Who has spent the most time at the top of the table in MLS?

Which team has ruled the top of the MLS standings the longest? Explore the clubs with the most days spent at the summit of the league table.

Being “top of the table” can mean very different things in Major League Soccer compared to other leagues. 

Teams don’t all play the same opponents, and league positions can look very different depending on whether you’re looking at the Eastern Conference, Western Conference, or the overall standings. That makes tracking who’s spent the most time at number one a bit more complicated. 

It’s still a useful way to talk about consistency and control, but it needs context to make sense. Let’s dive in and see what it all means. 

What does “top of the table” mean in MLS?

In MLS, there isn’t just one table.

The league is divided into the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, with each conference maintaining its own standings during the regular season. A team can be top of the conference without being top of the league overall.

The closest thing MLS has to a single league table is the Supporters’ Shield standings, which ranks all teams together based on points across the regular season. The team that finishes first in that overall table wins the Supporters’ Shield.

So when we’re talking about top of the table in MLS, we’re referring to leading either the East or West conferences, or leading the overall table. 

Which MLS teams spend the most time at number one?

MLS doesn’t officially publish a clean “weeks at number one” leaderboard the way some European leagues do. However, looking at season leaders, Supporters’ Shield winners, and extended stretches at the top of the overall standings, a few clubs stand out. 

LA Galaxy

Galaxy have been one of the league’s most frequent leaders across MLS history. Their peak years in the early 2000s and again in the 2010s saw long spells at the top of the Soccer table, often backed up by strong playoff runs.

D.C. United

In the league’s early years, D.C. United regularly set the pace. They finished top of the regular-season standings multiple times and were often the benchmark other teams were measured against.

Seattle Sounders

Since joining MLS in 2009, Seattle have been near the top more often than most expansion teams. They’ve spent large portions of multiple seasons leading the overall table or sitting close to it, even when MLS Cup success didn’t follow.

LAFC

LAFC’s rise has been fast. Their dominant regular-season campaigns, especially in the late 2010s and early 2020s, included long runs at the top of the league standings, even if playoff outcomes didn’t always match that form.

Why this stat works differently in MLS

MLS is structured to prevent long-term control of the league. 

Teams play 34 regular-season matches, but not against the same opponents, and conference-heavy scheduling means some clubs benefit from stronger or weaker regional competition in any given year.

On top of that, roster rules, salary caps, and constant expansion make it difficult to hold onto the same core squad for long. Even teams that finish top one season often look very different the next.

As a result, a club might dominate for a season or two, then slide back toward the pack as the league reshuffles around them.

Does spending time at the top of the table mean MLS Cup success?

Not necessarily. The Supporters’ Shield rewards consistency across the regular season and MLS Cup rewards performance in a knockout tournament. Those two things don’t always overlap. 

Plenty of MLS teams have led the league for a majority of the season, only to be eliminated early in the playoffs. On the other hand, some teams have scraped into the postseason and found success without ever topping the table.

That split is part of what makes Major League Soccer unique. Regular-season leaders earn respect, home advantage, and continental qualification, but they don’t guarantee themselves a trophy.

Track MLS trends as they develop with Match Bingo

MLS never lets anyone get too comfortable. One good run can put a team top of the standings, just for it all to go wrong in the playoffs. 

Match Bingo is built around following this drama as it happens.