MLS & Penalty Shootouts

Updated through the 2010 Superliga semifinals. Which MLS teams have had the most success in penalty shootouts? Which players would you most want to take a shot under pressure, and who do you want to stay far away from those situations? I've got the answers in this post. For the long time MLS fans: This post doesn't include the hated MLS shootouts used from 1996-99 to decide tied regular season and playoff games. Just the regular ones used around the world. A game with an MLS team has gone to a shootout (official competitions only) a total of 44 times. 17 of those games pitted two MLS sides against one another, so in total there have been 61 instances of a team having their players involved in one. List of Penalty Shootouts Involving MLS Teams 1 1997-08-06 OC-3rd DC A Hershey 3-2 2 1997-10-29 OC-F DAL N DC United 5-3 3 1997-10-29 OC-F DC N Dallas 3-5 4 1998-07-08 OC-3rd TB H Worcester 5-4 5 1998-07-22 OC-QF SJ N Chicago 3-4 6 1998-07-22 OC-QF CHI N San Jose 4-3 7 1999-08-18 CC-Q LA H Necaxa 3-4 8 1999-10-01 CC-SF CHI N Alajuelense 4-5 9 2000-06-14 OC-2nd KC A Chicago Sockers 6-7 10 2000-07-25 OC-3rd MIA A Mid-Michigan 6-5 11 2000-08-09 OC-QF NY A Columbus 7-6 12 2000-08-09 OC-QF CLB H Metrostars 6-7 13 2001-01-17 CC-QF LA H Real Espana 5-3 14 2001-01-19 CC-SF DC A Los Angeles 2-4 15 2001-01-19 CC-SF LA H DC United 4-2 16 2001-07-11 OC-3rd SJ A Milwaukee 7-6 17 2001-07-24 OC-QF SJ H Los Angeles 9-10 18 2001-07-24 OC-QF LA A San Jose 10-9 19 2004-07-20 OC-4th NE H Rochester 1-3 20 2004-08-04 OC-QF SJ A Minnesota 5-4 21 2004-11-06 P-SF DC H New England 4-3 22 2004-11-06 P-SF NE A DC United 3-4 23 2005-08-24 OC-QF DAL A DC United 4-1 24 2005-08-24 OC-QF DC H Dallas 1-4 25 2005-08-24 OC-QF CHI A Rochester 5-4 26 2005-10-29 P-QF COL A Dallas 5-4 27 2005-10-29 P-QF DAL H Colorado 4-5 28 2006-07-12 OC-3rd CHV H Roma FC 2-4 29 2006-08-02 OC-4th DAL A Charleston 5-3 30 2006-08-02 OC-4th NE A Rochester 5-4 31 2006-10-28 P-QF COL A Dallas 5-4 32 2006-10-28 P-QF DAL H Colorado 4-5 33 2006-10-28 P-QF CHI A New England 2-4 34 2006-10-28 P-QF NE H Chicago 4-2 35 2006-11-12 P-F HOU N New England 4-3 36 2006-11-12 P-F NE N Houston 3-4 37 2007-07-09 OC-3rd DAL H Atlanta 4-3 38 2007-08-14 SL-SF HOU H Pachuca 3-4 39 2007-08-29 SL-F LA H Pachuca 3-4 40 2008-06-04 OC-Q COL A Kansas City 3-5 41 2008-06-04 OC-Q KC H Colorado 5-3 42 2008-07-01 OC-16 HOU A Charleston 3-4 43 2008-07-08 OC-QF KC A Seattle 5-6 44 2008-07-08 OC-QF NE H CP Baltimore 5-3 45 2008-08-05 SL-F HOU A New England 5-6 46 2008-08-05 SL-F NE H Houston 6-5 47 2009-04-07 OC-Q COL A Los Angeles 4-2 48 2009-04-07 OC-Q LA H Colorado 2-4 49 2009-06-30 OC-16 CLB A Rochester 3-5 50 2009-06-30 OC-16 KC A Minnesota 4-3 51 2009-08-04 CL-Q DC A Luis Angel Firpo 5-4 52 2009-08-05 SL-F CHI H Tigres 3-4 53 2009-11-14 P-SF RSL A Chicago 5-4 54 2009-11-14 P-SF CHI H Real Salt Lake 4-5 55 2009-11-22 P-F RSL N Los Angeles 5-4 56 2009-11-22 P-F LA N Real Salt Lake 4-5 57 2010-04-15 OC-Q RSL A San Jose 5-3 58 2010-04-15 OC-Q SJ H Real Salt Lake 3-5 59 2010-06-29 OC-16 CHI H Charleston 0-3 60 2010-06-30 OC-16 SEA A Portland 4-3 61 2010-08-04 SL-SF NE H Puebla 5-3 The numbers on the right are the final score of the shootout. An "N" means that the game was played on neutral ground. OC = Open Cup, CC = Champions Cup, CL = Champions League, P = MLS playoffs, and SL = Superliga. The most famous shootouts would have to be the ones that concluded the 2006 and 2009 MLS Cups. There's also four more finals that have been decided by pks, as well as the great DC-NE semifinal in 2004. Team Records Games Record Scored Taken PCT NE 8 5-3 32 44 72.73% LA 7 3-4 31 41 75.61% CHI 7 2-5 22 34 64.71% DAL 6 4-2 26 31 83.87% DC 6 3-3 18 27 66.67% SJ 5 2-3 27 32 84.38% COL 4 3-1 17 19 89.47% KC 4 2-2 20 24 83.33% HOU 4 1-3 15 23 65.22% RSL 3 3-0 15 19 78.95% CLB 2 0-2 9 12 75.00% MIA 1 1-0 6 6 100.00% NY 1 1-0 7 8 87.50% TB 1 1-0 5 6 83.33% SEA 1 1-0 4 5 80.00% CHV 1 0-1 2 4 50.00% PHI 0 0-0 0 0 0.00% TOR 0 0-0 0 0 0.00% MLS teams are 15-12 in shootouts against non-MLS competition. Shooter Stats Overall, 216 MLS players have taken 335 shootout penalties, and have made 256 (76.42%). A special mention needs to be made regarding Brian Grazier of the Rapids. He only played in one game, (a 2008 Open Cup qualifier in KC) but still took part in a shootout (and made his shot). The field player who's played the most games without taking part in one is Nick Garcia (it was previously C.J. Brown until last year's playoffs). If you exclude defenders, it's Dema Kovalenko. The players you would most want to take a shot? Twelve players have taken at least 3 with a 100% scoring rate. Taylor Twellman is at the top of the list, going a perfect 5-for-5. The other current players you would want in your lineup are Chris Tierney, Chris Wondolowski, Pablo Mastroeni, Richard Mulrooney, and Robbie Findley (all 3-for-3). The guys you would least want in there? Jay Heaps has the most overall misses with three (1-for-4, including the miss in the MLS Cup). His only successful shot was way back with the Miami Fusion. Only one player has taken more than one without scoring, Clint Dempsey (0-for-2). Ben Olsen was in this category, but he made his latest penalty in El Salvador last year (I was cringing watching him prepare for that shot). Among active players, you wouldn't want Jaime Moreno or Pat Noonan (both 1-for-3 along with Olsen). Here's the full list: (includes only data with MLS teams) 100% (5-for-5) Taylor Twellman 100% (4-for-4) Mauricio Cienfuegos, Carlos Ruiz 100% (3-for-3) Abe Thompson, Chris Tierney, Chris Wondolowski, Clint Mathis, Diego Gutierrez, Pablo Mastroeni, Richard Mulrooney, Robbie Findley, Simon Elliot 100% (2-for-2) Ante Razov, Chris Gbandi, Claudio Lopez, Craig Waibel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Freddy Adu, Jeff Larentowicz, Jose Cancela, Junior Agogo, Kerry Zavagnin, Manny Lagos, Mehdi Ballouchy, Ned Grabavoy, Ramon Nunez, Robbie Russell, Ronald Cerritos, Ronnie O'Brien, Simo Valakari, Stuart Holden, Will Johnson, Zak Ibsen 100% (1-for-1) Adolfo Valencia, Alain Sutter, Alan Gordon, Alecko Eskandarian, Alejandro Moreno, Amaechi Igwe, Andy Herron, Ben Iroha, Billy Walsh, Bobby Rhine, Brandon McDonald, Brian Carroll, Brian Grazier, Brian Kamler, Brian Loftin, Bryan Jordan, C.J. Brown, Carey Talley, Carlos Hermosillo, Chad Barrett, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Chris Albright, Chris Armas, Chris Henderson, Chris Pontius, Chris Rolfe, Chris Wingert, Christian Gomez, Claudio Suarez, Colin Clark, Damian, Daniel Peinado, Daniel Woolard, Danny Califf, Danny Szetela, David Beckham, Dominic Kinnear, Emmanuel Ekpo, Ezra Hendrickson, Frank Yallop, Fredy Montero, Gary Glasgow, Gregg Berhalter, Guillermo Jara, Henry Gutierrez, Herculez Gomez, Ian Russell, Isaias Bardales, Ivan Trujillo, Jack Jewsbury, James Riley, Jan Eriksson, Jason Garey, Jason Kreis, Jeff Cunningham, Jerzy Podbrozny, Jim Rooney, Joey Gjertsen, John Michael Hayden, John Wilmar Perez, Jorge Rodriguez, Kei Kamara, Kelly Gray, Kenny Cooper, Kenny Mansally, Kheli Dube, Kurt Morsink, Marc Burch, Mark Chung, Martin Machon, Mauricio Castro, Michael Harrington, Mike Petke, Miles Joseph, Nathan Sturgis, Nicolas Hernandez, Omar Cummings, Oscar Pareja, Pat Phelan, Paul Dougherty, Peguero Jean Philippe, Peter Vermes, Preki, Rafael Gomes, Ramon Sanchez, Ricardo Clark, Robert Warzycha, Roger Espinoza, Roland Aguilera, Ronnie Ekelund, Roy Wegerle, Ryan McMahen, Ryan Pore, Sacha Kijestan, Santino Quaranta, Sasha Victorine, Scott Bower, Shawn Medved, Steve Jolley, Steve Shak, Steve Zakuani, Terry Cooke, Todd Dunivant, Todd Yeagley, Tony Kuhn, Tony Sanneh, Troy Dayak, Tyrone Marshall, Ugo Ihemelu, Victor Mella, Zach Scott, Zach Thornton 86% (6-for-7) Greg Vanney 83% (5-for-6) Matt Reis 80% (4-for-5) Shalrie Joseph 75% (3-for-4) Dwayne De Rosario, Kyle Beckerman, Peter Vagenas 67% (2-for-3) Brian McBride, Cobi Jones, Jeff Agoos, Jimmy Conrad, Jovan Kirovski, Ramiro Corrales, Steve Ralston, Wade Barrett 50% (2-for-4) Brian Ching, Landon Donovan 50% (1-for-2) Andy Williams, Arturo Alvarez, Edson Buddle, Ivan Guerrero, Josh Wolff, Lubos Kubik, Marco Etcheverry, Mike Magee, Paul Caligiuri, Thiago, Wilman Conde 33% (1-for-3) Ben Olsen, Jaime Moreno, Pat Noonan 25% (1-for-4) Jay Heaps 0% (0-for-1) Abel Xavier, Aitor Karanka, Andy Dorman, Brad Davis, Brandon Prideaux, Chris Brown, Corey Ashe, Dario Sala, Duncan Oughton, Eric Wynalda, Fabian Espindola, Facundo Erpen, Francisco Palencia, Franco Caraccio, Geoff Cameron, Jason Farrell, Javier Morales, Jesse Marsch, John Thorrington, John Wilson, Joseph Ngwenya, Josh Gros, Juan Toja, Justin Mapp, Khano Smith, Krzysztof Krol, Logan Pause, Mauricio Ramos, Mike Banner, Mike Lapper, Pablo Ricchetti, Patrick Ianni, Raul Diaz Arce, Richard Gough, Roberto Mina, Tab Ramos, Tyson Wahl, Uche Okafor 0% (0-for-2) Clint Dempsey Goalkeeper Stats Missed = those penalties hit high, wide, or off the crossbar or post. The percentage of penalties saved only includes those that were hit on target. W-L Record Faced Missed On Target Scored Saved PCT Burpo, Preston 1-1 9 0 9 7 2 22.22% Busch, Jon 0-3 17 2 15 14 1 6.67% Caig, Tony 0-1 4 0 4 4 0 0.00% Campos, Jorge 1-0 5 1 4 3 1 25.00% Cannon, Joe 2-1 17 2 15 12 3 20.00% Cassar, Jeff 1-0 6 1 5 5 0 0.00% Conway, Jon 2-1 23 1 22 20 2 9.09% Dodd, Mark 1-0 4 1 3 3 0 0.00% Garlick, Scott 1-1 8 1 7 6 1 14.29% Gruenebaum, Andy 0-1 5 0 5 5 0 0.00% Guzan, Brad 0-1 4 0 4 4 0 0.00% Hartman, Kevin 3-1 22 0 22 18 4 18.18% Howard, Tim 1-0 8 1 7 6 1 14.29% Johnson, Sean 0-1 3 0 3 3 0 0.00% Keller, Kasey 1-0 5 0 5 3 2 40.00% Kramer, David 0-1 5 0 5 4 1 20.00% Kronberg, Eric 1-1 11 2 9 9 0 0.00% Napoleon, Matt 0-1 8 0 8 7 1 12.50% Onstad, Pat 1-2 18 2 16 13 3 18.75% Oshoniyi, Bo 0-1 8 0 8 7 1 12.50% Pardo, Boris 1-0 4 0 4 2 2 50.00% Perkins, Troy 0-1 4 0 4 4 0 0.00% Petras, Doug 1-0 6 1 5 4 1 20.00% Pickens, Matt 0-1 4 0 4 4 0 0.00% Presthus, Tom 1-1 10 0 10 7 3 30.00% Reis, Matt 4-3 38 5 33 25 8 24.24% Reynish, Kyle 1-0 4 1 3 3 0 0.00% Rimando, Nick 3-0 20 2 18 11 7 38.89% Sala, Dario 2-1 16 2 14 11 3 21.43% Saunders, Josh 0-2 11 0 11 9 2 18.18% Simpson, Mark 0-1 4 0 4 4 0 0.00% Thornton, Zach 1-1 10 1 9 9 0 0.00% Warren, Doug 1-0 4 0 4 3 1 25.00% Wicks, Josh 1-0 5 1 4 4 0 0.00%

Open Cup Primer 2009

The 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins tonight for MLS teams, and I've updated the statistical leaders in many categories for the occasion. Eight qualifiers will take on eight lower league clubs in the next two days in what is always one of the most exciting parts of the season. The past two editions have seen only half the MLS teams (8/16) advance in this round. With only two home games this year, it could be another ugly year for MLS. However, there are only 5 USL-1 teams and several of them face tough matchups (I can't imagine the Sounders going easy on Portland, for example). Traditionally, the trio of Charleston/Minnesota/Rochester are the toughest on MLS teams. On the other hand, CHI/DC/NE should have no problem with teams two and three divisons below them. See below for a list of lower-league wins over MLS teams. And remember, a place in the CONCACAF Champions League is on the line! Teams like Kansas City and Seattle would be smart to put some emphasis on this tournament. BTW, those two teams will meet if they both win (potential quarterfinal matchups). Don't forget to check out the history of MLS & Penalty Shootouts, with a detailed list of every single player's scoring rate. That will certainly be a factor. And now, before you check out the huge list of statistics below regarding MLS teams in the competition since 1996, I want to mention two important things. First of all, player stats include only those while playing for MLS teams. If someone played in the Open Cup for a minor league team, I'm not including those stats here. I also need to point out that Open Cup qualifying games are not part of the tournament proper, and any results/stats from those games are not included here. Be sure to check out usopencup.com for their great coverage of the tournament as a whole. Oh, I almost forgot one very important stat: FC Dallas will not play in the Open Cup this season. They were the only MLS team to participate every single season since the league's inception. Records - Overall GP W L D Pts GF GA GD 1 Chicago 34 25 7 2 77 66 30 36 2 DC United 30 20 7 3 63 61 28 33 3 Los Angeles 28 20 7 1 61 64 30 34 4 Dallas 35 19 12 4 61 66 53 13 5 Columbus 23 15 7 1 46 51 29 22 6 New York 24 12 11 1 37 40 34 6 7 New England 20 10 7 3 33 40 29 11 8 Kansas City 20 10 8 2 32 40 27 13 9 San Jose 18 8 6 4 28 35 18 17 10 Colorado 19 8 11 0 24 20 35 -15 11 Miami 9 5 3 1 16 24 15 9 12 Tampa Bay 10 3 6 1 10 11 20 -9 13 Houston 5 2 2 1 7 9 7 2 14 Chivas USA 5 1 3 1 4 6 12 -6 15 Real Salt Lake 3 1 2 0 3 6 8 -2 DC jumped up to 2nd from 4th last year on their way to a perfect (4-0) championship run. Records - vs MLS only GP W L D Pts GF GA GD 1 Chicago 20 15 4 1 46 38 20 18 2 Los Angeles 16 10 5 1 31 30 20 10 3 Columbus 14 7 6 1 22 24 21 3 4 DC United 12 6 4 2 20 19 16 3 5 Dallas 15 5 8 2 17 17 28 -11 6 New York 12 5 6 1 16 22 19 3 7 Colorado 8 4 4 0 12 10 13 -3 8 Kansas City 8 3 5 0 9 12 12 0 9 New England 8 3 5 0 9 13 15 -2 10 Miami 5 2 3 0 6 8 11 -3 11 Houston 2 1 1 0 3 4 3 1 12 San Jose 6 0 4 2 2 3 8 -5 13 Real Salt Lake 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 -1 14 Chivas USA 1 0 1 0 0 2 5 -3 15 Tampa Bay 4 0 4 0 0 0 10 -10 Only two all MLS matchups took place last season: DC beating CHI and NE in the quarters and semis respectively. Titles/Best finishes 4-Chicago (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006) 2-D.C. United (1996, 2008) 2-Los Angeles (2001, 2005) 1-Dallas (1997) 1-Columbus (2002) 1-Kansas City (2004) 1-New England (2007) 0-Chivas USA (round of 16: 2005, 2007, 2008) 0-Colorado (runners up: 1999) 0-Houston (semifinals: 2006) 0-Miami (runners up: 2000) 0-New York (runners up: 2003) 0-Real Salt Lake (round of 16: 2006) 0-San Jose (semifinals: 2004) 0-Tampa Bay (quarterfinals: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) Most Goals - Overall (italics = active MLS player) 1 Jaime Moreno 11 2 Carlos Ruiz 9 2 Josh Wolff 9 4 Chris Albright 8 4 Ronald Cerritos 8 4 Brian McBride 8 7 Abdul Thompson Conteh 7 7 Herculez Gomez 7 7 Jason Kreis 7 7 Alejandro Moreno 7 7 Taylor Twellman 7 7 Dante Washington 7 Twellman is the only newcomer to the top ten; he scored once last season to jump into a tie for 7th. Most Goals - Single Season 1 Herculez Gomez 6 LA 2005 1 Welton 6 MIA 2000 1 Josh Wolff 6 CHI 2000 4 A.T. Conteh 5 DC 2001 5 Jeff Cunningham 4 CLB 2003 5 Amado Guevara 4 NY 2000 5 Andy Herron 4 CHI 2006 5 Jaime Moreno 4 DC 2000 5 Diego Serna 4 MIA 2000 5 Taylor Twellman 4 NE 2007 Top MLS scorer by year: (bold = also won or tied for the overall golden boot) 1996 3 goals Jaime Moreno (DC) 1997 2 goals Shaun Bartlett (NY), Ronald Cerritos (SJ), Damian (DAL), Ted Eck (DAL), Lawrence Lozzano (SJ) 1998 3 goals Brian McBride (CLB) 1999 3 goals Jorge Dely Valdes (COL), Bobby Rhine (DAL) 2000 6 goals Welton (MIA), Josh Wolff (CHI) 2001 5 goals Abdul Thompson Conteh (DC) 2002 3 goals Carlos Ruiz (LA) 2003 4 goals Amado Guevara (NY) 2004 3 goals Davy Arnaud (KC) 2005 6 goals Herculez Gomez (LA) 2006 4 goals Andy Herron (CHI) 2007 4 goals Taylor Twellman (NE) 2008 3 goals Luciano Emilio (DC) Nobody has scored more than 6 goals in a single cup since the "professional era" started in 1995. Three minor league players have also scored 6: Marquis White in 1997, Mugurel Dmitru in 1999, and Melvin Tarley in 2005. Most Games Played 1 Jesse Marsch 27 2 C.J. Brown 24 3 Zach Thornton 23 3 Peter Vagenas 23 3 Andy Williams 23 6 Chris Armas 22 6 Cobi Jones 22 8 Chris Albright 21 8 Jaime Moreno 21 10 Diego Gutierrez 20 10 Steve Jolley 20 10 Carey Talley 20 Jim Curtin (19) and Steve Ralston (18) are next in line among active players. Most Regular Season Games Played Without Playing in the Open Cup 1 Pete Marino 100 2 Dave van den Bergh 83 3 Adrian Paz 80 4 Jim Brennan 70 5 Dane Richards 67 5 Carl Robinson 67 7 Robbie Findley 66 8 Juan Pablo Angel 64 8 Guillermo Barros Schelotto 64 10 Danny Dichio 55 Only Schelotto has a chance to get off this list in 2009. Best Strike Rate (goals per game, min 10 games played) 1 Taylor Twellman 0.700 2 Carlos Ruiz 0.643 3 Ronald Cerritos 0.615 3 Brian McBride 0.615 5 Alejandro Moreno 0.583 6 Clint Mathis 0.545 7 Dante Washington 0.538 8 Josh Wolff 0.529 9 Jaime Moreno 0.524 10 Abe Thompson 0.500 Finally eligible, Twellman takes the top spot from Ruiz. Thompson's brace last season pushes Landon Donovan and Ante Razov out of the top ten. Hat Tricks 4-Welton, MIA vs New Jersey (2000) 4-Josh Wolff, CHI vs Dallas (2000) 3-Bobby Rhine, DAL vs Jacksonville (1999) 3-Raul Diaz Arce, DC @ Charlston (2000) 3-Abdul Thompson Conteh, DC vs New Jersey (2001) 3-Carlos Ruiz, LA @ Seattle (2003) 3-Jason Kreis, RSL @ Minnesota (2005) 3-Kenny Cooper, DAL @ Charleston (2006) Top Coaches by PPG (minimum 10 games) 1 Dave Sarachan 2.500 2 Tom Fitzgerald 2.200 3 Greg Andrulis 2.100 4 Sigi Schmid 2.048 5 Bob Bradley 2.043 6 Bob Gansler 2.000 6 Dave Dir 2.000 6 Ray Hudson 2.000 9 Colin Clarke 1.700 10 Fernando Clavijo 1.636 Only a total of 15 coaches have 10+ games in the tournament. Of those 15, the only one with a losing record is Tim Hankinson (4-7-1). Biggest Margin Of Victory 8:0-DC vs New Jersey (2001) 7:1-NE vs Mid-Michigan (2001) 6:0-SJ @ Central Coast (2001) 6:1-MIA vs New Jersey (2000) 6:1-KC vs Des Moines (2006) 5:0-SJ @ Stanislaus Utd (2000) 5:0-LA vs Nashville (2001) Longest Unbeaten Streaks 8 Chicago 2000-01 8 Los Angeles 2001-02 7 Chicago 2003-04 7 DC United 1996-97 7 Los Angeles 2005-06 6 Dallas 1997-98 6 New England 2007-08 5 Columbus 2000-01 5 Kansas City 2004-05 Chicago's streaks both consisted of nothing but wins, as does the second LA streak. Longest Winless Streak 5 New England 2003-06 At least they advanced once after a draw. Can be matched by Chivas tonight. Wins By Lower League Teams Over MLS (shootouts are counted as draws) USL-1/A-League (29) 7-Rochester Raging Rhinos (1996-TB, COL; 1999-CHI, DAL, *CLB, *COL; 2005-NY) 5-Charleston Battery (1999-DC; 2000-NY; 2004-NY, 2007-HOU, 2008-DAL) 4-Minnesota Thunder (2004-LA, 2005-RSL, COL, KC) 4-Seattle Sounders (2003-SJ, 2007-CHV, COL, 2008-CHV) 2-Richmond Kickers (2000-COL; 2004-DC) 1-Carolina Railhawks (2007-CHI) 1-Connecticut Wolves (2001-TB) 1-Long Island Rough Riders (1997-NE) 1-Milwaukee Rampage (2002-CHI) 1-Nashville Metros (1998-KC) 1-Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2001-COL) 1-Staten Island Vipers (1999-NY) USL-2/PSL/D-3 (7) 2-San Francisco Bay Seals (1997-KC, SJ) 1-Chicago Stingers (1997-COL) 1-Crystal Palace Baltimore (2008-NY) 1-Harrisburg City Islanders (2007-DC) 1-Richmond Kickers (2007-LA) 1-Wilmington Hammerhaeads (2003-DAL) PDL (2) 1-Mid-Michigan Bucks (2000-NE) 1-Seattle Sounders Select (2001-DAL) Bold signifies an MLS home game. * signifies a neutral venue. Overall, MLS teams are 98-38-15 against lower league competition. That is 2.05 points per game, or the equivalent of 61 points in a 30 game season.

MLS: Top Ten American Goalscorers by Year

Somebody posted a comment to the Age of MLS Golden Boot Winners post which inspired this post. Man, 2001 was really pathetic wasn't it? Moreso if you look at the full leaderboard. Wynalda was the only American in the top ten. Jeff Cunningham was counted from 2002 on, as he received his citizenship after the 2001 season. In 14 seasons, only 57 different players have made one of these top tens. How many of those guys have never played for the USMNT? A total of ten: Burciaga, Carrieri, Elliott, Magee, Marino, Paule, Rammel, Rhine, Rooney, Wood. 2009 1 Jeff Cunningham 17 2 Conor Casey 16 3 Landon Donovan 12 4 Robbie Findley 12 5 Josh Wolff 11 6 Nate Jaqua 9 7 Brian Ching 8 8 Kenny Cooper 7 9 Steve Ralston 7 10 Chris Rolfe 6 10 Eddie Gaven 6 10 Stuart Holden 6 2008 1 Landon Donovan 20 2 Kenny Cooper 18 3 Edson Buddle 15 4 Brian Ching 13 5 Conor Casey 11 6 Chad Barrett 9 6 Chris Rolfe 9 8 Jeff Cunningham 8 8 Steve Ralston 8 8 Taylor Twellman 8 2007 1 Taylor Twellman 16 2 Eddie Johnson 15 3 Ante Razov 11 4 Jozy Altidore 9 5 Landon Donovan 8 5 Robbie Findley 8 7 Chad Barrett 7 7 Brian Ching 7 7 Nate Jaqua 7 7 Pat Noonan 7 7 Ben Olsen 7 2006 1 Jeff Cunningham 16 2 Ante Razov 14 3 Landon Donovan 12 4 Brian Ching 11 4 Kenny Cooper 11 4 Taylor Twellman 11 7 Jose Burciaga 8 7 Clint Dempsey 8 7 Nate Jaqua 8 7 Jason Kreis 8 2005 1 Taylor Twellman 17 2 Jeff Cunningham 12 2 Landon Donovan 12 4 Herculez Gomez 11 5 Clint Dempsey 10 5 Josh Wolff 10 7 Edson Buddle 9 7 Jason Kreis 9 9 Eddie Gaven 8 9 Pat Noonan 8 9 Chris Rolfe 8 2004 1 Brian Ching 12 2 Eddie Johnson 12 3 Edson Buddle 11 4 Pat Noonan 11 5 Alecko Eskandarian 10 6 Josh Wolff 10 7 John Wolyniec 10 8 Davy Arnaud 9 9 Jeff Cunningham 9 10 Taylor Twellman 9 2003 1 Taylor Twellman 15 2 Ante Razov 14 3 Landon Donovan 12 3 Brian McBride 12 3 Preki 12 6 Mark Chung 11 7 Edson Buddle 10 7 Pat Noonan 10 9 Clint Mathis 9 10 DaMarcus Beasley 7 10 Jason Kreis 7 10 Mike Magee 7 2002 1 Taylor Twellman 23 2 Jeff Cunningham 16 3 Ante Razov 14 4 Jason Kreis 13 5 Chris Carrieri 11 5 Mark Chung 11 5 Chris Henderson 11 8 Edson Buddle 9 9 Landon Donovan 7 9 Chris Klein 7 9 Preki 7 9 Bobby Rhine 7 2001 1 Eric Wynalda 10 2 Preki 8 2 Brian Maisonneuve 8 2 Manny Lagos 8 5 Clint Mathis 7 5 Dante Washington 7 5 Landon Donovan 7 5 Roy Lassiter 7 5 Sasha Victorine 7 5 Steve Ralston 7 5 Jason Kreis 7 2000 1 Ante Razov 18 2 Clint Mathis 16 3 Dante Washington 15 4 Jason Kreis 11 5 Imad Baba 9 5 Chris Henderson 9 7 Roy Lassiter 8 7 Manny Lagos 8 9 Paul Bravo 7 9 Cobi Jones 7 9 Josh Wolff 7 1999 1 Jason Kreis 18 1 Roy Lassiter 18 3 Joe-Max Moore 15 4 Ante Razov 14 5 Josh Wolff 10 6 Cobi Jones 8 6 A.J. Wood 8 8 Paul Bravo 7 8 Clint Mathis 7 8 Preki 7 1998 1 Cobi Jones 19 2 Roy Lassiter 18 3 Paul Bravo 11 4 Brian McBride 10 4 Ross Paule 10 4 Preki 10 4 Ante Razov 10 8 Jason Kreis 9 9 Jim Rooney 8 9 Josh Wolff 8 1997 1 Preki 12 2 Dante Washington 12 3 Jeff Baicher 10 3 Mark Chung 10 3 Roy Lassiter 10 3 Lawrence Lozzano 10 7 Paul Bravo 8 7 Jason Kreis 8 7 Pete Marino 8 10 Imad Baba 7 10 Gerell Elliott 7 10 Chris Henderson 7 10 Cobi Jones 7 10 Alan Prampin 7 1996 1 Roy Lassiter 27 2 Preki 18 3 Brian McBride 17 4 Steve Rammel 14 5 Paul Bravo 13 5 Jason Kreis 13 7 Jean Harbor 11 7 Pete Marino 11 7 Joe-Max Moore 11 10 Eric Wynalda 10