| Country: | the United States |
| Soccer: | yes |
| Season: | 1996 |
| Division1: | Supporters' Shield |
| Champions1: | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| Division2: | A-League |
| Champions2: | Seattle Sounders |
| Division3: | USISL Select |
| Champions3: | California Jaguars |
| Division4: | USISL Pro |
| Champions4: | Charleston Battery |
| Division5: | USISL Premier |
| Champions5: | Central Coast Roadrunners |
| Division6: | NCAA-I |
| Champions6: | St. John's Red Storm |
| Domestic: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Dchampions: | D.C. United |
| Leaguecup: | MLS Cup |
| Lchampions: | D.C. United |
| Wdivision1: | NCAA-I |
| Wchampions1: | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Wdivision2: | NCAA-II |
| Wchampions2: | Franklin Pierce Ravens |
| Wdivision3: | NCAA-III |
| Wchampions3: | UC San Diego Tritons |
| Prevseason: | 1995 |
| Nextseason: | 1997 |
| Flagicon: | yes |
The 1996 season was the 84th year of competitive season in the United States. It was the first season of the present top division of American soccer, Major League Soccer.
See main article: 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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See main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF).
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| width=30 | Pos | width=165 | Team | width=20 | Pld | width=20 | W | width=20 | D | width=20 | L | width=20 | GF | width=20 | GA | width=20 | GD | width=20 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 13 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 | |||||||||||
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 |
See main article: 1996 U.S. Cup.
| Player | Goals | |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Wynalda | 8 | |
| Joe-Max Moore | 4 | |
| Thomas Dooley | 2 | |
| Cobi Jones | 2 | |
| Brian McBride | 2 | |
| Jeff Agoos | 1 | |
| Marcelo Balboa | 1 | |
| Dario Brose | 1 | |
| Frankie Hejduk | 1 | |
| Jovan Kirovski | 1 | |
| Roy Lassiter | 1 | |
| Preki | 1 | |
| Tab Ramos | 1 | |
| Claudio Reyna | 1 |
See main article: Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament.
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See main article: 1996 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament.
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See main article: 1996 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.
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| Place | Team | GP | W | SW | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 18 | +22 | 55 | ||
| 2 | 27 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 44 | ||
| 3 | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 40 | ||
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos | 27 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 36 | |
| 5 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 38 | 38 | +0 | 33 | ||
| 6 | New York Fever | 27 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 40 | –10 | 21 | |
| 7 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 14 | 60 | –46 | 9 |