Top 10 Most Successful MLS Teams Ever
Major League Soccer (MLS) is professional football league conducted by U.S Soccer.The league comprises 22 teams—19 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games.In the MLS there are two major silverware are there to compete for.They are ‘The Supporters’ Shield’ which is equivalent to the league titles in European leagues and MLS Cup.Today we will have a look at some of the most successful MLS teams ever based on the number of trophies they have won.US Open Cup(eligible only for clubs from USA) and Canadian Championship(eligible only for Canadian teams)are not taken into account.
Here are the Top 10 Most Successful MLS teams ever –
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10.FC Dallas (1 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
Dallas plays its home games at their 20,295-capacity Toyota Stadium, where they have played since 2005. In the club’s early years, Dallas played their home games in the Cotton Bowl.
FC Dallas in 2016 won their first Supporters’ Shield. In 2010 they were runners-up in the MLS Cup, losing to the Colorado Rapids.
9.New York Red Bulls (2 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
New York Red Bulls is one of two MLS franchises representing New York, along with New York City FC.The club was founded in 1995 as ”New York/New Jersey MetroStars”.Their home ground is Red Bull Arena.
The Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield in 2013 and 2015. The team’s prior best result in an MLS season was reaching the MLS Cup final in 2008.
8.Houston Dynamo (2 MLS Cup)
The Dynamo was established on December 15, 2005 when the then owner of the San Jose Earthquakes, Anschutz Entertainment Group, announced that the team was relocating to Houston, Texas after failed attempts in securing a soccer specific stadium in San Jose. The club would then be an expansion team of the league, which began play in 2006.Since 2012, the Dynamo has played home matches at BBVA Compass Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in Houston.
Houston Dynamo’s domestic success consists of winning the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups being in their first two seasons.
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7.Chicago Fire (1 MLS Cup ,1 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
Chicago fire was established in 1997.The team began play in 1998 as one of the league’s first expansion teams. The Fire won the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup (the “double”) on their first season. They have also won the 2003 MLS Supporters’ Shield.
They play their home games at Toyota Park.
6.Seattle Sounders (1 MLS Cup ,1 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
Seattle Sounders was established on November 13, 2007, and began play in 2009 as an MLS expansion team. The Sounders are the third Seattle soccer club to share the Sounders name being part of a legacy which traces back to the original team of the NASL in 1974.
The Sounders won the Supporters’ Shield 2014. In 2016, Seattle won their first MLS Cup. The Sounders have competed in the CONCACAF Champions League four times, but have not advanced further than the semifinal round.
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5.Sporting Kansas City (2 MLS Cup ,1 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
Sporting Kansas City began play in 1996 as a charter team in the league, then known as the Kansas City Wiz. The team was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1995. Since moving across the state line, they have been the only major professional sports league franchise to play their home games in Kansas.
For the majority of their existence, the franchise were known as the Kansas City Wizards. The team rebranded in November 2010, coinciding with its move to their home stadium, now known as Children’s Mercy Park. The franchise has won the MLS Cup twice (2000, 2013), the Supporters’ Shield in 2000.
4.Columbus Crew (1 MLS Cup ,3 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
The franchise was founded in 1994 and originally known as the Columbus Crew, until late 2014, when the club revealed a new logo and the addition of “SC” to its moniker. The “SC” in the team moniker stands for “Soccer Club”, but the team name is officially “Columbus Crew SC”.
The Crew has won four major trophies, MLS Cup in 2008 and the Supporters’ Shields in 2004,2008 and 2009.
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3.San Jose Earthquakes (2 MLS Cup ,2 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
San Jose Earthquakes began play in 1996 as the San Jose Clash, as one of the charter clubs of the league. The Earthquakes took part in the first game in MLS history, defeating D.C. United 1–0.The Earthquakes have won two MLS Cup titles, in 2001 and 2003, and two Supporters’ Shields in 2005 and 2012.
The team holds a fierce rivalry with the LA Galaxy known as the California Clásico.
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2.D.C United (4 MLS Cup ,4 MLS Supporters’ Shield,1 CONCACAF Champions League)
United holds the joint MLS record for most Supporters’ Shields(4) and also has four MLS Cups.It is also the first club to win both the MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup consecutively.
On the international stage, D.C. United has competed in both the CONCACAF Champions League and its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. The club won the 1998 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, making them one of only two MLS teams to ever win a CONCACAF tournament.Subsequently, United won the now-defunct Copa Interamericana in 1998 against Vasco da Gama of Brazil.This is the only intercontinental title won by an MLS club.
The team’s home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the Anacostia River.The club’s official nickname is the “Black-and-Red” and home uniforms are black and white with accents of red.
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1.L.A Galaxy (5 MLS Cup ,4 MLS Supporters’ Shield and 1 CONCACAF Champions League)
The Galaxy was founded in 1994. In their early years, the club played their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Since 2003, they have played at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The team holds a fierce rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clásico, and used to play the SuperClasico against city rivals Chivas USA before they folded in 2014.
L.A. Galaxy is one of the league’s most-decorated clubs, having won the MLS Cup on five occasions—more than any other club—the Supporters’ Shield four times,and the old CONCACAF Champions’ Cup in 2000.
L.A Galaxy have made many high profile-signings in the past,In 2007, the club made international headlines when they had signed English soccer player David Beckham from Real Madrid, which was the highest-profile signing in league history, who played for LA from 2007-2012. Other notable players include:Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Ashley Cole etc
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