Rule 1 - The Field of Play
            Major League Soccer fields may have a
            minimum width of 65 yards and a
            maximum width of 100 yards, and fields
            may have a minimum length of 100 yards
            and a maximum length of 130 yards.

            Rule 2 - The Ball
            The official Mitre Game Ball of Major League Soccer will have a circumference of
            27" - 28" and a weight of 14 oz.- 16 oz.

            Rule 3 - Number of Players
            Each team consists of 11 players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. A
            maximum of three substitutes, plus a substitution at goalkeeper, may be used. If an
            MLS team substitutes its 'keeper during a match, he shall not count as one of the
            three allowed field player substitutes.

            Rule 4 - Player Equipment
            A player's uniform must consist of shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards and shoes. The
            goalkeeper must wear colors which distinguish him from the other players, the
            referee and the referee assistants.

            Rule 5 - Referees
            One referee and two referee's assistants and a fourth official, are appointed for
            each match. The referee is responsible for control of the game and his/her d
            regarding facts connected with play are final.

            Rule 6 - Referee's Assistant
            Two referee assistants will assist the referee by indicating offside, when the ball is
            out of play, which team is entitled to a corner kick or throw in, or goal kick,
            substitution request and by indicating other misconduct or any incident that has
            occurred out of the view of the referee.

            Rule 7 - Duration of the Game
            The game shall be divided up into two equal periods of 45 minutes each. If an
            MLS match is tied after 90 minutes, two "golden-goal" overtime periods, consisting
            of five minutes each, will attempt to determine the winner. Should the game remain
            tied, the contest is declared a tie.

            Rule 8 - The Start of Play
            A flip of a coin decides which team will kick off. Each team must stay in its own
            half of the field and the defending players must be at least 10 yards from the ball
            when it is kicked. After a goal, the team scored upon will kick off. After halftime,
            the teams change ends and the kickoff will be taken by the opposite team to that
            which started the game. A second toss of the coin precedes the second overtime. 

            Rule 9 - Ball In and Out of Play
            The ball is out of play when (a) it has wholly crossed the goal line or touchline,
            whether on the ground or in the air, or (b) when the game has been stopped by the
            referee. The ball is in play at all other times.

            Rule 10 - Method of Scoring
            A goal is scored when the whole of the ball has passed over the goal line, between
            the goal posts and under the cross bar, whether on the ground or in the air.

            Rule 11 - Offside
            A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponent's goal line than both
            the ball and the second last opponent unless: i) he is in his own half of the field of
            play, or ii) he is level with the second last opponent or two last opponents.
            A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or
            is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active
            play:
            i) interfering with play or with an opponent, or
            ii) gaining an advantage by being in that position.
            A player shall not be declared offside by the referee
            i) if he receives the ball direct from a goal-kick, a corner-kick, a throw-in, or when
            it has been dropped by a referee.
            If a player is declared offside, the referee shall award an indirect free kick, which
            shall be taken by a player of the opposing team from the place where the
            infringement occurred, unless the offense is committed by a player in the opponent's
            goal area, in which case the free-kick shall be taken from any point within the goal
            area.

            Rule 12 - Fouls and Misconduct
            A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the
            following 6 offenses in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless
            or using excessive force: (a) kicks, (b) trips, (c) jumps at, (d) charges, (e) strikes,
            (f) pushes. A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player
            commits any of the following 4 offenses: (g) holds, (h) spits, (i) deliberately handles
            the ball, or (j) tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, making contact
            with the opponent before touching the ball.
            A penalty kick is awarded if any of the above 10 offenses is committed by a player
            inside his own penalty area, irrespective of the position of the ball, provided it is in
            play.
            An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of
            the referee, commits any of the following offences: (a) dangerous play, (b) impedes
            the progress of an opponent, or (c) prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball
            from his hands.
            An indirect kick will also be awarded if the goalkeeper: (a) takes more than four
            steps while controlling the ball with his hands, before releasing it, (b) touches the
            ball again with his hands after it has been released from his possession and has not
            touched any player, (c) touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately
            kicked to him by a team-mate, (d) touches the ball with his hands after receiving it
            directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate, or (e) wastes time.
            A player is cautioned and given a yellow card if he commits any of the following
            offences: (a) unsporting behavior, (b) shows dissent by word or action, (c)
            persistently infringes the Laws of the Game, (d) delays the restart of the game, (e)
            fails to stand the required distance for a corner kick or a free kick, (f) enters or
            re-enters the field without the referee's permission, or (g) deliberately leaves the
            field of play without the referee's permission. 
            A player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits the following offences: (a)
            guilty of serious foul play, (b) guilty of violent conduct, (c) spits on an opponent or
            any other person, (d) denies an opponent a goal or an obvious goal-scoring
            opportunity by deliberately handling the ball, (e) denies an obvious goal-scoring
            opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offence
            punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick, (f) uses offensive language, or (g)
            receives a second caution in the same match.

            Rule 13 - Free Kick
            Free kicks are classified into two categories: "Direct" (from which a goal can be
            scored directly against the offending side) and "Indirect" (from which a goal cannot
            be scored unless the ball has been touched by a player other than the kicker before
            entering the goal).
            For all free kicks the offending team must be at least 10 yards from the ball or the
            goal line until the ball is kicked.

            Rule 14 - Penalty Kick
            A penalty kick is a direct free kick taken at the penalty mark. All players except
            the player taking the kick and the goalkeeper must stay outside the penalty area
            and be at least 10 yards from the ball (hence the arc at the edge of the penalty
            area).

            Rule 15 - Throw In
            When the ball has wholly crossed the touchline, it is put back into play by a
            throw-in from the spot where it went out and by a player from the opposite team to
            the player who last touched it. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in.

            Rule 16 - Goal Kick
            When the ball has wholly crossed the goal line after being last touched by a player
            from the attacking team, it is put back into play by a kick from the goal area by the
            defending team.

            Rule 17 - Corner Kick
            When the ball has wholly crossed the goal line after being last touched by a player
            from the defending team, it is put back into play by a kick by the attacking team
            from the corner on the side the ball went out.