List of MLS Cup finals

The winner of Major League Soccer's MLS Cup, the final match of the MLS Cup Playoffs, determines that season's league champion. The playoff tournament is organized by the league at the conclusion of the regular season in a format similar to other North American professional sports leagues. The tournament is open to the top five clubs of the Eastern and Western Conference.

As of 2012, the record for the most championships is held by D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy, with four cup titles each. The championship has been won by the same team in two or more consecutive years on three occasions. The cup is held by Los Angeles Galaxy, who defeated Houston Dynamo in the 2012 final.

Finals

Key

*	Match went to extra time
†	Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
Bold	Team won the MLS Supporters' Shield
Italics	Team won the U.S. Open Cup

Results

Season	Winner	Score	Runners–up	Venue	Attendance
1996 MLS Cup !1996	D.C. United	†3–2 *	Los Angeles Galaxy	Foxboro Stadium	34,643
1997 MLS Cup !1997	D.C. United	2–1	Colorado Rapids	RFK Memorial Stadium	57,431
1998 MLS Cup !1998	Chicago Fire	2–0	D.C. United	Rose Bowl	51,350
1999 MLS Cup !1999	D.C. United	2–0	Los Angeles Galaxy	Foxboro Stadium	44,910
2000 MLS Cup !2000	Kansas City Wizards	1–0	Chicago Fire	RFK Memorial Stadium	39,159
2001 MLS Cup !2001	San Jose Earthquakes	2–1	Los Angeles Galaxy	Crew Stadium	21,626
2002 MLS Cup !2002	Los Angeles Galaxy	†1–0 *	New England Revolution	Gillette Stadium	61,316
2003 MLS Cup !2003	San Jose Earthquakes	4–2	Chicago Fire	The Home Depot Center	27,000
2004 MLS Cup !2004	D.C. United	3–2	Kansas City Wizards	The Home Depot Center	25,797
2005 MLS Cup !2005	Los Angeles Galaxy	†1–0 *	New England Revolution	Pizza Hut Park	21,193
2006 MLS Cup !2006	Houston Dynamo	†1–1 †	New England Revolution	Pizza Hut Park	22,427
2007 MLS Cup !2007	Houston Dynamo	†2–1 *	New England Revolution	RFK Memorial Stadium	39,859
2008 MLS Cup !2008	Columbus Crew	3–1	New York Red Bulls	The Home Depot Center	27,000
2009 MLS Cup !2009	Real Salt Lake	†1–1 †	Los Angeles Galaxy	Qwest Field	46,011
2010 MLS Cup !2010	Colorado Rapids	†2–1 *	FC Dallas	BMO Field	21,700
2011 MLS Cup !2011	Los Angeles Galaxy	1–0	Houston Dynamo	The Home Depot Center	30,281
2012 MLS Cup !2012	Los Angeles Galaxy	3–1	Houston Dynamo	The Home Depot Center	30,510

MLS Cup appearances by team

Unless marked otherwise, teams played in the MLS exclusively at the time they competed for the MLS Cup. A bolded year denotes a MLS Cup win.

Appearances	Team	Wins	Losses	Win %	Years of appearance
8	Los Angeles Galaxy	4	4	.500	1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012
5	D.C. United	4	1	.800	1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004
4	New England Revolution	0	4	.000	2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
4	Houston Dynamo	2	2	.500	2006, 2007, 2011, 2012
3	Chicago Fire	1	2	.333	1998, 2000, 2003
2	San Jose Earthquakes	2	0	1.000	2001, 2003
2	Sporting Kansas City	1	1	.500	2000, 2004
2	Colorado Rapids	1	1	.500	1997, 2010
1	Real Salt Lake	1	0	1.000	2009
1	Columbus Crew	1	0	1.000	2008
1	New York Red Bulls	0	1	.000	2008
1	FC Dallas	0	1	.000	2010
0	Chivas USA	0	0	—	—
0	Montreal Impact	0	0	—	—
0	Philadelphia Union	0	0	—	—
0	Portland Timbers	0	0	—	—
0	Seattle Sounders	0	0	—	—
0	Toronto FC	0	0	—	—
0	Vancouver Whitecaps	0	0	—	—

See also

List of North American soccer champions