Major League Soccer (MLS) is the professional and highest league of Football/Soccer in the USA. The season is run from March to November, with the league divided into the regular season and culminating in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Seattle Sounders are the 2019 MLS Cup champions, whilst Los Angeles FC were the Supporters’ Shield winners.
MLS Format
Regular Season
The league is divided into two conferences of 12 teams each. The regular season is run from March to October with each team playing a home and away fixture with other teams’s in it’s own conference, and one game against each team from the other conference.
At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest points is awarded as the Supporters’ Shield winners. There is however no relegation system in the MLS for the lowest place teams.
MLS Cup Playoffs
The top 7 teams from each conference in the regular season advance to the MLS Playoffs. All of the rounds are single matches, hosted by the higher seed, with the top seed in each conference automatically given a bye into the Conference Semi Finals.
The Playoffs are still run within each conference, with the Conference Final’s winners playing each other for the overall MLS Cup.
All-Star Game
There is a break midway through the season for the exhibition All-Star Game. Previously this was a match between a team of players from the Eastern Conference taking on a team from the Western Conference, however it has since evolved into a team made up of players from the whole league taking an invited club from abroad.
Players are selected based on fan votes and selections by the manager/commissioner. Previous invited teams include Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United amongst others.
Clubs of Major League Soccer
The MLS is currently made up of 26 teams, divided into two conferences. There are plans to expand the league to 30 teams, with Austin FC and Charlotte joining in 2021, and Sacramento Republic FC and St. Louis in 2022.
Click on the link next to the team (where available) for a guide to visiting the stadium and city, or view the map on the bottom of this page to see where each team is located.
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United FC – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Chicago Fire – Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois)
FC Cincinnati – Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Columbus Crew SC – Mapfre Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
D.C. United – Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Inter Miami CF – Inter Miami CF Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Montreal Impact – Saputo Stadium (Montreal, Quebec)
New England Revolution – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
New York City FC – Yankee Stadium (New York City, New York)
New York Red Bulls – Red Bull Arena (Harrison, New Jersey)
Orlando City SC – Orland City Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
Philadelphia Union – Subaru Park (Chester, Pennsylvania)
Toronto FC – BMO Field (Toronto, Ontario)
Western Conference
Colorado Rapids – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, Colorado)
FC Dallas – Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
Houston Dynamo – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, Texas)
LA Galaxy – Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, California)
Los Angeles FC – Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles, California)
Minnesota United FC – Allianz Field (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Nashville SC – Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
Portland Timbers – Providence Park (Portland, Oregon)
Real Salt Lake – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)
San Jose Earthquakes – Earthquakes Stadium (San Jose, California)
Seattle Sounders FC – CenturyLink Field (Seattle, Washington)
Sporting Kansas City – Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kansas)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – BC Place (Vancouver, British Columbia)
How to buy tickets for the MLS
Ticketing information for all clubs competing in the MLS is available on the official website by clicking here.
Further Information
Last Updated on July 17, 2021 by Sports Tourist