Founded | 1996 |
---|---|
Region | Major League Soccer (CONCACAF) |
Current champions | LA Galaxy (6th title) |
Most successful team(s) | LA Galaxy (6 titles) |
Television broadcasters |
|
Website | mlssoccer.com |
MLS Cup 2024 |
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.
MLS uses a playoff tournament following the regular season to determine its annual league champion, a method used by other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. This format differs from most soccer leagues around the world, which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the champion; MLS honors that achievement with the Supporters' Shield.
The winner of the MLS Cup is awarded one of the country's four berths in the following season's CONCACAF Champions Cup.[1][2][A] The three Canadian teams of MLS do the same in addition to the zonal competition, the Leagues Cup, or with victory in the lock-out based Canadian Championship—if a team wins multiple berths, the Champions Cup berth tied to the game is passed on to the highest-placed U.S.-based team in the overall regular season table that did not already qualify.[2]
The inaugural MLS Cup was held on October 20, 1996, in which D.C. United defeated the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy are the most successful team in MLS Cup history, winning a record sixth title in 2024.
Three trophy designs have been used for the MLS Cup: the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 through 1998, a redesigned Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 through 2007, and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008.[3]
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