List of MLS Cup finals

Last updated

Sporting Kansas City, winners of MLS Cup 2013, are hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House. Obama with 2013 MLS Cup winner Sporting Kansas City team October 2014.jpg
Sporting Kansas City, winners of MLS Cup 2013, are hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House.

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 five-round knockout competition contested by the top nine teams from each of the league's two conferences. [1] [2] The playoffs tournament is organized by the league at the end of the regular season in a format which is similar to other professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, but unlike most soccer leagues. [3] 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. [4] The MLS Cup champion also qualifies for the Campeones Cup, a friendly held since 2018 against the winners of the Mexican Campeón de Campeones from Liga MX. [5]

Contents

First contested in 1996, the MLS Cup was originally hosted by a predetermined neutral site selected by the league before the regular season. [6] Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the remaining team with the highest regular season standing. [6] 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. [7] 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. [8]

The Columbus Crew are the reigning cup-holders, having defeated Los Angeles FC in the 2023 final for their third title. [9] The LA Galaxy hold the record for most MLS Cup titles, having won five times in nine appearances. [10] 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. [11] Four finals have featured two teams participating as finalists for the first time. [12] Nine 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. [13] [14] Landon Donovan has played in seven MLS Cup finals and totaled 726 minutes—both competition records. [15]

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. [16] From 1996 to 2008, the English broadcast of the MLS Cup was carried in the United States on terrestrial network ABC; it was moved to sister channel ESPN for the following seven editions. [17] From 2015 to 2022, ESPN and Fox held rights to alternating editions of the cup; [18] the 2019 cup, originally slated to be broadcast on ESPN, was moved to ABC. [17] The Spanish language rights for the MLS Cup in the U.S. were awarded to Univision in 2007 and the match was aired on their various networks until 2023. [19] [20] The U.S. linear television rights beginning in 2023 are held by Fox in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish; the MLS Cup final will air on those channels as well as Apple TV+'s MLS Season Pass streaming service worldwide. [21] In Canada, the MLS Cup has been broadcast in English by TSN since 2011 and in French by TVA Sports since 2017. [22] The largest television audience for an MLS Cup broadcast was the 2016 final, which drew 3.5 million viewers in the United States and Canada. [23] [24]

Finals

Key
Match went to extra time
Match decided by a penalty shootout 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)
ItalicsTeam won both a Supporters' Shield and a national cup competition
MLS Cup finals [25]
SeasonDateWinnersScore [26] Runners–upVenueAttendance [27] U.S. TV broadcasters [24] U.S. TV viewership [24]
1996 October 20 D.C. United  * 3–2
[upper-alpha 1]
Los Angeles Galaxy Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts34,643 ABC 2.11 million
1997 October 26 D.C. United  § 2–1 Colorado Rapids RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.57,431ABC2.22 million
1998 October 25 Chicago Fire  * 2–0 D.C. United Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California51,350ABC1.12 million
1999 November 21 D.C. United  § 2–0 Los Angeles Galaxy Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts44,910ABC1.16 million
2000 October 15 Kansas City Wizards  § 1–0 Chicago Fire  * RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.39,159ABC867,000
2001 October 21 San Jose Earthquakes 2–1
[upper-alpha 1]
Los Angeles Galaxy Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio21,626ABC1.50 million
2002 October 20 Los Angeles Galaxy  § 1–0
[upper-alpha 1]
New England Revolution Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts61,316ABC1.17 million
2003 November 23 San Jose Earthquakes 4–2 Chicago Fire  § * Home Depot Center, Carson, California27,000ABC876,000
2004 November 14 D.C. United 3–2 Kansas City Wizards  * Home Depot Center, Carson, California25,797ABC1.06 million
2005 November 13 Los Angeles Galaxy  * 1–0 New England Revolution Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas21,193ABC1.14 million
2006 November 12 Houston Dynamo 1–1
(4–3 p)
New England Revolution Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas22,427ABC1.25 million
2007 November 18 Houston Dynamo 2–1 New England Revolution  * RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.39,859ABC, TeleFutura 1.45 million
2008 November 23 Columbus Crew  § 3–1 New York Red Bulls Home Depot Center, Carson, California27,000ABC, TeleFutura1.23 million
2009 November 22 Real Salt Lake 1–1
(5–4 p)
LA Galaxy Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington46,011 ESPN, Galavisión 1.63 million
2010 November 21 Colorado Rapids 2–1 FC Dallas BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario21,700ESPN, Galavisión980,000
2011 November 20 LA Galaxy  § 1–0 Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center, Carson, California30,281ESPN, Galavisión1.35 million
2012 December 1 LA Galaxy 3–1 Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center, Carson, California30,510ESPN, TeleFutura1.28 million
2013 December 7 Sporting Kansas City 1–1
(7–6 p)
Real Salt Lake Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas21,650ESPN, UniMás1.02 million
2014 December 7 LA Galaxy 2–1 New England Revolution StubHub Center, Carson, California27,000ESPN, UniMás1.64 million
2015 December 6 Portland Timbers 2–1 Columbus Crew SC Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio21,747ESPN, UniMás1.17 million
2016 December 10 Seattle Sounders FC 0–0
(5–4 p)
Toronto FC  * BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario36,045 Fox, UniMás2.01 million
2017 December 9 Toronto FC  § * 2–0 Seattle Sounders FC BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario30,584ESPN, UniMás1.12 million
2018 December 8 Atlanta United FC 2–0 Portland Timbers Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia73,019Fox, UniMás1.77 million
2019 November 10 Seattle Sounders FC 3–1 Toronto FC CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington69,274ABC, Univision1.27 million
2020 December 12 [upper-alpha 2] Columbus Crew SC 3–0 Seattle Sounders FC Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio1,500 [upper-alpha 2] Fox, UniMás1.57 million
2021 December 11 New York City FC 1–1
(4–2 p)
Portland Timbers Providence Park, Portland, Oregon25,218ABC, UniMás1.56 million
2022 November 5 Los Angeles FC  § 3–3
(3–0 p)
Philadelphia Union Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, California22,384Fox, Univision2.15 million
2023 December 9 Columbus Crew 2–1 Los Angeles FC Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio20,802 MLS Season Pass (Apple),
Fox, Fox Deportes
890,000 (TV only) [29]

Results by team

As of 2022, 19 of the 31 teams that have played in the league have appeared at an MLS Cup final, and 15 have won a championship. [30] [31] 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. [30] [32] The Chicago Fire won the MLS Cup in their inaugural season in 1998; the only previous professional American soccer team to win a league championship in their inaugural season was the Philadelphia Atoms in the 1973 NASL season. [31]

MLS Cup appearances by team [26] [30]
Team [upper-alpha 3] Total
appearances
WinsMost recent winRunners-upMost recent loss
LA Galaxy 95 2014 4 2009
D.C. United 54 2004 1 1998
New England Revolution 505 2014
Columbus Crew 43 2023 1 2015
Houston Dynamo FC 42 2007 2 2012
Seattle Sounders FC 42 2019 2 2020
Sporting Kansas City 32 2013 1 2004
Chicago Fire FC 31 1998 2 2003
Portland Timbers 31 2015 2 2021
Toronto FC 31 2017 2 2019
San Jose Earthquakes 22 2003 0
Real Salt Lake 21 2009 1 2013
Colorado Rapids 21 2010 1 1997
Los Angeles FC 21 2022 1 2023
Atlanta United FC 11 2018 0
New York City FC 11 2021 0
New York Red Bulls 101 2008
FC Dallas 101 2010
Philadelphia Union 101 2022

Stadiums

The StubHub Center, home of the LA Galaxy, has hosted six editions of the MLS Cup LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo- Western Conference Finals panorama.jpg
The StubHub Center, home of the LA Galaxy, has hosted six editions of the MLS Cup

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 LA Galaxy in 2011. [33] [34] Since the 2012 edition, the match has been hosted by the finalist with the highest regular season standing. [6] 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. [35] 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. [36]

The MLS Cup has been hosted in 14 stadiums across 10 metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. [37] 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. [38] The Los Angeles metropolitan area has hosted the MLS Cup eight times at three venues: the Rose Bowl, Dignity Health Sports Park, and Banc of California Stadium. [39] The largest attendance for an MLS Cup final was the 2018 edition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with 73,019 spectators; [16] the smallest was in 2020 at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, with only 1,500 spectators allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [40] [41] Three editions have been hosted outside the United States, all at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. [27] Since the move to non-neutral venues, 10 of 13 MLS Cups have been won by the host team. [42]

MLS Cup final venues [26] [37]
Stadium [upper-alpha 4] HostsYears
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
Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio32001, 2015, 2020
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts21996, 1999
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
Providence Park, Portland, Oregon12021
Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, California12022
Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio12023

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 This final was decided by a golden goal in extra time.
  2. 1 2 The 2020 final was originally scheduled for November 7, but was delayed to December 12 and played in front of a limited-capacity crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [28]
  3. Teams are listed by their official name at the time of their most recent final.
  4. Stadiums are listed by their official name at the time of their most recent final.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Soccer</span> Professional soccer league in the United States and Canada

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LA Galaxy</span> Soccer club in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Galaxy, more commonly known as the LA Galaxy, are an American professional men's soccer club based in Los Angeles. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play in 1996 as one of the league's 10 charter members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Crew</span> Soccer club in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The team is currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family and former team physician Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in club history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup</span> Annual soccer tournament

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 November or 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Timbers</span> Soccer club in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at Providence Park since 2011, when the team began play as an expansion team in the league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Soccer attendance</span> Attendance figures for Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada

Major League Soccer is the premier professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Competition began in 1996 and attendance has grown rapidly since the early 2000s, making it one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world. The average attendance of 22,111 in 2023 was a 60% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 10,900,804 in 2023 is almost five times that of 2,214,978 in 2002. Similar to Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, attendance is based on the number of tickets distributed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles FC</span> American professional soccer franchise

Los Angeles FC (LAFC) is an American professional soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the Western Conference. It was established on October 30, 2014, and began play during the 2018 season as an expansion team. The team plays its home matches at BMO Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in Exposition Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diego Rossi</span> Uruguayan footballer (born 1998)

Diego Martín Rossi Marachlian is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew and the Uruguay national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Tráfico</span> Soccer rivalry between the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC

El Tráfico, also known as the Los Angeles Derby, is a soccer rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in the Greater Los Angeles area, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. The rivalry is one of two crosstown derbies in MLS, alongside the Hudson River Derby in the New York City area, and replaced the SuperClasico between LA Galaxy and the now-defunct Chivas USA.

The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer, the main soccer league in the United States and Canada, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in July 2019 with four teams from both leagues participating. The first edition was a single-elimination tournament hosted in the United States with a final played in Whitney, Nevada, near Las Vegas, on September 18, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Major League Soccer season</span> 25th season of Major League Soccer

The 2020 Major League Soccer season was the 25th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The regular season began on February 29, 2020, and was originally planned to end on October 4. The MLS Cup Playoffs were planned to begin later that month and would end with MLS Cup 2020 on November 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2020</span> 2020 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2020 was the 25th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and was played at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match was originally set to take place on November 7, 2020, but was postponed to December 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the adjusted MLS season schedule. The match was contested by Columbus Crew SC and Seattle Sounders FC, the defending champions from MLS Cup 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Major League Soccer season</span> 26th season of Major League Soccer

The 2021 Major League Soccer season was the 26th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The 2021 season included the addition of Austin FC as an expansion club, which took the league to 27 teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Major League Soccer season</span> 27th season of Major League Soccer

The 2022 Major League Soccer season was the 27th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The league had 28 clubs following the addition of Charlotte FC as an expansion team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2022</span> 2022 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2022 was the 27th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) at the conclusion of the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. The soccer match took place on November 5, 2022, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was contested by hosts Los Angeles FC from the Western Conference and the Philadelphia Union of the Eastern Conference to determine the champion of the 2022 season. Both clubs finished the regular season atop their respective conference standings with the same number of points, but LAFC won the Supporters' Shield with the wins tiebreaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Major League Soccer season</span> 28th season of Major League Soccer

The 2023 Major League Soccer season was the 28th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and the 45th season overall of a national first-division league in the United States. The league expanded to 29 clubs following the addition of St. Louis City SC to the Western Conference, with Nashville SC moving back to the Eastern Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2023</span> 2023 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2023 was the 28th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), played on December 9, 2023, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The soccer match between hosts Columbus Crew of the Eastern Conference and defending champions Los Angeles FC of the Western Conference determined the champions of the 2023 season. It also marked the conclusion of the MLS Cup Playoffs, which was contested by the top eighteen teams based on their regular season records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Major League Soccer season</span> 29th season of Major League Soccer

The 2024 Major League Soccer season is the ongoing 29th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and the 46th season overall of a national first-division league in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2024 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will be the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It will be the 29th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2024 season. The playoffs will begin on October 22 and conclude with MLS Cup 2024 on December 7.

References

  1. Tannenwald, Jonathan (February 21, 2023). "MLS changes its playoff format again, now guaranteeing home games for more teams". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  2. "2023 MLS Competition Guidelines". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  3. Ruthven, Graham (November 5, 2015). "Could MLS-style play-offs work in Europe's top leagues?". The Guardian . Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  4. Goff, Steven (December 5, 2015). "MLS playoff format is an outlier in world soccer — and that's a good thing". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  5. Myers, Jacob (September 27, 2021). "A chance for a trophy and a consequential MLS game, Columbus Crew enter biggest week of season". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Dreier, Frederick (November 29, 2012). "Wild-card L.A. Galaxy favored in home-field MLS Cup". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  7. "MLS reveals 2012 schedule, including MLS Cup in December". MLSsoccer.com. January 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  8. Rodriguez, Alicia (October 21, 2015). "Audi MLS Cup Playoffs: Tracing the evolution of the postseason format since 1996". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. Mac Kay, Brianna (December 9, 2023). "Columbus Crew top LAFC to win franchise's third MLS Cup". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  10. Powers, John (December 8, 2014). "Galaxy defeat Revolution for record fifth MLS title". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  11. Milles, Todd (November 30, 2017). "Sounders stamp MLS Cup rematch ticket with Toronto". The News Tribune . Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  12. Baxter, Kevin (November 5, 2022). "LAFC defeats Philadelphia on penalty kicks to win MLS Cup title in thriller". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  13. Rodriguez, Alicia (December 9, 2017). "Toronto FC win first domestic treble in MLS history". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  14. Rodriguez, Alicia (November 5, 2022). "LAFC win MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield double". Angels on Parade. SB Nation. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  15. "LA Galaxy legend Landon Donovan wins MLS record sixth MLS Cup title". MLSsoccer.com. December 7, 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Reineking, Jim (December 8, 2018). "Atlanta United wins MLS Cup in just its second season". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  17. 1 2 Reedy, Joe (August 28, 2019). "MLS Cup returning to ABC for first time since 2008". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  18. Tannenwald, Jonathan (May 11, 2014). "MLS, U.S. Soccer officially announce new TV deal with ESPN, Fox, Univision". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  19. Stewart, Larry (February 7, 2007). "National TV to focus on Beckham and Galaxy". Los Angeles Times. p. D3. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  20. Kennedy, Paul (December 10, 2013). "MLS Cup viewers on UniMas surpass those on ESPN" . Soccer America . Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  21. "MLS on linear TV: FOX Sports, TelevisaUnivision, TSN & RDS reach multi-year deals". MLSsoccer.com. December 13, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  22. "Major League Soccer announces five-year deals with TSN, TVA Sports". The Globe and Mail . The Canadian Press. January 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  23. Stejskal, Sam (December 13, 2016). "MLS Cup 2016 sets record for most-watched title game in league history". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 Tannenwald, Jonathan (November 8, 2022). "Philadelphia helped MLS Cup draw its biggest U.S. TV audience in 25 years". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  25. "2022 MLS Cup Game Guide". Major League Soccer. November 3, 2022. pp. 41–42. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 MLS Communications Department, Elias Sports Bureau (January 2021). "Major League Soccer 2021 Fact & Record Book". Major League Soccer. pp. 141–147. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  27. 1 2 "MLS Cup 2017 Game Guide: Toronto FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC" (PDF). Major League Soccer. December 2017. p. 132. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  28. "MLS Announces Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs Schedule" (Press release). Major League Soccer. November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  29. Lewis, Jon (December 12, 2023). "Weekly sports ratings: NFL, NBA, Army-Navy, MLS Cup and more". Sports Media Watch . Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 Tolmich, Ryan (December 22, 2022). "MLS Cup winners: Full list of champions, from D.C. United to LAFC". Goal.com . Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  31. 1 2 Reineking, Jim (November 30, 2018). "2018 MLS Cup: Atlanta United vs. Portland Timbers by the numbers". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  32. Parker, Graham; Whittall, Richard (December 8, 2014). "MLS Cup: how LA Galaxy crushed dreams of the Revolution". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  33. McCarthy, Kyle (December 3, 2015). "MLS 101: Why is MLS Cup in Columbus?". Fox Sports . Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  34. Goff, Steven (March 8, 2012). "Major League Soccer 2012 preview". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  35. Almond, Elliott (October 4, 2012). "San Jose Earthquakes mull stadium options for MLS Cup". The Mercury News . Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  36. Goff, Steven (November 26, 2012). "MLS Cup at home comes with risk". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  37. 1 2 "2023 MLS Cup Game Guide". Major League Soccer. December 2023. pp. 8–9, 45–46. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  38. Celani, Andrew (December 3, 2014). "9 Things To Know Ahead Of Revolution–Galaxy MLS Cup". CBS Boston. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  39. "Los Angeles Football Club Advance to Host 2022 MLS Cup" (Press release). Major League Soccer. October 30, 2022. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  40. Das, Andrew (December 12, 2020). "Columbus Wins M.L.S. Cup, the Final Stop on a Journey to Stay Put". The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  41. Butler, Dylan (November 2, 2019). "After CenturyLink Field sellout, a look at the top MLS Cup attendances". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  42. Reuter, Jeff (February 6, 2024). "What MLS should take from the NFL: Lessons on scheduling, playoff format and offseason buzz" . The Athletic . Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.