List of MLS Cup finals


The MLS Cup is the annual championship match of Major League Soccer, 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. 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. 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.
First contested in 1996, the MLS Cup was originally hosted by a predetermined neutral site selected by the league before the regular season. Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the remaining team with the highest regular season standing. 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. 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.
Seattle Sounders FC are the reigning cup-holders, having defeated Toronto FC in the 2019 final, the third edition in four years to feature the two teams. The Los Angeles Galaxy hold the record for most MLS Cup titles, having won five times in nine appearances. 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. 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.
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. 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; since 2015, ESPN and Fox have held rights to alternating editions of the cup. The 2019 cup, originally slated to be broadcast on ESPN, was moved to ABC.

Finals

SeasonDateWinnerScoreRunners–upVenueAttendanceU.S. broadcaster
D.C. United * †3–2
Los Angeles GalaxyFoxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts34,643ABC
D.C. United 2–1Colorado RapidsRFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.57,431ABC
Chicago Fire *2–0D.C. UnitedRose Bowl, Pasadena, California51,350ABC
D.C. United 2–0Los Angeles GalaxyFoxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts44,910ABC
Kansas City Wizards 1–0Chicago Fire *RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.39,159ABC
San Jose Earthquakes †2–1
Los Angeles GalaxyCrew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio21,626ABC
Los Angeles Galaxy †1–0
New England RevolutionGillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts61,316ABC
San Jose Earthquakes4–2Chicago Fire *Home Depot Center, Carson, California27,000ABC
D.C. United3–2Kansas City Wizards *Home Depot Center, Carson, California25,797ABC
Los Angeles Galaxy * †1–0 New England RevolutionPizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas21,193ABC
Houston Dynamo †1–1
New England RevolutionPizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas22,427ABC
Houston Dynamo2–1New England Revolution *RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.39,859ABC
Columbus Crew 3–1New York Red BullsHome Depot Center, Carson, California27,000ABC
Real Salt Lake †1–1
Los Angeles GalaxyQwest Field, Seattle, Washington46,011ESPN
Colorado Rapids †2–1 FC DallasBMO Field, Toronto, Ontario21,700ESPN
Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0Houston DynamoHome Depot Center, Carson, California30,281ESPN
Los Angeles Galaxy3–1Houston DynamoHome Depot Center, Carson, California30,510ESPN
Sporting Kansas City †1–1
Real Salt LakeSporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas21,650ESPN
Los Angeles Galaxy †2–1 New England RevolutionStubHub Center, Carson, California27,000ESPN
Portland Timbers2–1Columbus Crew SCMAPFRE Stadium, Columbus, Ohio21,747ESPN
Seattle Sounders FC †0–0
Toronto FC *BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario36,045Fox
Toronto FC *2–0Seattle Sounders FCBMO Field, Toronto, Ontario30,584ESPN
Atlanta United FC2–0Portland TimbersMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia73,019Fox
Seattle Sounders FC3–1Toronto FCCenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington69,274ABC

Results by team

, 16 of the league's 24 teams have appeared at an MLS Cup final, and thirteen have won a championship. The Los Angeles 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. The Chicago Fire won the MLS Cup in their inaugural season in 1998, a feat unmatched by any other expansion team in a major U.S. sports league.
TeamTotal
appearances		WinsMost recent winRunners-upMost recent loss
Los Angeles Galaxy95201442009
D.C. United54200411998
New England Revolution5052014
Houston Dynamo42200722012
Sporting Kansas City32201312004
Seattle Sounders FC32201912017
Chicago Fire31199822003
Toronto FC31201722019
San Jose Earthquakes2220030
Colorado Rapids21201011997
Columbus Crew SC21200812015
Real Salt Lake21200912013
Portland Timbers21201512018
Atlanta United FC1120180
FC Dallas1012010
New York Red Bulls1012008

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. Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the finalist with the highest regular season standing. 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. 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.
The MLS Cup has been hosted in eleven stadiums across nine metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. 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. The largest attendance for an MLS Cup final was the 2018 edition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with 73,019 spectators; the smallest was in 2005 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, with only 21,193 spectators. Only three editions have been hosted outside the United States, all at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada.
StadiumHostsYears
StubHub Center, Carson, California62003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.31997, 2000, 2007
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario32010, 2016, 2017
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts21996, 1999
MAPFRE Stadium, Columbus, Ohio22001, 2015
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas22005, 2006
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington22009, 2019
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California11998
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts12002
Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas12013
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia12018