Greatest MLS and US soccer clubs

LA Galaxy▲ Rising

Five MLS Cups and the Beckham experiment that changed the league's global calculus — the Galaxy didn't just win, they legitimized MLS as a destination rather than a retirement home. Landon Donovan's 2012 title-clinching header and the Robbie Keane-Beckham-Donovan treble runs built a dynasty that still defines the franchise ceiling in American soccer.'

added by IJR

Seattle Sounders▲ Rising

No expansion team has ever landed with the thud Seattle did in 2009, selling out CenturyLink from kickoff one and never really stopping — attendance numbers that shamed a league still fighting for relevance. The 2016 and 2019 MLS Cups, capped by Nicolas Lodeiro's brilliance, proved the Pacific Northwest wasn't just loud, it was ruthless, and the 2022 Concacaf Champions League triumph made them the first MLS club to conquer the region.

added by IJR

Inter Miami▲ Rising

Lionel Messi's free kick against Cruz Azul in July 2023 is the single biggest moment in MLS history, full stop — a debut goal that turned a mediocre expansion club into a global spectacle overnight and won them the Leagues Cup in his first month. Whether the trophy case fills up or not, Messi's arrival permanently rewired what MLS relevance looks like, and that alone earns Miami a seat at this table.

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Atlanta United▲ Rising

Founded in 2017 and immediately breaking every attendance record in American soccer history, Atlanta proved a Southern market could out-roar Europe's midtable clubs, packing 70,000+ into Mercedes-Benz Stadium on a random Tuesday. Josef Martinez's record-shattering goal-scoring and the 2018 MLS Cup title, won in front of over 73,000 fans, announced that expansion soccer could be both instantly dominant and a cultural phenomenon.

added by IJR

LAFC▲ Rising

Born in 2018 with a chip on its shoulder aimed squarely at cross-town royalty, LAFC built the league's most feared attack behind Carlos Vela's MVP masterpiece in 2019, a 34-goal single-season record that obliterated the old mark. The 2022 MLS Cup, won on penalties in their own building after a wild 3-3 final against Philadelphia, turned a five-year-old club into an instant dynasty and the model franchise for how to spend and build smart.

added by IJR

Portland Timbers▼ Falling

The Timbers Army turned Providence Park into the most intimidating atmosphere in American soccer, a supporters' culture so authentic it made MLS look like it belonged in Europe from day one. Diego Valeri's genius and the 2015 MLS Cup title, won against Columbus in Portland's own cauldron, gave soul to a league that desperately needed an identity beyond expansion hype.

added by IJR

Columbus Crew▼ Falling

MLS's original small-market survivor, the Crew were nearly relocated to Austin in 2018 before a fan-led #SaveTheCrew movement forced ownership change and kept a founding club alive — a genuine grassroots triumph rare in American sports. Two MLS Cups bookend that fight, from the 2008 title behind Guillermo Barros Schelotto to the 2020 and 2023 championships that made Columbus, quietly, one of the league's most complete soccer operations.

added by IJR

D.C. United▼ Falling

The original MLS dynasty, D.C. United won three of the league's first four championships behind Marco Etcheverry and John Harkes, setting the template for what a winning club culture looked like before anyone else had one. Their early dominance and Copa Interamericana triumph over Brazil's Vasco da Gama in 1998 remain the high-water mark for American club soccer's credibility on a continental stage.

added by IJR