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Published on Sep, 05 2024
Who are the greatest MLS teams of all time? After Wilfried Nancy led the Columbus Crew to their second trophy in only nine months, a look needed to be taken at how things have unfolded from the first season in 1996 all the way to 2024. From strong regular seasons to playoff success and continental runs, much needed to be taken into account.
That's why we've come up with a list of the greatest MLS teams in history by era. They can run no longer than five seasons with factors such as domestic success, continental success and average league finish. Special consideration was given to teams that did the double as well as consecutive seasons of success. So let's take a look at the greatest MLS teams eras ranked:
10. New England Revolution (2005-07)
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This run from the Revolution may be one of the best teams to never win the MLS Cup, winning the Eastern Conference championship every season from 2005-07 but then losing in the final match each time. The year 2007 at least brought silverware with a U.S. Open Cup triumph over FC Dallas in a thrilling 3-2 match. Pat Noonan, Taylor Twellman, and Wells Thompson all found the back of the net for the Revolution in that match and Twellman came in second in scoring for the entire tournament with four goals. Led by Steve Nicol, the Revolution became a dominant force while also spawning a young Clint Dempsey. They'll wish that they had more to show for their dominance, however.
9. Kansas City Wizards (2000-04)
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With the Wizards we begin to get into consistent success also bringing silverware along with it. With Bob Gansler taking over during the 1999 season, he immediately led the team to a Supporters' Shield-winning season before doing the double and winning MLS Cup behind heroics from none other than Tony Meola. The Wizards would take a step back in following seasons but adding a U.S. Open Cup triumph in 2004 by stopping the red-hot Chicago Fire was enough to keep them on this list.
8. Chicago Fire (2000-03)
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Looking at the Chicago Fire currently, it may be hard to believe how much success this team had in the past but with Jesse Marsch and Chris Armas roaming the midfield, the early 2000's was a time to remember for the Fire. After setting the stage for success under Bob Bradley by winning MLS Cup in their inaugural season in 1998, the Fire won the 2000 Open Cup and also made the MLS Cup final. Even post Bradley, when the team had to move to Naperville, Illinois while Soldier Field underwent renovations, Dave Sarachan led the Fire to a double winning the Supporter's Shield and U.S. Open Cup in 2003. Little did the Fire know that this would be the peak of their success as from 2003 until now, the Fire have only captured one more trophy.
7. Columbus Crew (2008-11)
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For the Crew, considering how much success they've had, the toughest thing to figure out is which era to represent in these rankings as they've had success in the early 2000s as well as in the current era of MLS too. But winning their first MLS Cup in 2008 felt like the first peak of the Crew's powers. Signing Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno to bolster the side in 2007, while it didn't lead to success right then and there, Sigi Schmid would lead the Crew to the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup in 2008 with Chad Marshall also winning defender of the year. This would be the end of the Schmid era in Columbus with him departing for Seattle but that didn't mean that the Crew's success was done. They followed things up in 2009 by adding another Supporters' Shield under Robert Warzycha.
6. Los Angeles FC (2019-22)
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Bursting onto the scene with success from day one, it's another appearance for Bob Bradley on this list. LAFC along with Atlanta United raised the bar of what was expected from an expansion team. Beginning play in 2018, the Black and Gold won the Supporters' Shield while Carlos Vela won MLS Golden Boot and MVP. In 2020, Diego Rossi joined and also won MLS Golden Boot before helping lead the team to another Supporters Shield triumph and an MLS Cup along with it in 2022.
5. Toronto FC (2016-18)
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Another team that may have peaked higher than any other is Toronto FC. Their 2017 season is one of the best ever. Winning the Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup, and the Canadian Championship under Greg Vanney, Toronto established themselves as one of the best teams in league history while Sebastian Giovinco cemented his league legacy. Winning the Supporters' Shield by a whopping 12 points, it was domination from start to finish with Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, and Victor Vazquez, all scoring 20 or more goals in all competitions. TFC would bookend these seasons with Canadian Championships on either side but things fell apart with the departure of Giovinco in 2019.
4. Seattle Sounders (2014-19)
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With the Stefan Frei era beginning in Seattle under Schmid in 2014, it would also bring Seattle their first Supporters' Shield before losing in the in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Schmid would depart to manage the LA Galaxy in 2016 with Brian Schmetzer returning to the head coach role. One of the best signings in MLS history would soon follow in Nicolas Lodeiro. Jordan Morris and Lodeiro would offset the loss of Clint Dempsey to an irregular heartbeat to lead Seattle to their first MLS Cup title in 2016 but they wouldn't be done grabbing another MLS Cup title in 2019.
3. Columbus Crew (2020-24)
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Everywhere there are familiar faces as the Crew make their second appearance on this list. After being purchased by Jimmy Haslam -- owner of the Cleveland Browns -- a new era began in Columbus with Lucas Zelerayan and Darlington Nagbe joining in 2020. The duo quickly led the Crew to an MLS Cup title under Caleb Porter. Following a dip in form, Nancy would take over the Crew in 2022 and Cucho Hernandez would come with him. While Zelerayan was sold to Saudi Arabia, Rossi joined the Crew to help reload leading a nine-month run during which the Crew won the 2023 MLS Cup, made a Concacaf Champions Cup final, and won the 2024 Leagues Cup. This is a team that could end up higher on this list as they're still in the race for the Supporters' Shield and can capture back-to-back MLS Cup titles. It's an impressive way to reinvent yourself.
2. Los Angeles Galaxy (2010-14)
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Thinking of top teams in MLS history, the Galaxy with Robbie Keane, David Beckham, and Landon Donovan will always be a side that comes to mind. While there were plenty of other important players and they were coached by Bruce Arena, this was a team of global superstars and they played to expectations. Winning MLS Cup in three out of four years between 2011 and 2014 while adding Supporters' Shield victories in 2010 and 2011 is quite an impressive feat. They became the first team to ever win five MLS Cups in 2014.
1. D.C. United (1996-99)
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D.C. United's feats may never be equaled with eight trophies collected in only three years. One of the few teams truly worthy of being called a dynasty, D.C. were led by Arena and immediately found success with the trio of Jaime Moreno, Marco Etcheverry, and Raul Diaz Arce. It wouldn't stop there with U.S. internationals including Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, and John Harkes also in the side. D.C. would win consecutive MLS Cups in 1996 and 1997 but also collected two Supporters' Shields during this span, an Open Cup trophy, a Concacaf Champions Cup title and a Copa Interamericana. They also took home MLS Cup in 1999 with CBS Sports soccer analyst Thomas Rongen at the helm.
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