revs are on to round two.
1996 Columbus	1		1997 Los Angeles	2
Ricardo Iribarren 51			Harut Karapetyan 13 Welton 84
			Half-Time: 0-1
A tight battle in Columbus as the Crew and Galaxy go at it for the second time in 11 days. This time, however, there is a result as the Galaxy claim the win with a late goal.
1997 Tampa Bay	3		1996 Colorado	3
Alan Prampin 6 Roy Lassiter 16 Musa Shannon 28			Matt Kmosko 14 Steve Trittschuh 27 Scott Benedetti 63
			Half-Time: 3-2
Possibly the most entertaining and yet most bizarre match in any competition this year. The teams swap goals for the first first 28 minutes of the match, but then neither side can score after that until the Rapids get the equalizer in the 63rd minute. All those goals and it goes to waste as they'll have to replay the tie next week in Denver.
1997 NY/NJ	2		1996 San Jose	3
Roberto Donadoni 22 Giovanni Savarese 73			Eric Wynalda Pen 76 Ben Iroha 86 97 NY Own Goal og 90
			Half-Time: 1-0
The Metros look all set to advance with a 2-0 lead, but a red card in the 76th minute puts the Metros down a man and sparks a stunning collapse, complete with an own-goal cherry-on-top finish in injury time.
1996 New England	1		1997 Colorado	0
Joe-Max Moore 58
			Half-Time: 0-0
Not exactly a scintillating affair in Foxboro, but a win is a win and the Revs advance.

[Wolfpack]

Schedule for May 23, 1998
Division A
1997 Columbus at 1997 DC United
1997 NY/NJ at 1996 Dallas
1996 New England at 1996 San Jose (GOTW)
1996 Colorado at 1997 Tampa Bay
1996 LA Galaxy at 1997 Kansas City

Division B
1996 NY/NJ at 1996 Tampa Bay
1997 New England at 1996 Columbus
1997 Colorado at 1996 Kansas City (GOTW)
1997 San Jose at 1997 Dallas
1996 DC United at 1997 LA Galaxy

[Wolfpack]

Division A Game of the Week: 1996 San Jose vs 1996 New England

A fairly pivotal early season game for both sides as the Clash looked to remain perfect on the season while the Revs needed to earn crucial standings points in a tough road test. Both teams are coming off wins in the Open Cup, both are in reasonably good health, but both teams are also dealing with suspensions, hampering the effectiveness of both teams.

2' (NE): The Revs are putting the pressure on early, but the Clash defense holds firm.

14 (SJ)': A chance forms up, but good defensive discipline results in Paul Bravo getting caught offside.

17' (SJ): A hard-hit low cross flies into the six-yard area, but no one can get a foot on it.

26' (SJ): The Clash get a good build-up but the final pass to Troy Dayak goes astray.

36': 1996 San Jose Clash player shown a yellow card

44' (SJ): A clever move gives Paul Bravo a yard of space, but his shot lacks power and New England keeper Jim St. Andre makes the easy save.

HT: 1996 San Jose Clash 0 - 0 1996 New England Revolution
San Jose rode out the early push and have dominated play so far, but have nothing to show for it.

47' (SJ): The Clash see a chance wasted as Eduardo Espinoza goes for the shot rather than make the extra pass to an open teammate. The shot misses.

66' (NE): The Revs finally get a small chance when Clash goalie Dave Salzwedel and one of his defenders get into a misunderstanding, allowing Robert Ukrop a chance, but he shoots wildly, sending it wide of the goal and wasting the chance.

75' (SJ): A swift raid goes down the wing. The cross finds John Doyle in space. Doyle then hits the ball hard into the roof of the net - GOAL!

79': 1996 New England Revolution player shown a yellow card

83' (SJ): Jim St. Andre makes a hurried kick, but it falls to Eduardo Espinoza just 20 yards out. Espinoza strikes it low and it thumps into the bottom corner of the net - GOAL!

90' (SJ): Two defenders are beaten on the edge of the penalty area. Doyle volleys a shot, but it's blocked by a defender.

90+' (SJ): Attacker and defender jump for the ball in the box in a heading duel. Both come down hard, attacker especially. Clash players appeal for a call, but are turned down.

FT: 1996 San Jose Clash 2 - 0 1996 New England Revolution
The Clash dominate the ball, but the Revs never really let them have great chances to convert. However, what few excellent chances San Jose had, they were able to cash in on and they stay perfect so far this season.

1996 San Jose		1996 New England
Doyle, 75' Espinoza, 83'	GOALS
67%	POSS	33%
1	YELLOWS	1
0	REDS	0

[Wolfpack]

Other Division A Games

May 23 1998
1996 Dallas	1		1997 NY/NJ	2
Gerell Elliott 89			Miles Joseph 3 Giovanni Savarese 82
			Half-Time: 0-1
The MetroStars come into the Cotton Bowl and steal three points away from the favored Burn. They get an early goal and force Dallas to chase all throughout the match before Giovanni Savarese effectively ends the contest in the 82nd minute.
1997 DC United	2		1997 Columbus	1
Marco Etcheverry 39 Raul Diaz Arce Pen 63			A.J. Wood 28
			Half-Time: 1-1
DC United dominate everywhere but on the scoreboard, where they are forced to rally after the Crew strike first. Diaz Arce picks up his sixth goal and his third via penalty kick to provide the game winner.
1997 Kansas City	3		1996 Los Angeles	1
Matt McKeon 8 Mark Chung 11 Vitalis Takawira 25			Eduardo Hurtado 45
			Half-Time: 3-1
All four goals come in the first half, three of them to the Wiz, who remain unbeaten while the Galaxy have gone 0-for-4 on their season-opening road trip. They'll finally get to play a regular season match at home for the first time next week.
1997 Tampa Bay	1		1996 Colorado	1
Martin Vasquez 65			Chris Henderson 48
			Half-Time: 0-0
A disappointing outcome for the Mutiny as they possess the ball for long stretches of time, but are nonetheless forced to rally in order to tie when a bad defensive mistake on a long ball leads to a Rapids goal early in the second half.

[Wolfpack]

All-Time MLS 1998 Division A
		HOME					AWAY					OVERALL
Pos	Team	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	1997 Kansas City	1	0	0	3	1	3	0	0	8	3	4	0	0	7	12
2	1996 San Jose	3	0	0	8	3	1	0	0	3	2	4	0	0	6	12
3	1997 NY/NJ	2	0	1	7	6	1	0	0	2	1	3	0	1	2	9
4	1997 Columbus	2	1	0	4	1	0	0	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	7
5	1997 DC United	2	0	0	5	2	0	0	2	4	6	2	0	2	1	6
6	1996 Colorado	1	0	0	3	2	0	1	2	2	5	1	1	2	-2	4
7	1996 Dallas	1	0	3	5	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	-3	3
8	1996 New England	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	1	6	1	0	3	-4	3
9	1997 Tampa Bay	0	1	1	2	3	0	1	1	2	3	0	2	2	-2	2
10	1996 Los Angeles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3	10	0	0	4	-7	0