The Most Successful MLS Teams
Victor Araiza, CC BY 2.0 <>, Wikimedia Commons
Major League Soccer has been the premier U.S. soccer division since being founded in 1993, attracting huge names including Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Kaká, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. With the competition continuing to expand, with franchises being added to the division on a regular basis, we ask, who are the most successful MLS teams?
In this article, we discuss the top MLS teams in terms of trophy wins. We look at which teams have won the highest number of titles, as well as the sides that have the highest trophies per season figure. Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents
The Most Successful MLS Teams in History
Based on the number of titles won, the most successful MLS teams in history are as follows:
- D.C. United (13 trophies)
- LA Galaxy (12 trophies)
- Toronto FC (10 trophies)
- Seattle Sounders FC (8 trophies)
- Columbus Crew (7 trophies)
How Many Trophies Can MLS Teams Win?
In a single MLS campaign, most teams compete for four different trophies, these are – Supporters Shield, MLS Cup, US Open Cup/Canadian Championship, and CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Supporters Shield
The Supporters Shield is awarded to the Major League Soccer team with the best record in the regular season. L.A. Galaxy currently hold the record for winning the Supports Shield, having won 4 of them (1998, 2002, 2010 and 2011).
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is awarded to the winner of the MLS Cup final, which is a fixture comprising the Eastern Conference Playoff winner and the Western Conference Playoff winner. The MLS Cup is considered the title of league champion.
U.S. Open Cup/Canadian Championship
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament, and is the oldest soccer tournament in the country. The cup not only includes MLS sides but teams from the other leagues in the U.S. Soccer pyramid. These include the United Soccer League’s Championship and League One divisions, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), and MLS Next Pro.
Throughout the cup’s history, MLS sides have dominated, and the last lower division team to have won the cup was the Rochester Rhinos in 1999. Furthermore, the last lower division team to reach the final was Sacramento Republic FC in 2022.
It’s worth noting that any Canadian sides will compete in the Canadian Championship instead of the U.S. Open Cup. Currently, MLS has three Canadian sides – Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and CF Montréal.
CONCACAF Champions Cup
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is a cup competition whereby teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean compete. The winner of this competition will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup. From 2008 to 2023, the competition was referred to as the CONCACAF Champions League.
To date, only three MLS sides have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup – LA Galaxy, D.C. United and Seattle Sounders, with Seattle winning the competition as recent as 2022.
Has Any MLS Team Won All Four Trophies?
As of 2023, three MLS sides have won all four of the main trophies and these are LA Galaxy, D.C. United and Seattle Sounders FC.
The Most Successful MLS Teams in History
We’re going to assess the most successful MLS teams based on two criteria – by the number of total trophies and trophies per season. In each case, we’re going to share the top 5 teams in terms of those metrics.
By Total Trophies
Initially, we’re going to look at the top MLS teams based on the number of trophies that they’ve won.
| Rank | Team | Number of Trophies |
| 1 | D.C. United | 13 |
| 2 | LA Galaxy | 12 |
| 3 | Toronto FC | 10* |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 8 |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 7 |
*8 of Toronto FC’s trophies have been Canadian Championships
1. D.C. United
The MLS team that has won the most trophies since the league’s introduction is D.C. United. The Washington-based side have won the following 13 trophies:
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Cup | 4 | 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004 |
| Supporters’ Shield | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 3 | 1996, 2008, 2013 |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup | 1 | 1998 |
| Copa Interamericana | 1 | 1998 |
2. LA Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy comes out second in the rankings for most successful MLS teams based on total trophies, having won 12 titles. Their most recent title win came in 2014, which means they were incredibly successful before that time, but are now experiencing a dry spell. They have, however, won just one less title than leaders D.C. United:
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Cup | 5 | 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014 |
| Supporters’ Shield | 4 | 1998, 2002, 2010, 2011 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 2 | 2001, 2005 |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup | 1 | 2000 |
3. Toronto FC
Having won 10 titles, Toronto FC are third in the rankings of successful MLS sides based on total trophies. It is worth noting that 8 of these titles have been Canadian Championships, where only 14 sides compete for the competition, making it technically an easier title to win.
Some might say that it’s not fair to include Toronto FC in the list of the most successful MLS teams, because 80% of their trophies have been won in an “easier” competition.
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Cup | 1 | 2017 |
| Supporters’ Shield | 1 | 2017 |
| Canadian Championship | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 |
4. Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounds have won the fourth most trophies in MLS history, winning 8 titles. The competition they’ve won the most is the U.S. Open Cup, winning it on 4 occasions. Their last title win came as recent as 2022, though, winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup. They were in fact the first MLS side to ever win this competition, so it was certainly a significant title win.
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Cup | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
| Supporters’ Shield | 1 | 2014 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 4 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup | 1 | 2022 |
5. Columbus Crew
| Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Cup | 2 | 2008, 2020 |
| Supporters’ Shield | 3 | 2004, 2008, 2009 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 1 | 2002 |
| Campeones Cup | 1 | 2021 |
The fifth most successful MLS team based on total title wins is Columbus Crew, winning 7 titles since their founding in 1994. Their most successful competition is the Supporters’ Shield, having one three of those titles and their last title win came in 2021, winning the Campeones Cup.
The Campeones Cup is decided by a match played between the winners of the previous MLS Cup and the winners of the Campeón de Campeones from Liga MX. Columbus Crew beat Mexican side Cruz Azul 2-0 to take the title.
By Trophies per Season
Now let’s assess who are the most successful MLS franchises based on their trophies per season figure. This can help potentially identify some future trends, indicating which franchises might go on to win the highest number of trophies.
| Rank | Team | No. of Seasons | No. of Trophies | Trophies per Season |
| 1 | Los Angeles FC | 5 | 3 | 0.60 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 14 | 8 | 0.57 |
| 3 | Toronto FC | 16 | 10 | 0.56* |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 6 | 3 | 0.50 |
| 5 | D.C. United | 27 | 13 | 0.48 |
*8 of Toronto FC’s trophies have been Canadian Championships
1. Los Angeles FC
The MLS franchise with the highest trophies per season figure is Los Angeles FC. A newly formed franchise, becoming the second MLS team from Los Angeles behind LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC have won 3 trophies in just 5 seasons with a rate of 0.60 trophies per season.
This initial success could be a great indicator for how Los Angeles FC will perform in the future. They’re certainly a franchise to keep our eye on.
2. Seattle Sounders FC
The second-most successful MLS team based on trophies per season is the Seattle Sounders. Having won the fourth-most total trophies, they’ve won 0.57 trophies per season, having won 8 trophies in 14 seasons.
3. Toronto FC
The most successful Canadian franchise, Toronto FC, are also the third most successful MLS team based on their trophies per season figure. Having won 10 trophies in 16 season, they have a trophies per season rate of 0.56, narrowly putting them third in the rankings behind Seattle Sounders.
4. Atlanta United FC
Another fairly new franchise on our list is Atlanta United FC. Having won 3 trophies in 6 seasons, they’ve won 0.50 trophies per season already, indicating that they could potentially enjoy a long, successful streak in America’s soccer top flight. Some key players to have played for the club are Miguel Almirón and goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
5. D.C. United
The franchise with the most trophy wins, D.C. United, are also one of the longest-standing franchises in the competition. Having played 27 seasons, the club have won 13 trophies at a rate of 0.48 titles per season. This is highly impressive for a side that has played in so many years of the competition.
Future Successful MLS Teams
Because the MLS is still in its infancy stage and more and more franchises are vying to join the competition each season, there could be a whole host of emerging successful MLS teams in the future, similar to Los Angeles FC and Atlanta United.
Take for example a club like Inter Miami, who have been in the division less than 5 years, but are signing elite level players including Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. They could easily build on this progress and start winning a lot of competitions in America.
It’s also worth noting that the club with the 2nd highest number of trophies, LA Galaxy, hasn’t won a trophy since 2014 when they won the MLS Cup. This demonstrates that successful MLS teams can demise over time, so it’s highly likely that more successful sides start to present themselves in the near future.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Team Has Won the Most MLS Titles?
The franchise that has won the most MLS Cups is LA Galaxy, with 5 titles. They won the competition in the following years:
– 2002
– 2005
– 2011
– 2012
– 2014
