MLS Heads to the Sunshine
State for Spring Training 2000
All 12 MLS Teams Gather for a Collective Preseason in the Ft. Lauderdale/Boca Raton Area
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| Roy Lassiter |
NEW YORK (Tuesday, October 5, 1999) - Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that all 12 MLS teams will head to South Florida for the MLS Spring Training 2000. As the league's first showcase event of the season, Spring Training 2000 will be a two-week collective preseason in the Ft. Lauderdale/Boca Raton area from February 6-19. The dozen clubs will participate in daily training sessions (media access only) and nightly doubleheader matches that are open to the public.
"Major League Soccer is excited to kick off our fifth campaign with MLS Spring Training 2000 in South Florida," Commissioner Garber said. "The league is happy to return to a collective preseason and spring training tournament that allows our fans and players to come together for an enjoyable experience."
After a 1999 preseason that saw MLS clubs conduct their own spring training, with some partaking in international tours of Europe and Mexico and others opting for a domestic program at popular sites such as Myrtle Beach, San Diego, Orlando and Bradenton, Florida, MLS returns to a league-wide format that the clubs and fans enjoyed in 1998 at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando.
Eastern and Western Conference teams will compete in a 12-team tournament. Each day, from February 10-19, two games will be featured at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, home of the Miami Fusion, with evening kickoffs under the lights at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. ET. Each club will play three games. The first round consists of two games with East vs. West battles and points accrued for placement into the second round (Feb. 17-19). The title game will be played on Saturday, February 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Lockhart, following the 6:00 p.m. ET start for the third-place match.
The San Jose Earthquakes will look to defend its 1998 Spring Training crown, winner of the preseason trophy, captured during the 12-team tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex. The West swept the East in '98, capturing the top four spots. Kansas City finished second, Los Angeles placed third and Colorado tied up fourth place. MLS Cup '98 Champion Chicago Fire placed eighth and two-time MLS Cup Champion D.C. United finished ninth.
MLS Spring Training 2000 practice sites for each team will be announced in the coming months.
A look at the timeline for the 2000 MLS preseason follows:
Monday, January 31: MLS players report to teams for preseason
Thursday, February 3-5: Umbro Select College All-Star Classic/Combine training and games
Sunday, February 6: 2000 Major League Soccer Draft
MLS players arrive in South Florida for Spring Training 2000
Monday, February 7-19: MLS Spring Training 2000 (training and preseason tournament)
Sunday, February 20: MLS teams leave South Florida for training on their own
Considered one of the United States' premier soccer venues, Lockhart Stadium welcomed MLS fans through its turnstiles for the first time on March 15, 1998 when the Miami Fusion returned Division I professional soccer to South Florida. Investor-Operator Ken Horowitz spent nearly $5 million to refurbish the high school athletic facility into a Major League Soccer stadium. With a plush 75-yard by 116-yard natural grass field and seating capacity of 20,450, Lockhart Stadium and the Miami Fusion organization will host the MLS' Spring Training 2000 tournament.
Major League Soccer is a 12-team professional soccer league with league headquarters based in New York City. The 12 teams that comprise MLS are: the Columbus Crew, D.C. United, MetroStars, Miami Fusion, New England Revolution, Tampa Bay Mutiny; Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, and the San Jose Earthquakes.
Following is the MLS game schedule for Spring Training 2000 at Lockhart Stadium:
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Teams | Location | Wednesday | Feb. 9 | 6:00 pm | New England vs. Chicago | Lockhart Stadium |
| Wednesday | Feb. 9 | 8:00 pm | Tampa Bay vs. Colorado | Lockhart Stadium | Thursday | Feb. 10 | 6:00 pm | Columbus vs. San Jose | Lockhart Stadium |
| Thursday | Feb. 10 | 8:00 pm | MetroStars vs. Dallas | Lockhart Stadium |
| Friday | Feb. 11 | 6:00 pm | D.C. vs. Kansas City | Lockhart Stadium |
| Friday | Feb. 11 | 8:00 pm | Miami vs. Los Angeles | Lockhart Stadium |
| Saturday - Gold Cup | Feb. 12 | 7:00 pm | U.S. vs. Haiti | Orange Bowl |
| Saturday - Gold Cup | Feb. 12 | 9:00 pm | Colombia vs. Jamaica | Orange Bowl |
| Sunday | Feb. 13 | 6:00 pm | Colorado vs. Chicago | Lockhart Stadium |
| Sunday | Feb. 13 | 8:00 pm | New England vs. Tampa Bay | Lockhart Stadium |
| Monday | Feb. 14 | 6:00 pm | Dallas vs. San Jose | Lockhart Stadium |
| Monday | Feb. 14 | 8:00 pm | Columbus vs. MetroStars | Lockhart Stadium |
| Tuesday | Feb. 15 | 6:00 pm | Los Angeles vs. D.C. | Lockhart Stadium |
| Tuesday | Feb. 15 | 8:00 pm | Kansas City vs. Miami | Lockhart Stadium |
| Wednesday | Feb. 16 | 1:00 pm | 12th place team vs. 11th place team | Lockhart Stadium |
| Wednesday | Feb. 16 | 3:00 pm | 10th vs. 9th | Lockhart Stadium |
| Wednesday - Gold Cup | Feb. 16 | 7:00 pm | Colombia vs. Honduras | Orange Bowl |
| Wednesday - Gold Cup | Feb. 16 | 9:00 pm | U.S. vs. Peru | Orange Bowl |
| Thursday | Feb. 17 | 6:00 pm | 8th vs. 7th | Lockhart Stadium |
| Thursday | Feb. 17 | 8:00 pm | 6th vs. 5th | Lockhart Stadium |
| Consolation Game | ||||
| Friday | Feb. 18 | 6:00 pm | 4th vs. 3rd | Lockhart Stadium |
| Championship Game | ||||
| Friday | Feb. 18 | 8:00 pm | 2nd vs. 1st | Lockhart Stadium |
DISCIPLINARY ACTION:
Issued red cards (send-offs, including two cautions in the same game) during this Spring Training tournament shall follow the traditional one game suspension rule. No suspensions will carry over into the regular season. Yellow cards will be issued per traditional rules but will not result in suspension.
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