List of MLS Cup finals
The MLS Cup is the annual championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-level men's soccer league for the United States and Canada. The match marks the conclusion of the MLS Cup Playoffs, a four-round knockout competition contested by the top six teams from each of the league's two conferences.[1] The playoffs tournament is organized by the league at the end of the regular season in a format similar to other professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, but unlike other soccer leagues.[2] The league also awards the Supporters' Shield to teams that have the most points during the regular season. Both the MLS Cup champion and Supporters' Shield winner qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, contested by the champions of CONCACAF leagues in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.[3]
First contested in 1996, the MLS Cup was originally hosted by a predetermined neutral site selected by the league before the regular season.[4] Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the remaining team with the highest regular season standing.[4] The final, originally contested in October, was moved to November and later December as the length of the regular season and playoffs were extended by the league.[5] The playoffs originally allowed for lower-ranked seeds, known as wild cards, to be placed into different sides of the bracket regardless of their actual conference. As a result, several MLS Cups have featured two teams from the same conference.[6]
New York City FC are the reigning cup-holders, having defeated the Portland Timbers in the 2021 final for their first title.[7] The Los Angeles Galaxy hold the record for most MLS Cup titles, having won five times in nine appearances.[8] The championship has been won by the same team in two or more consecutive years on three occasions, and the match has featured consecutive sets of finalists on three occasions.[9] Eight teams have also won "the double", claiming the MLS Cup and either the Supporters' Shield, the U.S. Open Cup, or the Canadian Championship during the same season; only Toronto FC has won a treble, having achieved it in 2017.[10][11]
The highest recorded attendance for the MLS Cup was set in the 2018 final, with 73,019 spectators at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] From 1996 to 2008, the MLS Cup was broadcast in the United States on terrestrial network ABC. It was moved to sister channel ESPN for the following seven editions;[13] since 2015, ESPN and Fox have held rights to alternating editions of the cup.[14] The 2019 cup, originally slated to be broadcast on ESPN, was moved to ABC.[13]
Finals
Match went to extra time | |
Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after extra time | |
§ | Team also won the Supporters' Shield |
* | Team also won a national cup competition (the U.S. Open Cup or the Canadian Championship) |
Italics | Team won both a Supporters' Shield and a national cup competition |
Results by team
As of 2021[update], 17 of the league's 27 teams have appeared at an MLS Cup final, and fourteen have won a championship.[21] The LA Galaxy has appeared at and won the MLS Cup the most times, with five championships in nine appearances. The New England Revolution has appeared five times as a finalist, but has not won an MLS Cup.[22] The Chicago Fire won the MLS Cup in their inaugural season in 1998, a feat previously performed by the Philadelphia Atoms in the predecessor of the MLS, NASL, in 1973.[21]
Team | Total appearances |
Wins | Most recent win | Runners-up | Most recent loss |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
LA Galaxy | 9 | 5 | 2014 | 4 | 2009 |
D.C. United | 5 | 4 | 2004 | 1 | 1998 |
New England Revolution | 5 | 0 | &
—
|
5 | 2014 |
Houston Dynamo FC | 4 | 2 | 2007 | 2 | 2012 |
Seattle Sounders FC | 4 | 2 | 2019 | 2 | 2020 |
Columbus Crew SC | 3 | 2 | 2020 | 1 | 2015 |
Sporting Kansas City | 3 | 2 | 2013 | 1 | 2004 |
Chicago Fire FC | 3 | 1 | 1998 | 2 | 2003 |
Toronto FC | 3 | 1 | 2017 | 2 | 2019 |
Portland Timbers | 3 | 1 | 2015 | 2 | 2021 |
San Jose Earthquakes | 2 | 2 | 2003 | 0 | &
—
|
Colorado Rapids | 2 | 1 | 2010 | 1 | 1997 |
Real Salt Lake | 2 | 1 | 2009 | 1 | 2013 |
Atlanta United FC | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 0 | &
—
|
New York City FC | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 0 | &
—
|
FC Dallas | 1 | 0 | &
—
|
1 | 2010 |
New York Red Bulls | 1 | 0 | &
—
|
1 | 2008 |
Stadiums
From 1996 to 2011, the MLS Cup was hosted by a neutral site selected before the start of the season in a manner similar to the National Football League's Super Bowl championship. Three teams advanced to the final after being named as hosts: D.C. United in 1997, the New England Revolution in 2002, and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011.[23][24] Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the finalist with the highest regular season standing.[4] Several teams with smaller or inadequate stadiums have also considered using larger American football stadiums to host the MLS Cup, but all post-2012 editions have been played at regular MLS venues.[25] The move towards a non-neutral venue was deemed a risk due to the cold November and December weather in some northern cities, as well as the lack of adequate stadiums for some teams.[26]
The MLS Cup has been hosted in twelve stadiums across ten metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada.[27] Dignity Health Sports Park, previously named the Home Depot Center and StubHub Center, in Carson, California, has hosted the MLS Cup the most times of any venue, with six editions between 2003 and 2014.[28] The largest attendance for an MLS Cup final was the 2018 edition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with 73,019 spectators;[12] the smallest was in 2020 at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, with only 1,500 spectators allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29][30] Only three editions have been hosted outside the United States, all at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada.[17]
Stadium[upper-alpha 3] | Hosts | Years |
---|---|---|
StubHub Center, Carson, California | 6 | 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. | 3 | 1997, 2000, 2007 |
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario | 3 | 2010, 2016, 2017 |
Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio | 3 | 2001, 2015, 2020 |
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts | 2 | 1996, 1999 |
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas | 2 | 2005, 2006 |
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington | 2 | 2009, 2019 |
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California | 1 | 1998 |
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts | 1 | 2002 |
Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas | 1 | 2013 |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 2018 |
Providence Park, Portland, Oregon | 1 | 2021 |
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 This final was decided by a golden goal in extra time.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The 2020 final was originally scheduled for November 7, but was delayed to December 12 and played in front a limited-capacity crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]
- ↑ Stadiums are listed by their official name at the time of their most recent final.
References
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External links
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