2016 Major League Soccer season

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Major League Soccer
200px
Season 2016
MLS Cup Seattle Sounders FC (1st title)
Supporters' Shield FC Dallas (1st shield)
Champions League
(United States)
Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas
New York Red Bulls
Seattle Sounders FC
Champions League
(Canada)
Toronto FC
Matches played 340
Goals scored 956 (2.81 per match)
Top goalscorer Bradley Wright-Phillips
(24 goals)
Best goalkeeper Luis Robles
(11 shutouts)
Biggest home win 5 goals:
HOU 5–0 DAL
(Mar 12)
SEA 5–0 DAL
(Jul 13)
DC 6–1 CHI
(August 27)
Biggest away win 7 goals:
NYC 0–7 NY
(May 21)
Highest scoring 8 goals:
CLB 4–4 MTL
(May 7)
DC 6–2 CHI
(Aug 27)
Longest winning run 4 games:
New York Red Bulls
(May 18 – Jun 19)
New York City FC
(Jun 18 – Jul 6)
LA Galaxy
(Jul 4 – Jul 23)
Toronto FC
(Jul 23 – Aug 6)
Seattle Sounders FC
(Sep 17 – Oct 2)
D.C. United
(Sep 24 – Oct 16)
New York Red Bulls
(Sep 24 – Oct 23)
Toronto FC
(Oct 23 – Nov 6)
Montreal Impact
(Oct 27 – Nov 22)
Longest unbeaten run 16 games:
New York Red Bulls
(Jul 10 – Oct 23)
Longest winless run 10 games:
Columbus Crew SC
(Jun 1 – Aug 13)
Longest losing run 4 games:
New York Red Bulls
(Apr 1 – Apr 16)
New England Revolution
(Jul 31 – Aug 20)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
(Jul 31 – Aug 20)
Philadelphia Union
(Oct 1 – Oct 26)
Highest attendance 60,147
ORL 2–2 RSL
(Mar 6)
Lowest attendance 10,144
NE 1–1 POR
(Apr 27)
Total attendance 7,345,265
Average attendance 21,692
2015
2017

The 2016 Major League Soccer season featured 20 total clubs (17 based in the United States, 3 based in Canada). The regular season began on March 6 and ended on October 23. The playoffs began on October 26 and ended on December 10. The defending MLS Cup champions were the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls were the defending Supporters' Shield winners. FC Dallas won the Supporter's Shield for the first time, and the Seattle Sounders FC won their first MLS Cup in their history after defeating Toronto FC 5–4 in a penalty kick shootout, after playing to a 0–0 result after regulation and added extra time.

Teams

Stadiums and locations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Non-soccer specific stadium and artificially reduced capacity.

Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Adidas as kit manufacturer.

Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Serbia Veljko Paunović Romania Răzvan Cociș Valspar
Colorado Rapids United States Pablo Mastroeni United States Sam Cronin Transamerica
Columbus Crew SC United States Gregg Berhalter United States Michael Parkhurst Barbasol
D.C. United United States Ben Olsen United States Bobby Boswell Leidos
FC Dallas Colombia Óscar Pareja United States Matt Hedges AdvoCare
Houston Dynamo Colombia Wílmer Cabrera United States DaMarcus Beasley BHP Billiton
LA Galaxy United States Bruce Arena Republic of Ireland Robbie Keane Herbalife
Montreal Impact Canada Mauro Biello Canada Patrice Bernier Bank of Montreal
New England Revolution United States Jay Heaps United States Lee Nguyen UnitedHealthcare
New York City FC France Patrick Vieira Spain David Villa Etihad Airways
New York Red Bulls United States Jesse Marsch United States Dax McCarty Red Bull
Orlando City SC United States Jason Kreis Brazil Kaká Orlando Health
Philadelphia Union United States Jim Curtin United States Brian Carroll Bimbo
Portland Timbers United States Caleb Porter England Liam Ridgewell Alaska Airlines
Real Salt Lake United States Jeff Cassar United States Kyle Beckerman LifeVantage
San Jose Earthquakes United States Dominic Kinnear United States Chris Wondolowski Sutter Health
Seattle Sounders FC United States Brian Schmetzer United States Brad Evans Xbox
Sporting Kansas City United States Peter Vermes United States Matt Besler Ivy Funds
Toronto FC United States Greg Vanney United States Michael Bradley Bank of Montreal
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Wales Carl Robinson Chile Pedro Morales Bell Canada

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of
vacancy
Position in table Incoming manager Date of
appointment
Houston Dynamo Republic of Ireland Owen Coyle Mutual consent May 25, 2016 10th in West, 18th overall United States Wade Barrett (interim) June 7, 2016
Orlando City SC England Adrian Heath Mutual consent July 6, 2016[1] 7th in East, 15th overall United States Bobby Murphy (interim) July 7, 2016
United States Bobby Murphy (interim) End of interim period July 19, 2016 8th in East, 16th overall United States Jason Kreis July 19, 2016[2]
Seattle Sounders FC Germany Sigi Schmid Mutual consent July 26, 2016 9th in West, 17th overall United States Brian Schmetzer (interim) July 26, 2016[3]
Houston Dynamo United States Wade Barrett (interim) End of interim period October 28, 2016 10th in West, 18th overall Colombia Wílmer Cabrera October 28, 2016[4]

Regular season

Conference tables

Eastern Conference

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Philadelphia Union 13 5 3 5 18 14 +4 20 Conference Semi-finals & 2017–18 CONCACAF Champions League[lower-alpha 1]
2 New York Red Bulls 14 6 7 1 24 20 +4 19 Conference Semi-finals
3 Montreal Impact 13 5 4 4 22 20 +2 19 Knockout round
4 New York City FC 14 4 4 6 20 26 −6 18
5 D.C. United 13 4 5 4 14 14 0 16
6 Toronto FC 13 4 5 4 14 15 −1 16
7 Orlando City SC 13 3 3 7 23 21 +2 16
8 New England Revolution 14 3 4 7 19 25 −6 16
9 Columbus Crew SC 12 3 4 5 16 18 −2 14
10 Chicago Fire 12 2 5 5 10 14 −4 11
Updated to match(es) played on May 29, 2016. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots
Notes:
  1. If either conference champion is from Canada, then the next best American team from either conference qualifies directly to the CONCACAF Champions League

Western Conference

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 FC Dallas 34 17 9 8 50 40 +10 60 Conference semifinals & 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Colorado Rapids 34 15 13 6 39 32 +7 58 Conference semifinals
3 LA Galaxy 34 12 16 6 54 39 +15 52 Knockout round
4 Seattle Sounders FC 34 14 6 14 44 43 +1 48
5 Sporting Kansas City 34 13 8 13 42 41 +1 47
6 Real Salt Lake 34 12 10 12 44 46 −2 46
7 Portland Timbers 34 12 8 14 48 53 −5 44
8 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 34 10 9 15 45 52 −7 39
9 San Jose Earthquakes 34 8 14 12 32 40 −8 38
10 Houston Dynamo 34 7 13 14 39 45 −6 34
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.

Overall table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification[lower-alpha 1]
1 FC Dallas (X) 34 17 9 8 50 40 +10 60 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Colorado Rapids 34 15 13 6 39 32 +7 58
3 New York Red Bulls 34 16 9 9 61 44 +17 57
4 New York City FC 34 15 9 10 62 57 +5 54
5 Toronto FC 34 14 11 9 51 39 +12 53 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
6 LA Galaxy 34 12 16 6 54 39 +15 52
7 Seattle Sounders FC (C) 34 14 6 14 44 43 +1 48 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
8 Sporting Kansas City 34 13 8 13 42 41 +1 47
9 Real Salt Lake 34 12 10 12 44 46 −2 46
10 D.C. United 34 11 13 10 53 47 +6 46
11 Montreal Impact 34 11 12 11 49 53 −4 45
12 Portland Timbers 34 12 8 14 48 53 −5 44
13 Philadelphia Union 34 11 9 14 52 55 −3 42
14 New England Revolution 34 11 9 14 44 54 −10 42
15 Orlando City SC 34 9 14 11 55 60 −5 41
16 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 34 10 9 15 45 52 −7 39
17 San Jose Earthquakes 34 8 14 12 32 40 −8 38
18 Columbus Crew SC 34 8 12 14 50 58 −8 36
19 Houston Dynamo 34 7 13 14 39 45 −6 34
20 Chicago Fire 34 7 10 17 42 58 −16 31
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champion; (X) Supporters' Shield winner.
Notes:
  1. CONCACAF Champions League
    Selection Procedure
    • Four US-based teams qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League:
      1. The winner of the MLS Cup 2016 (Seattle Sounders FC);
      2. The winner of the Supporters' Shield (FC Dallas);
      3. The regular season conference champion that did not win the Supporters Shield (New York Red Bulls);
      4. The winner of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (FC Dallas; already qualified, so berth passes to Colorado Rapids)
      Should a team qualify through more than one method, or should a team from Canada occupy any MLS qualifying place, the next best US team in the overall table would take its place.
      One Canada-based team qualifies for the Champions League (NOTE: Canadian teams cannot qualify through MLS):
      1. The winner of the 2016 and 2017 Canadian Championship (Toronto FC)

MLS Cup Playoffs

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Bracket

Knockout round

Conference semifinals

Conference finals

MLS Cup

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MLS Cup
Founded 1996
Region Major League Soccer (CONCACAF)
Current champions New York City FC
(1st title)
Television broadcasters
Website mlssoccer.com
MLS Cup 2021

The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference Final. The MLS Cup winner is awarded the title of league champion.

MLS uses a playoff tournament following the regular season to determine its annual league champion, a method common to every other major North American sports league. This format differs from most soccer leagues around the world, which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the champion; MLS honors that achievement with the Supporters' Shield.

A U.S.-based team that wins the MLS Cup is awarded one of the country's four berths in the following season's CONCACAF Champions League.[6][7] The three Canadian teams of MLS can only qualify for the Champions League through the Canadian Championship—if any of them should win the MLS Cup, the Champions League berth tied to game is passed on to the highest-placed U.S.-based team in the overall regular season table that did not already qualify.[7]

The inaugural MLS Cup was held on October 20, 1996, in which D.C. United defeated the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy are the most successful team in MLS Cup history, winning a record fifth title in 2014.

Three trophy designs have been used for the MLS Cup: the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 through 1998, a redesigned Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 through 2007, and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008.[8]

History

D.C. United's Dynasty

The MLS Cup's roots trace back to the foundation of Major League Soccer, when the league decided to hold a championship format similar to its contemporary North American sports leagues.[9] The first few editions of the game were dominated by D.C. United, who appeared in the first four MLS Cup finals, winning three.[10]

The inaugural MLS Cup in 1996 featured D.C. United and LA Galaxy.[11][12] The Galaxy went ahead 2–0 early in the second half, but their lead was relinquished towards the end of the match when Tony Sanneh pulled one back in the 72nd minute. Nine minutes later, Shawn Medved tied the match at two, resulting in overtime between the two sides. Four minutes into overtime, Eddie Pope gave United the golden goal victory.[13]

In 1997, the second league cup final was contested at RFK Stadium, where United won back-to-back titles, a feat that would not be accomplished for another decade (when the Houston Dynamo won the 2006 and 2007 finals). The game ended 2–1 in United's favor over the Colorado Rapids, who would not win a championship until 2010. Jaime Moreno was declared Man of the Match for his goal in the 37th minute of play. This season was also the first time in league history any MLS team won the regular season (Supporters' Shield) and postseason title in the same season.

D.C. United's run ended the third year, when they made a third run to the MLS Cup finals, only to lose to the expansion side Chicago Fire by 2–0. However the following year, United repeated their "double" of winning both the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup the same season. This time, it was a 2–0 win over the Galaxy in the 1999 MLS Cup final.

Rise of the California Clásico

For the first time since 1997, the 2000 MLS Cup final saw a new club reach the finals along with the Fire. This time the Kansas City Wizards, now known as Sporting Kansas City, won their first MLS Cup with a 1–0 victory over the Fire.

Landon Donovan of San Jose defending against Chicago's Carlos Bocanegra in the 2003 MLS Cup.

From 2001 through 2004, the MLS Cup finals saw a rising of the California Clásico when cross-state rivals L.A. Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes clashed together in the 2001 final. The match also saw the rise of U.S. national Landon Donovan who won a Newcomer of the Year award and tallied the equalizer in the Earthquakes 2–1 championship victory over the Galaxy.

With the largest crowd in MLS Cup history at hand, the New England Revolution took on the Galaxy in the 2002 finals. For the match, over 61,000 fans were in attendance at Gillette Stadium to witness the final. In the second period of sudden-death overtime, the Galaxy nabbed their first MLS Cup title, and sparked the start of a string of MLS Cup losses for the Revolution.

The 2003 final saw the league leaders for that season go head-to-head. Two clubs that had MLS Cup experience, the Fire and Earthquakes, played for the final that year. The two clubs had successful regular season campaigns with the Fire winning their first Supporters' Shield, and the Earthquakes being the Western Conference regular season and post-season champions as well as having the second best overall regular season record. In a hotly contested match, the Earthquakes won with their second MLS Cup title with a 4–2 score making it the highest scoring MLS Cup final in league history (six goals).

After a four-year absence, United made their fifth trip to the MLS Cup final, playing against the Wizards for MLS Cup 2004. The match had four goals scored in the first 25 minutes, with United rallying for a 3–1 lead. Midway through the second half, United had relinquished a penalty kick. Josh Wolff scored for Kansas City, bringing the game within a goal. D.C. United was able to retain the lead, by winning their fourth MLS Cup title, by a score of 3–2.

Format changes

Until 2005, the MLS Cup championship games had been dominated by clubs that had either won or had come close to winning the Supporters Shield. In the 2005 MLS Cup championship, the match was won by the Los Angeles Galaxy, who won the league title by having a 9th-place overall record.[14] Consequently, the Wizards had a better record, but did not qualify for the playoffs because they finished 5th in the Eastern Conference, in spite of an 8th-place overall record.[14] The result prompted MLS to create new wild-cards that were used starting in 2006, where only a certain number of clubs per conference could qualify, and the next best overall teams regardless of conference would also qualify. That in itself prompted debates about the league switching to a single table and a balanced schedule. The single table has yet been instituted, but in 2010 the league instituted a balanced schedule.[15] During the 2012 season, the league resumed an unbalanced schedule.

Scudetto era

File:MLS Scudetto.png
Second MLS Scudetto (2009–2012)

At the start of the 2006 season, MLS created their version of the scudetto (Italian for "small shield"), a symbol worn on the jersey by the team who won the previous season's Serie A (the top Italian league).

The MLS scudetto was originally a curved, triangular badge featuring a backdrop of the American flag behind a replica of the Alan I. Rothenberg MLS Cup trophy. First worn by Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006, following their 2005 MLS Cup title,[16] the Houston Dynamo wore the same triangular scudettos in 2007 and 2008 during their dual-cup run. It was redesigned after the 2008 season after the change to the MLS Cup trophy. It is now an oval-shaped black badge with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy in the middle. The MLS scudetto is worn by the winning team the season following the victory. It is only during the subsequent season (two years after winning the championship), that the team adds a star – a common soccer signifier of titles won – above the team logo. The team can display the star on other items beside their jersey in the year after winning the Cup, but only if the scudetto is not shown. The Columbus Crew was the first team to wear the redesigned scudetto. Real Salt Lake would wear the scudetto in 2010 after winning their first MLS cup in 2009. A year after the Colorado Rapids would also wear the scudetto after their cup run in 2010 for the 2011 season. Finally the Los Angeles Galaxy would wear the scudetto after winning the MLS Cup in 2011, ironically it would be the last team to wear the redesigned scudetto. After the 2012 season, MLS decided not to use the scudetto for upcoming season and instead the defending MLS Cup champions would have a gold star above one or more silver stars indication the team's MLS Cup wins, followed by an additional silver star added to the lined stars the following season. The Los Angeles Galaxy were the first to receive the gold star above the team's three silver stars for the 2013 season.

"Buffalo Bills" of MLS

While the Galaxy earned their second MLS Cup trophy and the Houston Dynamo earned consecutive cups, the New England Revolution went on a run of making three consecutive MLS Cup finals, losing all of them. Two of their three losses were in extra time, while the other was lost on penalty kicks. The infamy gave the club the title of being the Buffalo Bills (an NFL American football team) of MLS.[17] This was in reference to the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl games in the early 1990s, in which they lost in four consecutive appearances. In the 2005 final, they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy, a rematch of 2002, in the final. Held at Pizza Hut Park (now Toyota Stadium) in Frisco, Texas, the Galaxy defeated the Revolution by a score of 1–0 thanks to a 105th-minute overtime goal from Galaxy midfielder and Guatemalan international, Guillermo Ramírez. Ramírez's goal sealed the Galaxy's second MLS Cup title, and left the Revs searching once again.

In 2006, the championship was once again played in Frisco at Pizza Hut Park. This time the Revolution took on the Houston Dynamo. Both were coming off a successful season, in which they fell short of winning the Supporters' Shield. A sellout crowd of 22,427 attended the match, which is to date the largest crowd in the stadium's history.[citation needed] Revolution forward Taylor Twellman scored an overtime goal in the 113th minute to give the Revolution the 1–0 lead. However, Dynamo captain and forward Brian Ching immediately tied the score following the Revolution's goal. The match went to penalties, in which the Dynamo won 4–3. This left the Revolution for a second-consecutive year searching for league glory. It was also the first time in league history that a club made the MLS Cup final and lost consecutively.[18]

In the 2007 final, the Revolution and Dynamo played each other once again for the 2007 cup. Played in Washington, D.C. at RFK Stadium, a crowd just shy of 40,000 witnessed the championship.[18] The announced crowd of 39,859 made it the largest MLS Cup crowd since 2002.[citation needed] The Revolution had a successful season, earning their first U.S. Open Cup title. The Revolution wanted their first MLS Cup crown, and wanted to win their first "Double" in club history. Houston, finishing just shy once again to D.C. United of winning the MLS Supporters' Shield were determined to finish their second season with some hardware, and to defend their MLS Cup title.[18] The match went in the Revolution's favor early on, as the Revolution's captain, Twellman, netted in the 20th minute to give New England a 1–0 lead. However, midway through the second half, the Dynamo retaliated. Dynamo striker Joseph Ngwenya leveled things at one apiece in the 61st minute, and MLS Cup Man of the Match, Dwayne De Rosario gave the Dynamo a 2–1 lead in the 74th.[18] The goal also proved to be the winning goal, as the Dynamo earned the first back-to-back MLS Cup titles since D.C. United in 1996 and 1997.[18]

Underdogs winning the cup

Early in the 2008 Major League Soccer season, the league announced that the championship would be returning to The Home Depot Center (now known as Dignity Health Sports Park). Throughout the regular season, the league was dominated by the Columbus Crew, who finished the season with 57 points, and secured the Supporters' Shield title with three matches remaining before the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs. Traditionally, the Shield winners only rarely made it to the league championship, in spite of usually being the heavy favorites going into the playoffs. However, for the first time in eight years, a regular season champion made it to the MLS Cup final. The Sigi Schmid-led club made their first run to the championship, along with their opponents the New York Red Bulls. For the Crew, being the Shield winners, their run to the final was a bit expected. The Red Bulls making the final was seen as a large surprise, possibly even a fluke. The Red Bulls did not qualify for the playoffs until the last day of the season, where they were the weakest team, in terms of regular season record, to qualify for the playoffs. The match ended up being dominated by the Crew as Columbus defeated New York with ease, 3–1. The point gap between the two clubs was the largest in history, and the scoreline between the two clubs made it tied for the largest margin of victory in MLS Cup history. New York's run to the finals was further emphasized as a fluke when the club had the worst record in 2009.

The following championship saw two intra-conference clubs meet in the final for the second consecutive year, this time at Seattle's Qwest Field (later CenturyLink Field and now Lumen Field). The Western Conference regular season and postseason champions, Los Angeles Galaxy took on Real Salt Lake, who finished fifth in the West. Although the Sounders FC management had originally planned on capping the seats available in Qwest Field to 35,700, surging demand led to the release of an additional 10,000 seats, expanding the total capacity to roughly 45,700. The announced crowd was 46,011. The crowd size was the first championship crowd since 2002 to draw over 45,000 spectators. Televised on ESPN, it was the first time that the MLS championship match was televised on the cable network; the first thirteen were carried on ABC. In the 41st minute, Galaxy striker Mike Magee scored, only for Salt Lake's Robbie Findley to make the tying goal in the 61st. The stalemate was not broken in regulation nor overtime, requiring penalty kicks to decide the match. Thanks to a strike from Salt Lake's Robbie Russell, Salt Lake won their first major trophy. By winning the championship, they gained entry into the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League. There, they made it to the final, only to lose to Monterrey of Mexico.

At the 2010 season's end, six teams from the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs, whereas only two clubs from the East qualified, making it the largest disparity between the two conferences in league history. The league's seeding at the time awarded conference winners earned the top seeds, the two weakest Western Conference teams, San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids were seeded against the Eastern Conference champion, New York Red Bulls and runner-up Columbus Crew, respectively. Some cited this as an unfair advantage for the Rapids and Earthquakes, as both teams made the semi-finals. In the end, the Rapids played FC Dallas for MLS Cup 2010, winning 2–1 in overtime.

Galaxy Dynasty

Between the 2011 and 2014 MLS Cups, the LA Galaxy appeared in three MLS Cup finals, having the most success in MLS Cup in a short period of time since United's late 1990s dynasty. The only final that the Galaxy did not win, came in 2013, where they lost in the 2013 Western Conference finals to eventual runner-up, Real Salt Lake. During that time, the Galaxy became the first MLS franchise to win five MLS Cups, when they won MLS Cup 2014. These teams contained several high-profile players including Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes, David Beckham and Omar Gonzalez.

Some claim that the Galaxy's dynasty began in 2009, when they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2005, and marched to the finals, only to lose on penalties to Real Salt Lake. In 2010, and again, in 2011, the Galaxy won consecutive Supporters' Shield, and completed the league double winning both the Shield and MLS Cup in 2011. This was the first time this had been accomplished since the Columbus Crew achieved it in 2008. In the 2011 MLS Cup final, the Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo, 1–0 off a 72nd minute Donovan goal. The goal was scored off a Galaxy counter where Beckham fed a through ball to Donovan who slotted it past Hall. The 2012 final featured both the Galaxy and Dynamo again, making it the first since 2007 that an MLS Cup final was a rematch of the previous final. Again, the Galaxy won the final, this time coming from behind to defeat the Dynamo by a 3–1 scoreline. The match was Beckham's final MLS match.

During the 2013 season, the Galaxy's chance to three-peat was thwarted by Real Salt Lake. Salt Lake defeated the Galaxy, 2–1 on aggregate, to advance to the MLS Cup final, where they eventually lost to Sporting Kansas City.

The following season, the Galaxy reached the MLS Cup final again, playing the New England Revolution, making it a rematch of MLS Cup 2002 and MLS Cup 2005. In extra-time a Robbie Keane goal propelled the Galaxy to their fifth MLS match, a victory in the 2014 MLS Cup.

Expansion teams from Cascadia, Canada, and Atlanta

File:Osvaldo Alonso lifting the MLS Cup at Sounders Rally.jpg
Osvaldo Alonso of Seattle Sounders FC lifting the MLS Cup trophy in December 2016

The Portland Timbers won the 2015 MLS Cup, defeating the Columbus Crew 2–1. Portland's Diego Valeri scored the fastest goal in MLS Cup history at 27 seconds when Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark made a fundamental error after he miscontrolled his defender's back-pass while Valeri had advanced towards the ball to strike at the opportunity.[19]

The Seattle Sounders FC faced Toronto FC in the 2016 MLS Cup, which was played at BMO Field in Toronto on the evening of December 10, 2016. The temperature at the start of the match was 21 °F (−6 °C) (10 °F (−12 °C), when adjusted for wind chill), with strong winds coming off Lake Ontario. The field was watered shortly before the match, and resultant field was described as icy by players. Seattle Sounders FC defeated Toronto FC 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a scoreless match of 90 minutes regular time and 30 minutes overtime. The Sounders did not register a single shot on goal, becoming the first MLS club to do so in a match, regular season or otherwise. The Sounders, despite a very poor start and mid-season managerial change, became the second team from the Pacific Northwest to win the cup, after Portland in 2015.

In the 2017 MLS Cup, Toronto FC and Seattle faced off in a rematch of the previous edition, also at BMO Field. Toronto FC won the match 2–0, and became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup, and the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble, after winning the Canadian Championship and Supporters' Shield earlier in the year.[20]

File:AUFC MLS Cup ceremony.jpg
Pyrotechnics display during Atlanta United's trophy ceremony following the 2018 MLS Cup final

Atlanta United FC, in their second season as an expansion team, won the 2018 edition of the MLS Cup by defeating the Portland Timbers 2–0. The match, hosted in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was attended by 73,019 spectators and broke the MLS Cup attendance record set in 2002 by New England.[21] The club became the second-youngest to win an MLS Cup, behind the 1998 Chicago Fire, and brought the first professional sports championship for the city of Atlanta since 1995.[22][23]

In the 2019 MLS Cup, Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC both overcame underdog status in their respective conferences to contest a third final in four years, this time playing at Seattle's home ground. Seattle Sounders FC duly won their second MLS Cup, taking the final match 3–1 at CenturyLink Field in front of a Sounders record attendance of 69,274.[24][25]

The 2020 edition, which marked the end of a season dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the Sounders return to the MLS Cup Final, this time facing Columbus Crew SC at the latter's home of Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew won 3–0 in front of a crowd restricted to 1,500, in the stadium's last playoff game.[26]

Broadcasting

United States

The MLS Cup Final was aired on English-language networks ABC from 1996 to 2008, and ESPN from 2009 to 2014. ESPN and Fox alternate as MLS Cup Final broadcasters since 2015, with ESPN airing MLS Cup 2019 on ABC, their first MLS match since 2008. The MLS Cup Final has also been aired on Spanish-language networks TeleFutura in 2007 and 2008,[27][28] Galavision from 2009 to 2011,[29][30] TeleFutura / UniMás from 2012 to 2018, and Univision in 2019. ABC previously had Spanish announcers under secondary audio program.

Since 2015, all MLS Cup playoff games are televised on ESPN, Fox Sports, or Univisión networks. UniMás will air two exclusive playoff matches, while ESPN and its affiliated networks will split the rest of the contests – including MLS Cup – with Fox Sports. Univision, UniMás and TUDN also airs the MLS Cup playoffs in Spanish.[31]

Canada

MLS Cup coverage in Canada started in 2007, with the addition of Toronto FC to MLS. The MLS Cup bounced around different networks in the first three seasons of the league's presence in Canada; what was then the bold network aired the 2007 Cup Final, with CBC airing the next year's Final and GolTV Canada airing the Final the year after that. Since 2010, TSN has aired the MLS Cup Final on its networks; this includes Toronto FC's victory in 2017.

In French, TVA Sports has exclusive rights to MLS, and thus the MLS Cup.

Format

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Over the history of the MLS Cup Playoffs, numerous formats have been used.

From 1996 to 1999 and 2003 to 2006, the top four teams per conference qualified for the playoffs.

In 2000 and 2001, the three division winners plus the next five teams with the next best records made the playoffs.

In 2002, the top 8 teams qualified for the playoffs regardless of conference.

In 2007, the top two teams per conference plus the next four teams with the next most points qualified.

At the 2008 season's end, the top three teams of each conference made the playoffs; in addition the clubs with the next two highest point totals, regardless of conference, were added to the playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners; the Conference Championships were one match each, with the winner of each conference advancing to MLS Cup. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method was two 15-minute periods of overtime, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used.

At the 2009 and 2010 season's end, the top two teams of each conference made the playoffs; in addition the clubs with the next 4 highest point totals, regardless of conference, were added to the playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate (total) goals over two matches determined the winners; the Conference Championships were one match each, with the winner of each conference advancing to MLS Cup. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method was two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used.[32]

At 2011 season's end, the top three clubs in each of the league's two conferences earned the six automatic spots in the Conference Semifinals.[33] The wild card entrants, seeded seventh through tenth, entered based upon their overall position in the overall league standings.[33] The new format was assembled so that the lowest seed to qualify out of the wild card rounds will play against the Supporters' Shield winner.[33] The highest wild-card seed remaining will played the conference champion that did not win the Shield.[33] The play-in games and Conference Finals were single matches, with the higher seeded club hosting.[33] The conference semi-finals were two-leg aggregate series.[33] The MLS Cup was held at a predetermined venue.[33]

From the 2012 season through 2014, the playoff structure was further tweaked with the elimination of the wild cards slots. The ten playoff berths were awarded to the top five teams in each conference. The No. 4 seed in each conference hosted the No. 5 seed in a single match for a place in the conference semi-finals against the top seed in its conference. The Conference Semifinals remained two-legged while the conference finals changed from a single match to a two-leg aggregate series. Finally, the MLS Cup final was held at the home field of the finalist with the highest point total during the regular season. The away goals rule was used but did not apply after extra time.[34]

From the 2015 season through 2018, the top six teams per conference qualified for the playoffs (12 total teams). The first round involved each conference's No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 hosting No. 5. In the Conference Semifinals, the top seed played the lowest remaining seed, and the No. 2 seed played the next lowest seed.

In the 2019 seasons, and since 2021, the top seven teams per conference qualified for the playoffs. Each round is single-elimination. The top team in each conference earns a bye to the Conference Semifinals. The playoff brackets were fixed, as the league abolished re-seeding.[35][36] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the top ten teams from the Eastern and top eight teams from the Western conference qualified for the playoffs in the 2020 season, with single-elimination remaining intact. The top six Eastern teams earned byes to the first round. The seventh through tenth-seeded teams competed in play-in games. The eighth versus ninth winner played the top-seeded team, and the seventh versus tenth winner played the conference runner-up in the first round. The Western Conference had no byes, and the top eight teams competed in their first round.

Starting with the 2023 season, the top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, and the top-seeded team will host whoever is the 8th-seeded in the Conference Quarterfinals.

Champions

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The winner of Major League Soccer's MLS Cup, the final match of the MLS Cup Playoffs, determines that season's league champion. The playoff tournament is organized by the league at the conclusion of the regular season in a format similar to other North American professional sports leagues. The tournament is open to the top seven clubs of the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The first MLS Cup final was played on October 20, 1996. To date, the record for the most championships is held by the Los Angeles Galaxy with five cup titles. The record for the most championships lost is held by the New England Revolution, who lost the game five times during their history. The championship has been won by the same team in two or more consecutive years on three occasions.

Results

Season Date Champions Final Score Runners-up Venue Attendance U.S. television
1996 October 20 D.C. United  †3–2 * Los Angeles Galaxy Foxboro Stadium 34,643 ABC
1997 October 26 D.C. United 2–1 Colorado Rapids RFK Memorial Stadium 57,431
1998 October 25 Chicago Fire 2–0 D.C. United Rose Bowl 51,350
1999 November 21 D.C. United 2–0 Los Angeles Galaxy Foxboro Stadium 44,910
2000 October 15 Kansas City Wizards 1–0 Chicago Fire RFK Memorial Stadium 39,159
2001 October 21 San Jose Earthquakes 2–1 * Los Angeles Galaxy Crew Stadium 21,626
2002 October 20 Los Angeles Galaxy  †1–0 * New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 61,316
2003 November 23 San Jose Earthquakes 4–2 Chicago Fire Home Depot Center 27,000
2004 November 14 D.C. United 3–2 Kansas City Wizards Home Depot Center 25,797
2005 November 13 Los Angeles Galaxy  †1–0 * New England Revolution Pizza Hut Park 21,193
2006 November 12 Houston Dynamo  †1–1 New England Revolution Pizza Hut Park 22,427
2007 November 18 Houston Dynamo 2–1 New England Revolution RFK Memorial Stadium 39,859
2008 November 23 Columbus Crew 3–1 New York Red Bulls Home Depot Center 27,000
2009 November 22 Real Salt Lake  †1–1 Los Angeles Galaxy Qwest Field 46,011 ESPN
2010 November 21 Colorado Rapids  †2–1 * FC Dallas BMO Field 21,700
2011 November 20 Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0 Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center 30,281
2012 December 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center 30,510
2013 December 7 Sporting Kansas City  †1–1 Real Salt Lake Sporting Park 21,650
2014 December 7 Los Angeles Galaxy 2–1 * New England Revolution StubHub Center 27,000
2015 December 6 Portland Timbers 2–1 Columbus Crew Mapfre Stadium 21,747
2016 December 10 Seattle Sounders FC 0–0 Toronto FC BMO Field 36,045 Fox
2017 December 9 Toronto FC 2–0 Seattle Sounders FC BMO Field 30,584 ESPN
2018 December 8 Atlanta United FC 2–0 Portland Timbers Mercedes-Benz Stadium 73,019 Fox
2019 November 10 Seattle Sounders FC 3–1 Toronto FC CenturyLink Field 69,274 ABC
2020 December 12 Columbus Crew 3–0 Seattle Sounders FC Mapfre Stadium 1,500 ^ Fox
2021 December 11 New York City FC 1–1 Portland Timbers Providence Park 25,218 ABC
Key
* Match went to extra time
Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after extra time
Bold Team won the MLS Supporters' Shield
Italics Team won the U.S. Open Cup or the Canadian Championship
Both Team won the MLS Supporters' Shield AND U.S. Open Cup or the Canadian Championship
^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, seating at the 2020 MLS Cup final match was limited to 1,500 fans.

Records and statistics

MLS Cup titles

As of the 2021 season, a total of 30 teams have competed in MLS. Seventeen of these teams have appeared in a cup final, with fourteen of these teams having won the MLS Cup. In the table below, teams are ordered first by the number of appearances in an MLS Cup Final, then by the number of wins, and finally by alphabetical order. In the "Years of Appearance" column, bold years indicate a winning MLS Cup appearance.

Apps Club Wins Losses Win % Years of appearance (in MLS Cup Finals)
9 LA Galaxy 5 4 .556 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014
5 D.C. United 4 1 .800 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004
4 Houston Dynamo FC 2 2 .500 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012
4 Seattle Sounders FC 2 2 .500 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
3 Sporting Kansas City 2 1 .667 2000, 2004, 2013
3 Columbus Crew 2 1 .667 2008, 2015, 2020
2 San Jose Earthquakes 2 0 1.00 2001, 2003
3 Chicago Fire FC 1 2 .333 1998, 2000, 2003
3 Toronto FC 1 2 .333 2016, 2017, 2019
3 Portland Timbers 1 2 .333 2015, 2018, 2021
2 Colorado Rapids 1 1 .500 1997, 2010
2 Real Salt Lake 1 1 .500 2009, 2013
1 Atlanta United FC 1 0 1.00 2018
1 New York City FC 1 0 1.00 2021
5 New England Revolution 0 5 .000 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014
1 New York Red Bulls 0 1 .000 2008
1 FC Dallas 0 1 .000 2010

MLS Cup finalists records in CONCACAF competition

For most of the league's history, the MLS Cup champions and runners-up have earned berths into the CONCACAF Champions League, though only U.S. teams are eligible to fill these slots. Canadian teams, even MLS Cup participants, must qualify by winning the separate Canadian Championship; as of 2020, the only Canadian winner has been 2017 MLS Cup champion Toronto FC, who also won the Canadian Championship that year.

Key
Champions Runners-up Semi-finals or Consolation match
  • QR1 = Qualification First Round
  • PR = Preliminary round
  • GS = Group stage
  • R16 = Round of 16
  • QF = Quarter-finals
  • SF = Semi-finals or Consolation match
  • CON = Consolation match
  • F = Final
Year MLS Cup Champions Result MLS Cup Runners-up Result
1997 D.C. United CON LA Galaxy F
1998 D.C. United F Colorado Rapids QR1
1999 Chicago Fire CON D.C. United CON
2000 D.C. United CON LA Galaxy F
2002 Kansas City Wizards[1] SF Did not qualify
San Jose Earthquakes QF Chicago Fire QF
2003 D.C. United SF Kansas City Wizards QF
2006 LA Galaxy QF New England Revolution QF
2007 Houston Dynamo SF Did not qualify[2]
2008 Houston Dynamo SF
2008–09 Houston Dynamo QF New England Revolution PR
2009–10 Columbus Crew QF New York Red Bulls PR
2010–11 Real Salt Lake F LA Galaxy PR
2011–12 Colorado Rapids GS FC Dallas GS
2012–13 LA Galaxy SF Houston Dynamo QF
2013–14 LA Galaxy QF Houston Dynamo GS
2014–15 Sporting Kansas City GS Real Salt Lake GS
2015–16 LA Galaxy QF Did not qualify[3]
2016–17 Portland Timbers GS
2018 Toronto FC[4] F Seattle Sounders FC[5] QF
2019 Atlanta United FC QF Did not qualify[6]
2020 Seattle Sounders FC R16 Did not qualify[7]
2021 Columbus Crew SC QF Did not qualify[2]
2022 New York City FC SF Did not qualify[2]
Notes
  1. ^ 1: The 2001 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was canceled, so both MLS Cup 2000 winner, Kansas City Wizards and the MLS Cup 2001 winner, San Jose Earthquakes qualified for the 2002 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
  2. ^ 2: The other berth went to the Supporters' Shield winner.
  3. ^ 3: The runners-up berth was reallocated to the winner of the conference opposite that of the Supporters' Shield winner.
  4. ^ 4: Toronto FC qualified by winning the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Canadian Championship.
  5. ^ 5: Seattle Sounders FC qualified as the winners of MLS Cup 2016.
  6. ^ 6: Due to the restructuring of the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, the United States' berths were allocated to the 2017 and 2018 MLS Cup winners and the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open Cup winners. As Toronto FC won MLS Cup 2017, the vacated berth was reallocated to the New York Red Bulls as the U.S.-based non-champion with the best aggregate record for the 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons.
  7. ^ 7: Canadian teams can only qualify through the Canadian Championship and Toronto FC lost to the Montreal Impact in the 2019 Canadian Championship Final, so therefore they could not participate in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League.

Trophies

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The Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, first version (1996–1998) and second version (1999–2007)

Culminating the championship, the winning team is presented with a trophy, known as the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, named for the contributions and investment to American soccer and MLS by Philip Anschutz. Typically, the award presentation is held on a podium in the center of the field, where the league commissioner will award the team with the cup.

Before the actual award presentation, the finalists are awarded with silver medals with the league's logo imprinted on them. The champions are then presented with gold medals, before the trophy is handed to the winning team's captain.

In cup history, the MLS Cup champions have been awarded with three different trophies. For the first three MLS Cup finals, the winning team was awarded with the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, named for Rothenberg's contributions to American soccer. The Rothenberg Trophy was a dark gold trophy that had two handles around a soccer ball, with the league's logo imprinted on the plaque. In 1999, the Rothenberg Trophy was redesigned with a soccer ball placed on a beacon. In 2008, the trophy was redesigned again to its present state and renamed the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

Venues

Dignity Health Sports Park has hosted six MLS Cup finals.

In MLS Cup history, seven matches have been played in the Greater Los Angeles area (once at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and six times at Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly StubHub Center and Home Depot Center) in Carson, California. Four markets are tied for having hosted the MLS Cup final the second-most number of times, with three matches each: the Greater Boston metro area (twice contested at Foxboro Stadium and once at Gillette Stadium, both in Foxborough, Massachusetts), Washington, D.C. (all played at RFK Stadium), Toronto (all held at BMO Field) and Columbus (all held at the Historic Crew Stadium).

Through the 2011 season every MLS Cup had been played at a predetermined site (i.e., announced before the playoff participants were known). On the day before the 2011 Cup, MLS announced that starting in 2012, Cup finals would be hosted by the participant with the highest point total during the regular season.[34]

Before the 2012 Cup and the change to awarding the final to the participant with the higher point total, only three teams played the match on their home field. In the 1997 MLS Cup final, D.C. United won the match in their home stadium over Colorado Rapids,[37] RFK Stadium. The same occurrence applied in the 2002 MLS Cup final, where the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the New England Revolution 1–0, in the Revolution's home stadium Gillette Stadium. As a result, the 1997 and 2002 MLS Cup finals drew the largest crowds in MLS Cup history prior to the 2012 change to the higher seed hosting.[38] In 2011, the LA Galaxy won their 2011 MLS Cup match in their home stadium (Home Depot Center), 1–0, over the Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy became the second team (and first since D.C. United in 1997) to win the Cup at home.

After MLS adopted its current criteria for awarding the MLS Cup match, the first three Cup finals were won by the hosts. The 2012 MLS Cup saw a rematch of the 2011 Cup at the same site, with the Galaxy successfully defending the title with a 3–1 win. In 2013, Sporting Kansas City became the third team to win the cup in their home stadium (Sporting Park) when they beat Real Salt Lake in the penalty kicks, which was the longest shootout in MLS Cup history.[39] Then, in 2014, the Galaxy defeated the New England Revolution 2–1 at the renamed StubHub Center in a match that was also notable as the final competitive match for U.S. national team all-time leading goal scorer Landon Donovan.[40] The pattern was broken in 2015, however, when the Portland Timbers defeated the Columbus Crew in the Crew's home stadium.

Through the 2011 season, MLS typically announced the championship location either prior to the start of its respective season, or even a few weeks into the campaign. For the 2011 championship, the league selected Home Depot Center in Carson, California, making it a fourth time the league's championship had been hosted at the venue.[41]

To date, the coldest MLS Cup final was the 2013 championship game played in Kansas City, Kansas at Sporting Kansas City's Sporting Park where the temperature was 20 °F (−7 °C).[42] The hottest MLS Cup final was the 2005 championship game played in Frisco, Texas at FC Dallas's Pizza Hut Park where the temperature was 75 °F (23 °C).[43][44]

The 2010 edition of the MLS Cup was the first final in league history to be played outside of the United States. The match was played in Canada at Toronto's BMO Field, the home ground of MLS club Toronto FC.

Stadiums

Pizza Hut Park, now Toyota Stadium, hosted the 2005 and 2006 MLS Cups.
Name Location Hosted Years hosted
Dignity Health Sports Park[lower-alpha 1] Carson, California 6 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. 3 1997, 2000, 2007
BMO Field Toronto, Ontario 3 2010, 2016, 2017
Historic Crew Stadium[lower-alpha 2] Columbus, Ohio 3 2001, 2015, 2020
Lumen Field[lower-alpha 3] Seattle, Washington 2 2009, 2019
Toyota Stadium[lower-alpha 4] Frisco, Texas 2 2005, 2006
Foxboro Stadium Foxborough, Massachusetts 2 1996, 1999
Children's Mercy Park[lower-alpha 5] Kansas City, Kansas 1 2013
Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Massachusetts 1 2002
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 1 2018
Providence Park Portland, Oregon 1 2021
Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 1 1998

Italics indicate a stadium that is now inactive.

  1. Known as Home Depot Center prior to the 2013 season and StubHub Center in 2014.
  2. Known as Columbus Crew Stadium prior to the 2015 season and MAPFRE Stadium from 2015–2020. The sponsorship contract with MAPFRE did not end until after MLS Cup 2020. The Crew moved its home matches to the new Lower.com Field early in the 2021 season.
  3. Known as Qwest Field in 2009 and CenturyLink Field in 2019.
  4. Known as Pizza Hut Park in 2005 and 2006.
  5. Known as Sporting Park in 2013.

Most valuable player

Following each championship, a player on the winning club is awarded with the title of being the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Usually, but not necessarily, the winner of the award is the player who scores the game-winning goal, or sets up the game-winning goal. This is the case of the 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019 and 2020 recipients, who all scored game-winning goals, or assisted multiple goals for the winning side.

Exceptions to this occurred in 2000, 2009, 2016, and 2021 where the Most Valuable Player award went to goalkeepers Tony Meola, Nick Rimando, Stefan Frei, and Sean Johnson, respectively. Meola and Frei, with the Kansas City Wizards and Seattle Sounders FC, both earned shutouts for their respective teams in the cup. Rimando and Johnson made two saves in a penalty shoot-out to give Real Salt Lake the title over the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York City FC the title over Portland Timbers, respectively.

List of MVP award recipients

Year Winner Position Club
1996 Bolivia Marco Etcheverry Midfielder D.C. United
1997 Bolivia Jaime Moreno Forward D.C. United
1998 Poland Peter Nowak Midfielder Chicago Fire
1999 United States Ben Olsen Midfielder D.C. United
2000 United States Tony Meola Goalkeeper Kansas City Wizards
2001 Canada Dwayne De Rosario Forward San Jose Earthquakes
2002 Guatemala Carlos Ruiz Forward Los Angeles Galaxy
2003 United States Landon Donovan Forward San Jose Earthquakes
2004 United States Alecko Eskandarian Forward D.C. United
2005 Guatemala Guillermo Ramírez Midfielder Los Angeles Galaxy
2006 United States Brian Ching Forward Houston Dynamo
2007 Canada Dwayne De Rosario Midfielder Houston Dynamo
2008 Argentina Guillermo Barros Schelotto Midfielder Columbus Crew
2009 United States Nick Rimando Goalkeeper Real Salt Lake
2010 United States Conor Casey Forward Colorado Rapids
2011 United States Landon Donovan Forward Los Angeles Galaxy
2012 United States Omar Gonzalez Defender Los Angeles Galaxy
2013 France Aurélien Collin Defender Sporting Kansas City
2014 Republic of Ireland Robbie Keane Forward Los Angeles Galaxy
2015 Argentina Diego Valeri Midfielder Portland Timbers
2016 Switzerland Stefan Frei Goalkeeper Seattle Sounders FC
2017 United States Jozy Altidore Forward Toronto FC
2018 Venezuela Josef Martínez Forward Atlanta United FC
2019 Spain Víctor Rodríguez Midfielder Seattle Sounders FC
2020 Argentina Lucas Zelarayán Midfielder Columbus Crew
2021 United States Sean Johnson Goalkeeper New York City FC

Players with multiple MLS Cup titles

At least 40 players have won 2 MLS Cups, mostly for teams with sequential or near-sequential titles (D.C. 1996–1999, San Jose 2001 and 2003, LA Galaxy 2002 and 2005, and 2011–2012, and Houston 2006–2007). Brian Mullan is the only player to have won the Cup with four different teams, while players that have won it with three different teams include: Craig Waibel, Alejandro Moreno, Ezra Hendrickson, and Darlington Nagbe.

MLS Cups Players (years won)
6 Landon Donovan (2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014)
5 Jeff Agoos (1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003)
Todd Dunivant (2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014)
Brian Mullan (2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010)
4 Jaime Moreno (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004)
Craig Waibel (2002, 2003, 2006, 2007)
Dwayne De Rosario (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007)
Eddie Robinson (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007)
Josh Saunders (2003, 2005, 2011, 2012)
3 Darlington Nagbe (2015, 2018, 2020)
Richard Mulrooney (2001, 2003, 2007)
Marco Etcheverry (1996, 1997, 1999)
Brian Kamler (1996, 1997, 1999)
John Maessner (1996, 1997, 1999)
Clint Peay (1996, 1997, 1999)
Eddie Pope (1996, 1997, 1999)
Richie Williams (1996, 1997, 1999)
Chris Albright (1999, 2002, 2005)
Brian Ching (2003, 2006, 2007)
Jesse Marsch (1996, 1997, 1998)
Alejandro Moreno (2002, 2006, 2008)
Ezra Hendrickson (2002, 2004, 2008)
Pat Onstad (2003, 2006, 2007)
Chad Marshall (2008, 2016, 2019)
Juninho (2011, 2012, 2014)
Omar Gonzalez (2011, 2012, 2014)
Robbie Keane (2011, 2012, 2014)
A. J. DeLaGarza (2011, 2012, 2014)
Leonardo (2011, 2012, 2014)
Hector Jiménez (2011, 2012, 2020)

See also

Footnotes

A. ^ Until 2003, MLS Cup utilized "sudden death" or "golden goal" overtime, i.e. the match ended if a goal were scored at any point in overtime. Beginning in 2004, a 30:00 overtime is played in full; if the match is still tied, it is decided by a Penalty Kick shootout.[45]
B. ^ Sellout crowd
C. ^ Although Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids are Western Conference clubs, they qualified to the MLS Cup final through the Eastern Conference bracket, and vice versa for the New York Red Bulls

Notes and references

General

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References

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  16. [1] Archived February 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
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  30. MLS Cup viewers on UniMas surpass those on ESPN - Soccer America, December 10, 2013
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  32. [2] Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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External links

Attendance

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Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.

As of October 24, 2016 [1]
Pos. Team GP Cumulative High Low Mean
1 Seattle Sounders FC 17 724,809 53,302 39,269 42,636
2 Orlando City SC 17 502,478 60,147 23,802 31,324
3 New York City FC 17 462,336 37,858 22,736 27,196
4 Toronto FC 17 451,917 30,262 22,212 26,583
5 LA Galaxy 17 427,492 27,167 19,651 25,147
6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 17 379,603 27,038 18,836 22,330
7 Portland Timbers 17 359,448 21,144 21,144 21,144
8 Montreal Impact 17 351,366 27,545 16,318 20,669
9 New York Red Bulls 17 350,535 25,218 15,167 20,620
10 New England Revolution 17 343,150 39,587 10,144 20,185
11 San Jose Earthquakes 17 338,816 50,816 18,000 19,930
12 Real Salt Lake 17 335,909 20,389 18,036 19,759
13 Sporting Kansas City 17 333,155 20,618 18,563 19,549
14 Houston Dynamo 17 323,361 21,601 15,045 19,597
15 Philadelphia Union 17 297,825 18,681 15,011 17,519
16 Columbus Crew SC 17 291,128 20,389 13,114 17,125
17 D.C. United 17 290,381 30,943 12,094 17,081
18 Colorado Rapids 17 276,721 18,759 10,670 16,278
19 Chicago Fire 17 265,234 18,976 12,073 15,602
20 FC Dallas 17 239,601 16,215 10,381 14,094
 – Total 340 7,375,144 60,147 10,144 21,692
  1. ^ a b c d e f Non-soccer specific stadium and artificially reduced capacity.

Highest attendances

Regular season

As of October 24, 2016 [2]
Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Date Week Stadium
1 Orlando City SC 2–2 Real Salt Lake 60,147 March 6, 2016 (2016-03-06) 1 Orlando Citrus Bowl
2 Seattle Sounders FC 3–1 Portland Timbers 53,302 August 21, 2016 25 CenturyLink Field
3 San Jose Earthquakes 1–1 Los Angeles Galaxy 50,816 June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25) 15 Stanford Stadium
4 Seattle Sounders FC 2–1 Real Salt Lake 50,022 October 23, 2016 34 CenturyLink Field
5 Seattle Sounders FC 1–1 Los Angeles Galaxy 48,458 July 31, 2016 22 CenturyLink Field
6 Seattle Sounders FC 0–2 New York City FC 47,537 June 25, 2016 15 CenturyLink Field
7 Seattle Sounders FC 1–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 47,111 September 17, 2016 30 CenturyLink Field
8 Seattle Sounders FC 0–1 Colorado Rapids 41,028 May 21, 2016 (2016-05-21) 11 CenturyLink Field
9 Seattle Sounders FC 0–1 Los Angeles Galaxy 40,813 July 9, 2016 18 CenturyLink Field
10 Seattle Sounders FC 5–0 FC Dallas 40,101 July 13, 2016 19 CenturyLink Field

Player statistics

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Scoring

Discipline

Awards

Monthly awards

MLS Player of the Month
Month Player Club Stats Ref
March Ecuador Joao Plata Real Salt Lake 3G, 2A [10]
April Nigeria Fanendo Adi Portland Timbers 3G, 1A [11]
May England Bradley Wright-Phillips New York Red Bulls 6G, 2A [12]
June Armenia Yura Movsisyan Real Salt Lake 3G [13]
July England Frank Lampard New York City FC 6G, 1A [14]
August Uruguay Nicolás Lodeiro Seattle Sounders FC 2G, 6A [15]
September United States Chad Marshall Seattle Sounders FC 1G [16]
October Iraq Justin Meram Columbus Crew SC 1G, 4A [17]

Weekly awards

Week MLS Player of the Week MLS Goal of the Week MLS Save of the Week
Player Club Player Club Player Club
1 United States Mike Magee[18] LA Galaxy Argentina Ignacio Piatti[19] Montreal Impact United States Evan Bush[20] Montreal Impact
2 United States Andrew Wenger[21] Houston Dynamo Canada Cyle Larin[22] Orlando City SC United States Brian Rowe[23] LA Galaxy
3 Brazil Felipe[24] New York Red Bulls Brazil Felipe[25] New York Red Bulls United States Tim Melia[26] Sporting Kansas City
4 Colombia Michael Barrios[27] FC Dallas United States Thomas McNamara[28] New York City FC United States Bobby Shuttleworth[29] New England Revolution
5 Brazil Kaká[30] Orlando City SC United States Adam Jahn[31] San Jose Earthquakes United States Joe Bendik[32] Orlando City SC
6 Argentina Fabián Espíndola[33] D.C. United Panama Alberto Quintero[34] San Jose Earthquakes United States David Bingham[35] San Jose Earthquakes
7 Mexico Giovani dos Santos[36] LA Galaxy Argentina Ignacio Piatti[37] Montreal Impact United States Nick Rimando[38] Real Salt Lake
8 Ghana Emmanuel Boateng[39] LA Galaxy Argentina Luciano Acosta[40] D.C. United United States David Bingham[41] San Jose Earthquakes
9 New Zealand Jake Gleeson[42] Portland Timbers Canada Maxim Tissot[43] Montreal Impact United States Joe Bendik[44] Orlando City SC
10 Argentina Ignacio Piatti[45] Montreal Impact Argentina Ignacio Piatti[46] Montreal Impact United States Tim Melia[47] Sporting Kansas City
11 The Gambia Kekuta Manneh[48] Vancouver Whitecaps FC Panama Blas Perez[49] Vancouver Whitecaps FC United States Joe Bendik[50] Orlando City SC
12 England Bradley Wright-Phillips[51] New York Red Bulls Canada Cyle Larin[52] Orlando City SC United States Joe Bendik[50] Orlando City SC
13 Norway Ola Kamara[53] Columbus Crew SC Trinidad and Tobago Kevin Molino[54] Orlando City SC United States Luis Robles[55] New York Red Bulls
14 United States Chris Pontius[56] Philadelphia Union United States Chris Pontius[57] Philadelphia Union United States Nick Rimando[58] Real Salt Lake
15 United States Mike Grella[59] New York Red Bulls Brazil Júlio Baptista[60] Orlando City SC New Zealand Jake Gleeson[61] Portland Timbers
16 Netherlands Roland Alberg[62] Philadelphia Union United States Lamar Neagle[63] D.C. United Jamaica Andre Blake[64] Philadelphia Union
17 England Jack Harrison[65] New York City FC Argentina Cristian Maidana[66] Houston Dynamo United States Joe Bendik[67] Orlando City SC
18 Brazil Ilsinho[68] Philadelphia Union United States Lee Nguyen[69] New England Revolution United States Brian Rowe[70] LA Galaxy
19 Argentina Diego Valeri[71] Portland Timbers England Jack Harrison[72] New York City FC United States Joe Bendik[73] Orlando City SC
20 Italy Sebastian Giovinco[74] Toronto FC Argentina Ignacio Piatti[75] Montreal Impact United States Joe Bendik[76] Orlando City SC
21 England Frank Lampard[77] New York City FC Canada Cyle Larin[78] Orlando City SC United States Joe Bendik[79] Orlando City SC
22 Italy Sebastian Giovinco[80] Toronto FC Argentina Javier Morales[81] Real Salt Lake United States Joe Bendik[82] Orlando City SC
23 England Bradley Wright-Phillips[83] New York Red Bulls Albania Shkelzen Gashi[84] Colorado Rapids United States Bill Hamid[85] D.C. United
24 United States Clint Dempsey[86] Seattle Sounders FC Argentina Luis Solignac[87] Chicago Fire SC United States Joe Willis[88] Houston Dynamo
25 United States Patrick Mullins[89] D.C. United Armenia Yura Movsisyan[90] Real Salt Lake United States Joe Bendik[91] Orlando City SC
26 England Frank Lampard[92] New York City FC Mexico Giovani dos Santos[93] LA Galaxy United States Brad Knighton[94] New England Revolution
27 Mexico Giovani dos Santos[95] LA Galaxy Ecuador Joao Plata[96] Real Salt Lake United States Joe Bendik[97] Orlando City SC
28 United States Kelyn Rowe[98] New England Revolution Canada Cyle Larin[99] Orlando City SC Denmark David Ousted[100] Vancouver Whitecaps FC
29 Colombia Mauro Manotas[101] Houston Dynamo Albania Shkelzen Gashi[102] Colorado Rapids United States Brad Knighton[103] New England Revolution

Team of the Week

Team of the Week
Week Goalkeeper Defender Midfielder Forward
1[104] United States Bingham (SJ) England Cole (LA)
United States Moor (TOR)
United States Zimmerman (DAL)
Colombia Chara (POR)
Uruguay Fagundez (NE)
Argentina Martinez (RSL)
United States McNamara (NYC)
Canada Larin (ORL)
United States Magee (LA)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
2[105] Jamaica Blake (PHI) United States Beasley (HOU)
Belgium Ciman (MTL)
Trinidad and Tobago Williams (COL)
Haiti Mustivar (SKC)
United States Pontius (PHI)
Nigeria Sunday (RSL)
United States Wenger (HOU)
England Dwyer (SKC)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
Spain Villa (NYC)
3 [106] United States Shuttleworth (NE) United States Hollingshead (DAL)
United States Rosenberry (PHI)
Costa Rica Waston (VAN)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
Brazil Felipe (NYR)
Colombia Higuita (ORL)
United States Zardes (LA)
Nigeria Adi (POR)
United States Bruin (HOU)
United States Sapong (PHI)
4 [107] Denmark Ousted (VAN) Argentina Bravo (NYC)
United States Jacobson (VAN)
United States Tierney (NE)
United States Bunbury (NE)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
United States McNamara (NYC)
Chile Morales (VAN)
Colombia Barrios (DAL)
Colombia Castillo (DAL)
Argentina Urruti (DAL)
5 [108] Denmark Ousted (VAN) Netherlands Kappelhof (CHI)
United States Maund (RSL)
United States Rogers (LA)
United States Shea (ORL)
Cuba Alonso (SEA)
Colombia Higuita (ORL)
United States Neagle (DC)
Ecuador Plata (RSL)
Albania Gashi (COL)
Brazil Kaká (ORL)
6 [109] United States Melia (SKC) Belgium Ciman (MTL)
United States Marshall (SEA)
Costa Rica Matarrita (NYC)
Jamaica Barnes (HOU)
Colombia Chara (POR)
Ghana Koffie (NE)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
United States Amarikwa (SJ)
Argentina Espíndola (DC)
Costa Rica Saborío (DC)
7 [110] United States Rimando (RSL) Iran Beitashour (TOR)
Belgium Ciman (MTL)
Jamaica Phillips (RSL)
Austria Ivanschitz (SEA)
United States Jones (COL)
Iraq Meram (CLB)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
Nigeria Adi (POR)
Colombia Castillo (DAL)
Mexico Dos Santos (LA)
8[111] Denmark Ousted (VAN) United States Boswell (DC)
United States Harvey (VAN)
United States Moor (TOR)
Switzerland Barnetta (PHI)
Ghana Boateng (LA)
United States Bradley (TOR)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
Mexico Dos Santos (LA)
Italy Giovinco (TOR)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
9[112] New Zealand Gleeson (POR) United States Scott (SEA)
United States Wynne (SJ)
United States Zusi (SKC)
United States Allen (RSL)
Brazil Felipe (NYR)
Albania Gashi (COL)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
Argentina Valeri (POR)
Ivory Coast Drogba (MTL)
Spain Villa (NYC)
10[113] United States Irwin (TOR) United States Horst (HOU)
Costa Rica Matarrita (NYC)
Poland Perquis (TOR)
United States Jones (COL)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
United States Nagbe (POR)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
Japan Kudo (VAN)
United States Morris (SEA)
United States Zardes (LA)
11[114] United States Worra (DC) United States Hernandez (NYC)
Trinidad and Tobago Williams (COL)
United States Zimmerman (DAL)
Honduras Espinoza (SKC)
The Gambia Manneh (VAN)
Ghana Nyarko (DC)
Panama Quintero (SJ)
Italy Giovinco (TOR)
Panama Pérez (VAN)
Spain Villa (NYC)
12[115] United States Bendik (ORL) United States Glad (RSL)
United States Marquez (PHI)
Sweden Sjöberg (COL)
United States Acosta (DAL)
United States Grella (NYR)
Brazil Kaká (ORL)
United States McCarty (NYR)
United States Nagbe (POR)
Canada Akindele (DAL)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
13[116] United States Robles (NYR) United States Allen (NYC)
United States Beasley (HOU)
Ghana Opare (DC)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
Trinidad and Tobago Molino (ORL)
United States Nguyen (NE)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
Ivory Coast Drogba (MTL)
Norway Kamara (CLB)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
14[117] New Zealand Gleeson (POR) Colombia Medranda (SKC)
United States Opara (SKC)
England Ridgewell (POR)
United States Rosenberry (PHI)
Colombia Chara (POR)
France Nogueira (PHI)
United States Pontius (PHI)
United States Roldan (SEA)
Norway Kamara (CLB)
Armenia Movsisyan (RSL)
15[118] United States Hamid (DC) United States Burch (COL)
United States Moor (TOR)
United States Abdul-Salaam (SKC)
United States Salinas (SJ)
Brazil Felipe (NYR)
United States Feilhaber (SKC)
England Harrison (NYC)
United States Grella (NYR)
Spain Villa (NYC)
Argentina Martínez (RSL)
16[119] United States Irwin (TOR) Costa Rica Matarrita (NYC)
United States Wynne (SJ)
United States Robinson (DC)
Brazil Kaká (ORL)
Argentina Valeri (POR)
Netherlands Alberg (PHI)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
United States Neagle (DC)
The Gambia Manneh (VAN)
England Dwyer (SKC)
17[120] United States Hamid (DC) United States Beasley (HOU)
United States Zimmerman (DAL)
Brazil Ramos (CHI)
United States Zusi (SKC)
England Gerrard (LA)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
England Harrison (NYC)
Sierra Leone Kamara (NE)
Norway Kamara (CLB)
Belize Salazar (MTL)
18[121] New Zealand Gleeson (POR) Jamaica Phillips (RSL)
Belgium Van Damme (LA)
United States Hedges (DAL)
United States Morrow (TOR)
Netherlands Alberg (PHI)
United States Larentowicz (LA)
United States Feilhaber (SKC)
Brazil Ilsinho (PHI)
Republic of Ireland Doyle (COL)
Sierra Leone Kamara (NE)
19[122] United States Robles (NYR) Sweden Sjöberg (COL)
Honduras Bernárdez (SJ)
United States Maund (RSL)
Colombia Castillo (DAL)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
Argentina Valeri (POR)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
Austria Ivanschitz (SEA)
Spain Villa (NYC)
Mexico Dos Santos (LA)
20[123] Denmark Ousted (VAN) Cameroon Oyongo (MTL)
Belgium Van Damme (LA)
United States Woodberry (NE)
United States Muyl (NYR)
United States Kljestan (NYR)
Republic of Ireland Cronin (COL)
Argentina Piatti (MTL)
England Dwyer (SKC)
Italy Giovinco (TOR)
Ivory Coast Drogba (MTL)
21[124] United States Bingham (SJ) United States Opara (SKC)
Belgium Van Damme (LA)
United States Moor (TOR)
Trinidad and Tobago Molino (ORL)
Uruguay Lodeiro (SEA)
England Lampard (NYC)
United States McNamara (NYC)
Argentina Urruti (DAL)
Italy Giovinco (TOR)
Ecuador Plata (RSL)
22[125] United States Bush (MTL) United States Burch (COL)
Luxembourg Chanot (NYC)
United States Moor (TOR)
Argentina Valeri (POR)
Uruguay Lodeiro (SEA)
Argentina Morales (RSL)
United States Hairston (COL)
United States Morris (SEA)
Italy Giovinco (TOR)
United States Dempsey (SEA)
23[126] United States Bingham (SJ) United States Birnbaum (DC)
Spain Agus (HOU)
United States Marshall (SEA)
United States Pontius (PHI)
Switzerland Barnetta (PHI)
United States Davis (NYR)
United States Finlay (CLB)
Spain Villa (NYC)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
England Dwyer (SKC)
24[127] United States Willis (HOU) United States Parkhurst (CLB)
Colombia Olave (RSL)
United States Horst (HOU)
Costa Rica Matarrita (NYC)
United States Roldan (SEA)
United States Feilhaber (SKC)
Ghana Accam (CHI)
United States Dempsey (SEA)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
United States Altidore (TOR)
25[128] United States Howard (COL) France Camara (MTL)
Norway Næss (CLB)
United States Rosenberry (PHI)
United States Beckerman (RSL)
Brazil Kaká (ORL)
Brazil Felipe (NYR)
Argentina Valeri (POR)
Colombia Barrios (DAL)
United States Mullins (DC)
Armenia Movsisyan (RSL)
26[129] United States Johnson (CHI) United States Farrell (NE)
United States Zimmerman (DAL)
France Collin (NYR)
Portugal Meira (CHI)
United States Lletget (LA)
Argentina Díaz (DAL)
England Lampard (NYC)
United States Rowe (NE)
England Wright-Phillips (NYR)
Netherlands de Leeuw (CHI)
27[130] United States Howard (COL) Lithuania Vytas (POR)
Costa Rica Waston (VAN)
England Stewart (SJ)
Honduras Garcia (HOU)
Brazil Kaká (ORL)
Uganda Azira (COL)
Ghana Koffie (NE)
Uruguay Fagundez (NE)
United States Altidore (TOR)
Mexico Dos Santos (LA)

End-of-season awards

Award Player/Club
Most Valuable Player David Villa[131]
Defender of the Year Matt Hedges[132]
Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake[133]
Coach of the Year Óscar Pareja[134]
Rookie of the Year Jordan Morris[135]
Newcomer of the Year Nicolás Lodeiro[136]
Comeback Player of the Year Chris Pontius[137]
Golden Boot Bradley Wright-Phillips[138]
Fair Play Player Award Keegan Rosenberry[139]
Fair Play Team Award Columbus Crew SC[139]
Humanitarian of the Year Matt Lampson[140]
Referee of the Year Alan Kelly[141]
Assistant Referee of the Year Frank Anderson[141]
Goal of the Year Shkëlzen Gashi[142]
Save of the Year Joe Bendik[143]

MLS Best XI

Year Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
2016 Jamaica Andre Blake, Philadelphia Sweden Axel Sjöberg, Colorado
United States Matt Hedges, Dallas
Belgium Jelle Van Damme, LA Galaxy
Argentina Mauro Díaz, Dallas
Mexico Giovani dos Santos, LA Galaxy
United States Sacha Kljestan, Red Bulls
Argentina Ignacio Piatti, Montreal
Italy Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto
England Bradley Wright-Phillips, Red Bulls
Spain David Villa, New York City

Source:[144]

Player transfers

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Allocation ranking

The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a player who is in the MLS allocation list. The MLS allocation list contains select U.S. National Team players and players transferred outside of MLS garnering a transfer fee of at least $500,000. The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2015 season, taking playoff performance into account.[145]

Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS season.

Original
Ranking
Current
Ranking
Club Date Allocation Used
(Rank on that date)
Player Signed Previous Club Ref
1 1 Chicago Fire[A][B] [146][147]
4 2 New York City FC
5 3 Real Salt Lake
6 4 Houston Dynamo
7 5 Orlando City SC
8 6 San Jose Earthquakes
9 7 Toronto FC
10 8 New England Revolution
11 9 Sporting Kansas City
12 10 LA Galaxy
13 11 D.C. United
14 12 Montreal Impact
15 13 Seattle Sounders FC
16 14 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
17 15 FC Dallas
18 16 New York Red Bulls
19 17 Columbus Crew SC
20 18 Portland Timbers
2 19 Colorado Rapids[A] March 20, 2016 (1) United States Tim Howard England Everton [146]
3 20 Philadelphia Union[B] August 3, 2016 (1) United States Alejandro Bedoya France Nantes [147]
  1. ^ On January 14, 2016, Colorado Rapids acquired the number 1 allocation ranking (original ranking number 1), a first-round selection (15th overall) in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, and a second-round selection (33rd overall) in the 2016 SuperDraft from Chicago Fire in exchange for the number 2 allocation ranking (original ranking number 2), a first-round selection (12th overall) in the 2016 SuperDraft, and a second-round selection (22nd overall) in the 2016 SuperDraft.
  2. ^ On August 3, 2016, Philadelphia Union acquired the number 1 allocation ranking (original ranking number 2) from Chicago Fire in exchange for the number 2 allocation ranking (original ranking number 3), a first-round selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, and the Discovery Priority on a player to be named later.

Television

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United States

In the 2016 MLS season, 96 games aired in the United States on national television. English-language broadcasts once again included Soccer Sunday doubleheaders — 29 games on ESPN and 5 on ESPN2 (mainly on Sunday afternoons), 4 on Fox, and 30 on Fox Sports 1 (mainly on Sunday evenings). The 2016 season marked MLS's debut on the Fox network channel.[148] Spanish-language broadcasts included 28 games on UniMás (mainly on Friday evenings).[148]

U.S. TV viewership ('000)
Wkd Date(s) ESPN FS1 UDN Ref Notes
1 March 6 362 267 148 [149] The UDN match aired from 10:00 pm to 12:08 am, outside its usual window.
2 March 11–13 197 175 84 [150]
3 March 18–20 179 184 98 [151] MLS matches went head-to-head against the NCAA basketball tournament.
4 March 25–27 No Games on TV (international window).
5 April 1–3 261 185 No Games on ESPN (MLB opening day).
6 April 8–10 386 183
270
192 Two Games on FS1, 183k NYCFC-CHI, 270k LAG-POR
7 April 15–17 229 138 109 [152][153]
8 April 22–24 180 176 [154] No Games on Unimas.
9 April 29–May 1 302 199 51 [155][156]
10 May 6–8 225 199 93 [157]
May 20–22 463 636*
210
190 [158] *New York derby was broadcast on FOX instead of FS1.
July 1–3 439 136 [159]
July 8–10 223 171 84 [160]
July 15–17 322 118 [161]
AVG 2016 262.1 205.8 120 2016 Average

Notes:

  • All viewership numbers are in thousands.
  • Average viewership for the previous 2015 season was 245,000 (ESPN2), 197,000 (FS1), and 244,000 (Univ).

Other countries

TSN, RDS and Sportsnet aired matches in Canada of primarily the three Canadian-based teams.

MLS aired on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, Eurosport in Continental Europe, Abu Dhabi Media in the Middle East and North Africa, Letv Sports in China, beIN Sports in Asia-Pacific, ESPN and Fox Sports in Latin America, SporTV in Brazil and Fox Sports in Africa.

2016 attendances

The following is a list of the average attendance for each of the twenty MLS teams at their regular-season games. It includes the team, the average attendance for the 2016 regular season and the 2015 regular season, the percentage change in attendance from season-to-season, the home venue, the home venue's capacity, and the percent of capacity.[162]

Team 2016
Attendance
2015
Attendance
Change Stadium Capacity
(Unrestricted)
Percent
(2016)
Seattle Sounders FC 42,636 44,247 -4% CenturyLink Field 39,115
(69,000)
109%
(62%)
Orlando City SC 31,324 32,847 -5% Camping World Stadium 19,500
(65,000)
161%
(48%)
New York City FC 27,196 29,016 -6% Yankee Stadium 27,470
(49,638)
99%
(55%)
Toronto FC 26,583 23,451 +13% BMO Field 30,226 88%
LA Galaxy 25,138 23,392 +7% StubHub Center 27,167 93%
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 22,330 20,507 +9% BC Place 22,120
(54,500)
101%
(41%)
Portland Timbers 21,144 21,144 0% Providence Park 21,144 100%
Montreal Impact 20,669 17,750 +16% Saputo Stadium 20,801 99%
New York Red Bulls 20,620 19,657 +5% Red Bull Arena 25,219 82%
New England Revolution 20,185 19,627 +3% Gillette Stadium 20,000
(66,829)
101%
(30%)
San Jose Earthquakes 19,930 20,979 -5% Avaya Stadium 18,000 111%
Real Salt Lake 19,759 20,160 -2% Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213 98%
Sporting Kansas City 19,597 19,687 -0.5% Children's Mercy Park 18,467 106%
Houston Dynamo 19,021 20,658 -8% BBVA Compass Stadium 22,039 86%
Philadelphia Union 17,519 17,451 0% PPL Park 18,500 95%
Columbus Crew SC 17,125 16,513 +4% Mapfre Stadium 20,145 85%
D.C. United 17,081 16,244 +5% RFK Stadium 20,000
(45,596)
85%
(37%)
Colorado Rapids 16,278 15,657 +4% Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061 90%
Chicago Fire 15,602 16,003 -3% Toyota Park 20,000 78%
FC Dallas 14,094 16,015 -12% Toyota Stadium 20,500 67%

Note: Vancouver's and Seattle's attendances are both over 100% capacity because, for select games, they open up additional sections above the regular limited capacity. Orlando's and New England's attendances are over 100% because their capacities are artificial; both teams regularly sell more tickets than the limit. San Jose's attendance is over 100% capacity because they played one game at Levi's Stadium (68,000 capacity).

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

See also

References

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  91. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  92. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  93. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  94. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  96. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  97. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  98. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  99. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  100. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  101. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  102. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  103. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  104. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  105. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  106. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  107. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  108. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  109. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  110. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  111. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  112. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  113. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  114. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  115. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  116. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  117. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  118. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  119. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  120. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  121. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  122. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  123. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  124. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  125. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  126. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  127. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  128. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  129. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  130. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  131. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  132. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  133. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  135. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  137. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  138. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  139. 139.0 139.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  140. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  141. 141.0 141.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  142. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  143. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  144. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  145. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  146. 146.0 146.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  147. 147.0 147.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  148. 148.0 148.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  149. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  150. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  151. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  152. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  153. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  154. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  155. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  156. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  157. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  158. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  159. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  160. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  161. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  162. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/09/06/mls-announces-broadcast-schedule-format-audi-2016-mls-cup-playoffs Archived October 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

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