Despite each receiving FIFA-affiliated status in 1913, both the United States and Canada have lacked a consistent, multi-division soccer system until recently. Consequently, the determination of champions has been problematic at times. The United States did not have a truly national league until the North American Soccer League in the late 1960s. Before that, there were several regional and city leagues of various levels of quality. For example, the first and second American Soccer Leagues constituted the premier level of professional soccer in the Northeastern United States, but they and teams from the St. Louis Soccer League would regularly defeat the best the other had to offer. These are only two of the most notable leagues of the regional era, as there were professional and amateur competitions in Chicago, California, the greater Western United States, Ontario, and Western Canada, among several other areas. While the creation of the North American Soccer League in 1968 brought a bona fide, national Division One league to the U.S. and Canada, its collapse in 1984 saw a temporary return to the fragmented regional structure. The merger of the Western Soccer League and third American Soccer League created a Division Two-level national league in the U.S. (the American Professional Soccer League), which later absorbed the Division Two-level Canadian Soccer League. But it was until not until the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1996 as part of FIFA's agreement to award the United States the 1994 World Cup that there was again a truly national, first division in either country (Canada would not see an MLS team until 2007; until then the top Canadian teams resided in Division Two).
Given all of this, there is a broad history of champions of various kinds in the history of both countries, both in leagues that comprised both nations and cups that were held in only one. This article takes into account all these competitions to compile an accurate listing of American and Canadian soccer champions with an eye towards maintaining continuity.
For teams in the United States and Canada, there are three "major" domestic trophies.[1][2]
The primary focus is the league championship, a postseason knockout tournament held between the best teams from the regular season. This is presently determined via the MLS Cup. Secondary is the best regular season record,[1] what is known as a league premiership in other countries, the holder of which is awarded the MLS Supporters' Shield.
American and Canadian sports leagues typically have such "playoff" systems. These have their roots in long travel distances common in US and Canadian sports; to cut down on travel, leagues are typically aligned in geographic divisions and feature unbalanced schedules with teams playing more matches against opponents in the same division. Due to the unbalanced schedule typical in US and Canadian leagues, not all teams face the same opponents, and some teams may not meet during a regular season at all. This results in teams with identical records that have faced different opponents differing numbers of times, making team records alone an imperfect measure of league supremacy. The playoffs allow for head-to-head elimination-style competition between teams to counterbalance this.
Then, there are the two countries' respective national championships: the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup or the Canadian Championship, cup competitions that are independent of league play. These are unique features of soccer in the US and Canada, as no other major team sport has such tournaments, and typically lesser-known than league play.
Internationally, available to US and Canadian clubs are the continental championship (determined by the CONCACAF Champions League, to which the winner of each of the trophies mentioned above qualifies with an additional berth currently given to the MLS Cup runner-up), and the world championship (determined by the FIFA Club World Cup, a berth to which is earned by winning the Champions League).
American and Canadian soccer clubs exist in a franchise system, rather than a promotion and relegation system. As a result, Division 2 and Division 3 champions do not change levels the next season. This is standard among American and Canadian major and minor sports leagues, and is part of the franchise rights granted by the leagues. If a team was to be relegated from MLS, it would in part breach the contract between the club owner and the league.
Recently, a trend has developed where a club from the lower divisions may be "promoted" via an expansion franchise awarded by Major League Soccer if they were to display a solid fanbase and secure a proper stadium, but a team winning a Division 2 or Division 3 title has no effect on their place in the soccer pyramid. However, in Divisions 5 through 9, which are sanctioned by the USASA, promotion and relegation is used, likely because of the close proximity of teams and their amateur status.
The results in this article come from the United States Soccer Federation,[3] the Canadian Soccer Association,[4] the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation,[5] and the American Soccer History Archives.[6]
Defunct teams in italics.
Though there were various levels of professional leagues in Canada throughout the 20th Century, remarkably, there was no multi-division cup for professional franchises that stretched from coast to coast until 2002, and even then, it was not until 2007 that this trophy was awarded via competition that was necessarily separate from regular season play. From 1913 to 2001, the highest national cup in Canada was in fact the amateur Challenge Trophy, which still continues to this day after being replaced as the highest national cup competition in Canada by the professional Canadian Championship. The Open Canada Cup existed from 1998 to 2007, but excluded the premier professional clubs and was largely limited to the Ontario area.
| Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Score (if applicable) |
Runners–up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Norwood Wanderers | Lachine Montreal | |
| 1914 | Norwood Wanderers (2) | Fort William CPR | |
| 1915 | Winnipeg Scottish | 0-0 6-1 |
Toronto Lancashire |
| 1919 | Montreal Grand Trunk | 2-1 1-0 |
Winnipeg War Veterans |
| 1920 | Hamilton Westinghouse | 0-0 2-1 |
Winnipeg Britannia |
| 1921 | Toronto Scottish | Ladysmith | |
| 1922 | Calgary Hillhurst | Toronto Ulster United | |
| 1923 | Nanaimo Wanderers | Montreal CPR | |
| 1924 | Winnipeg United Weston | Beloeil Canadian Explosives | |
| 1925 | Toronto Ulster United | Nanaimo Wanderers | |
| 1926 | Winnipeg United Weston (2) | Canadian Collieries | |
| 1927 | Nanaimo Wanderers (2) | Fort William Legion | |
| 1928 | Westminster Royals | 3-2 1-2 6-1 |
Montreal CNR |
| 1929 | Montreal CNR | Winnipeg United Weston | |
| 1930 | Westminster Royals (2) | Montreal CNR | |
| 1931 | Westminster Royals (3) | Toronto Scottish | |
| 1932 | Toronto Scottish (2) | Vancouver North Shore | |
| 1933 | Toronto Scottish (3) | Prince Albert City Reds | |
| 1934 | Verdun Park | Prince Albert City Reds | |
| 1935 | Montreal Aldred Building | Nanaimo Wanderers | |
| 1936 | Westminster Royals (4) | Winnipeg United Weston | |
| 1937 | Vancouver Johnston Nationals | Toronto Ulster United | |
| 1938 | Vancouver North Shore | 6-2 (Game 5) |
Timmins Dome Mines |
| 1939 | Vancouver Radials | 2-2 2-3 2-0 3-1 |
Montreal Carsteel |
| 1946 | Toronto Ulster United (2) | Fort William Combines | |
| 1947 | Vancouver St. Andrew's | Winnipeg Combines | |
| 1948 | Montreal Carsteel | Vancouver St. Andrew's | |
| 1949 | Vancouver North Shore (2) | Hamilton Westinghouse | |
| 1950 | Vancouver City | Winnipeg Scottish | |
| 1951 | Toronto Ulster United (3) | Vancouver St. Andrew's | |
| 1952 | Montreal Stelco | Westminster Royals | |
| 1953 | Westminster Royals (5) | Montreal Hakoah | |
| 1954 | Winnipeg ANAF Scottish | Vancouver North Shore | |
| 1955 | Westminster Royals (6) | Montreal Ukraina | |
| 1956 | Vancouver Halecos | 5-1 | Winnipeg Germania |
| 1957 | Montreal Ukraina | 2-1 | Vancouver North Shore |
| 1958 | Westminster Royals (7) | 2-0 | Winnipeg Scottish |
| 1959 | Montreal Alouettes | 3-2 | Westminster Royals |
| 1960 | Westminster Royals (8) | 4-0 | Toronto Golden Mile |
| 1961 | Montreal Concordia | 1-0 | Vancouver Firefighters |
| 1962 | Winnipeg Scottish (2) | 6-0 | Edmonton Edelweiss |
| 1964 | Vancouver Columbus (2) | 4-0 | Sudbury Italian Flyers |
| 1965 | Vancouver Firefighters | 3-0 | Oshawa Italians |
| 1966 | British Columbia Under 23 All-Stars | 2-0 | Quebec Under 23 All-Stars |
| 1967 | Toronto Balymena United | 1-0 | Calgary Buffalo Kickers |
| 1968 | Toronto Royals | 2-1 | Vancouver Columbus |
| 1969 | Vancouver Columbus (2) | 10-0 | Montreal Ukraina |
| 1971 | Vancouver Eintracht | 3-1 | Windsor Maple Leafs |
| 1972 | New Westminster Blues | 3-0 | Toronto San Fili |
| 1973 | Vancouver Firefighters (2) | 2-0 | Toronto West Indies United |
| 1974 | Calgary Springer Kickers | 2-1 | Windsor Italia |
| 1975 | London Boxing Club of Victoria | 3-1 | St. Lawrence Laurentians |
| 1976 | Victoria West | 3-2 | Winnipeg Fort Rouge |
| 1977 | Vancouver Columbus (3) | 1-0 | St. Lawrence Laurentians |
| 1978 | Vancouver Columbus (4) | 3-1 | Montreal Elio Blues |
| 1979 | Victoria West (2) | 6-2 | La Salle Olympics |
| 1980 | Saint John Drydock | 3-2 | Saint John Drydock |
| 1981 | Toronto Ciociaro | 2-1 | Calgary Springer Kickerss |
| 1982 | Victoria West (3) | 4-0 | Saskatoon United |
| 1983 | Vancouver Firefighters (3) | 2-1 | Windsor Croatia |
| 1984 | Victoria West (4) | 1-0 | Dundas United |
| 1985 | Vancouver Croatia | 3-0 | Montreal Elio Blues |
| 1986 | Hamilton Steelers | 1-0 | Vancouver Croatia |
| 1987 | Winnipeg Lucania FC | 1-0 | New Westminster QPR |
| 1988 | St. John's Holy Cross | 2-0 | Edmonton Italian Canadians |
| 1989 | Scarborough Azzuri | 3-2 | St. Jon's Holy Cross |
| 1990 | Vancouver Firefighters (4) | 1-0 | Dartmouth United |
| 1991 | Vancouver Norvan ANAF | 3-2(pk) | Scarborough Azzuri |
| 1992 | Vancouver Norvan ANAF (2) | 1-0 | Edmonton Scottish |
| 1993 | Vancouver Westside Rinos | 1-0 | Calommiers de Longueuil |
| 1994 | Edmonton Ital-Canadians | 1-0 | Scarbrough Azzuri "A" |
| 1995 | Mistral Estrie | 1-0 | Halifax King of Donair |
| 1996 | Vancouver Westside CIBC | 2-1 | Cosmos de LaSalle |
| 1997 | Edmonton Ital-Canadians (2) | 3-1 | Vancouver North Shore Pegasus |
| 1998 | RDP Concordes | 1-0 | Hamilton Serbians |
| 1999 | Calgary Celtic | 1-0 | Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves |
| 2000 | Winnipeg Lucania FC (2) | 2-0 | Vancouver Westside Rinos "A" |
| 2001 | Halifax King of Donair | 4-1 | Victoria Gorge FC |
| Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Score (if applicable) |
Runners–up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Montreal Impact | Toronto Lynx | |
| 2003 | Montreal Impact (2) | Toronto Lynx | |
| 2004 | Montreal Impact (3) | Toronto Lynx | |
| 2005 | Montreal Impact (4) | Vancouver Whitecaps | |
| 2006 | Montreal Impact (5) | Vancouver Whitecaps | |
| 2007 | Montreal Impact (6) | Vancouver Whitecaps | |
| 2008 | Montreal Impact (7) | Toronto FC | |
| 2009 | Toronto FC | Vancouver Whitecaps | |
| 2010 | Toronto FC (2) | Vancouver Whitecaps | |
| 2011 | Toronto FC (3) | 1-1 0-111 2-1 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
| 2012 |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1963 | New York Hungaria Second Round |
No entrant |
| 1967 | Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals North/Central Final |
No entrant |
| 1968 | Greek American AA North Final |
No entrant |
| 1969 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1970 | Greek American AA North Final |
No entrant |
| 1971 | Rochester Lancers 4th Place |
No entrant |
| 1972 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1973 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1974 | Maccabi Los Angeles Unknown |
No entrant |
| 1975 | No entrant | Toronto Serbian White Eagles North First Round |
| 1976 | New York Inter-Giuliana North First Round |
Toronto Italia North Final |
| 1977 | New York Inter-Giuliana North Final |
No entrant |
| 1978 | Maccabi Los Angeles North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1979 | Soccer Universidad AC North Final |
No entrant |
| 1980 | Brooklyn Italians North Second Round |
No entrant |
| 1981 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1982 | Brooklyn Italians, New York Pancyprian-Freedoms North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1983 | New York Pancyprian-Freedoms North Second Round |
No entrant |
| 1984 | New York Pancyprian-Freedoms North Final |
No entrant |
| 1985 | Chicago Croatian North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1986 | Greek American AA North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1987 | San Pedro Yugoslavs, St. Louis Kutis SC North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1988 | Seattle Mitre Eagles, Washington Diplomats North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1989 | San Francisco Greek American, St. Louis Busch SC North First Round |
No entrant |
| 1990 | St. Petersburg Kickers North Final |
No entrant |
| 1991 | Brooklyn Italians North Second Round |
No entrant |
| 1992 | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks North Group 2 Final Round |
Vancouver 86ers North Group 2 First Round |
| 1993 | Hercules North Preliminary Round |
No entrant |
| 1994 | Los Angeles Salsa North Group 2 First Round |
No entrant |
| 1995 | No entrant | No entrant |
| 1996 | Seattle Sounders 4th Place |
No entrant |
| 1997 | Los Angeles Galaxy Runner-Up |
No entrant |
| 1998 | D.C. United Winner |
No entrant |
| 1999 | Chicago Fire, D.C. United Semifinals |
No entrant |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Galaxy Winner |
No entrant |
| 2002 | Kansas City Wizards Semifinals |
No entrant |
| 2003 | Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy Quarterfinals |
No entrant |
| 2004 | Chicago Fire Semifinals |
No entrant |
| 2005 | D.C. United Semifinals |
No entrant |
| 2006 | Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution Quarterfinals |
No entrant |
| 2007 | D.C. United, Houston Dynamo Semifinals |
No entrant |
| 2008 | D.C. United, Houston Dynamo Semifinals |
No entrant |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | Houston Dynamo Quarterfinals |
Montreal Impact Quarterfinals |
| 2009-10 | Columbus Crew Quarterfinals |
Toronto FC Preliminary Round |
| 2010-11 | Real Salt Lake Runner-Up |
Toronto FC 3rd Place, Group A |
| 2011-12 | ||
| 2012-13 |
Before the inception of the FIFA Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup was held, beginning in 1960. As only the champions of UEFA and CONMEBOL were invited, it is not listed here.
| Year | CONCACAF Entrant(s) | Best U.S./Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Club Necaxa (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Galaxy (USA), Olimpia (HON) | Competition cancelled |
| 2005 | Saprissa (CRC) | No qualifier |
| 2006 | América (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2007 | Pachuca (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2008 | Pachuca (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2009 | Atlante (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2010 | Pachuca (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2011 | Monterrey (MEX) | No qualifier |
| 2012 |
Listed here are the teams to achieve two major accomplishments in one season since 1968.
| Year | Club (number of doubles) | Trophies Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | New York Cosmos | Best regular season record, NASL Final |
| 1974 | Los Angeles Aztecs | Best regular season record, NASL Final |
| 1978 | New York Cosmos (2) | Best regular season record, Soccer Bowl |
| 1980 | New York Cosmos (3) | Best regular season record, Soccer Bowl |
| 1982 | New York Cosmos (4) | Best regular season record, Soccer Bowl |
| 1984 | Chicago Sting | Best regular season record, NASL Finals |
| 1996 | D.C. United | MLS Cup, US Open Cup |
| 1997 | D.C. United (2) | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
| 1998 | Chicago Fire | MLS Cup, US Open Cup |
| 1999 | D.C. United (3) | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
| 2000 | Kansas City Wizards | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire (2) | US Open Cup, Supporters' Shield |
| 2005 | Los Angeles Galaxy (2) | US Open Cup, MLS Cup |
| 2008 | Columbus Crew | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
| 2011 | Los Angeles Galaxy (3) | Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup |
No team has completed the modern Triple Crown (winning all three domestic trophies in one season), nor has any team won a treble of any kind (holding any three of the five major trophies of a given cycle at the same time) since the beginning of Major League Soccer in 1996. Listed here are the teams that have come the closest so far (note that NASL teams did not participate in the national championships, and that this excludes teams that won three trophies in a season during the historical era of regional leagues).
| Key: | |
|---|---|
| Competition winner | |
| Competition runner-up | |
| Year | Club | Results | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Trophy | Second Trophy | Third Trophy | |||
| 1997 | D.C. United | Supporters' Shield | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | Lost 0-0 (5-3 on penalty kicks) to Dallas Burn in the US Open Cup final |
| 1998 | D.C. United | CONCACAF Champions Cup | Supporters' Shield | MLS Cup | Finished as runner up in the MLS regular season Lost to Chicago Fire 2-0 in the MLS Cup final |
| 2000 | Chicago Fire | Supporters' Shield | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | Finished tied for first on points for Supporters' Shield with Kansas City Wizards, but lost on goal differential. Lost to Kansas City Wizards 1-0 in the MLS Cup final. |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Supporters' Shield | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | Lost 1-0 to Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup final |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire | US Open Cup | Supporters' Shield | MLS Cup | Lost in the Final of the 2003 MLS Cup to San Jose Earthquakes 4-2. |
Listed here are any regular season titles won within geographical partitions of the league such as divisions or conferences, and any distinctions earned in the playoffs if the format that year involved separated brackets.
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs (if applicable) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Atlantic: Atlanta Chiefs Gulf: Kansas City Spurs Lakes: Cleveland Stokers Pacific: San Diego Toros |
N/A | Three divisions of four, one of five. No conferences. |
| 1969 | N/A | N/A | Single table with no playoffs. |
| 1970 | Northern: Rochester Lancers Southern: Washington Darts |
N/A | Two divisions of three. No conferences. |
| 1971 | Northern: Rochester Lancers Southern: Atlanta Chiefs |
N/A | Two divisions of four. No conferences. |
| 1972 | Northern: New York Cosmos Southern: St. Louis Stars |
N/A | Two divisions of four. No conferences. |
| 1973 | Eastern: Philadelphia Atoms Northern: Toronto Metros Southern: Dallas Tornado |
N/A | Three divisions of three. No conferences. |
| 1974 | Central: Dallas Tornado Eastern: Miami Toros Northern: Boston Minutemen Western: Los Angeles Aztecs |
N/A | Three divisions of four, one of three. No conferences. |
| 1975 | Central: St. Louis Stars Eastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies Northern: Boston Minutemen Western: Portland Timbers |
N/A | Four divisions of five. No conferences. |
| 1976 | Eastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies Northern: Chicago Sting Southern: San Jose Earthquakes Western: Minnesota Kicks |
Atlantic: Toronto Metros-Croatia Pacific: Minnesota Kicks |
Four divisions of five split between two conferences. |
| 1977 | Eastern: Fort Lauderdale Strikers Northern: Toronto Metros-Croatia Southern: Dallas Tornado Western: Minnesota Kicks |
Atlantic: New York Cosmos Pacific: Seattle Sounders |
Two divisions of five, two of four, split between two conferences. |
| 1978 | ACentral: Detroit Express AEastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies AWestern: San Diego Sockers NCentral: Minnesota Kicks NEastern: New York Cosmos NWestern: Vancouver Whitecaps |
American: Tampa Bay Rowdies National: New York Cosmos |
Six divisions of four split between two conferences. |
| 1979 | ACentral: Houston Hurricane AEastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies AWestern: California Surf NCentral: Minnesota Kicks NEastern: New York Cosmos NWestern: Vancouver Whitecaps |
American: Tampa Bay Rowdies National: Vancouver Whitecaps |
Six divisions of four split between two conferences. |
| 1980 | ACentral: Chicago Sting AEastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies AWestern: Edmonton Drillers NCentral: Dallas Tornado NEastern: New York Cosmos NWestern: Seattle Sounders |
American: Fort Lauderdale Strikers National: New York Cosmos |
Six divisions of four split between two conferences. |
| 1981 | Central: Chicago Sting Eastern: New York Cosmos Northwest: Vancouver Whitecaps Southern: Atlanta Chiefs Western: San Diego Sockers |
N/A | Four divisions of four, one of five. No conferences. |
| 1982 | Eastern: New York Cosmos Southern: Fort Lauderdale Strikers Western: Seattle Sounders |
N/A | Two divisions of four, one of six. No conferences. |
| 1983 | Eastern: New York Cosmos Southern: Tulsa Roughnecks Western: Vancouver Whitecaps |
N/A | Three divisions of four. No conferences. |
| 1984 | Eastern: Chicago Sting Western: San Diego Sockers |
N/A | One division of five, one of four. No conferences. |
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs (if applicable) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Eastern: Tampa Bay Mutiny Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: D.C. United Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Two conferences of five. |
| 1997 | Eastern: D.C. United Western: Kansas City Wizards |
Eastern: D.C. United Western: Colorado Rapids |
Two conferences of five. |
| 1998 | Eastern: D.C. United Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: D.C. United Western: Chicago Fire |
Two conferences of six. |
| 1999 | Eastern: D.C. United Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: D.C. United Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Two conferences of six. |
| 2000 | Central: Chicago Fire Eastern: MetroStars Western: Kansas City Wizards |
N/A | Three divisions of four. No conferences. |
| 2001 | Central: Chicago Fire Eastern: Miami Fusion Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
N/A | Three divisions of four. No conferences. |
| 2002 | Eastern: New England Revolution Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: New England Revolution Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Two conferences of five. |
| 2003 | Eastern: Chicago Fire Western: San Jose Earthquakes |
Eastern: Chicago Fire Western: San Jose Earthquakes |
Two conferences of five. |
| 2004 | Eastern: Columbus Crew Western: Kansas City Wizards |
Eastern: D.C. United Western: Kansas City Wizards |
Two conferences of five. |
| 2005 | Eastern: New England Revolution Western: San Jose Earthquakes |
Eastern: New England Revolution Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Two conferences of six. |
| 2006 | Eastern: D.C. United Western: FC Dallas |
Eastern: New England Revolution Western: Houston Dynamo |
Two conferences of six. |
| 2007 | Eastern: D.C. United Western: Chivas USA |
Eastern: New England Revolution Western: Houston Dynamo |
One conference of seven, one of six. |
| 2008 | Eastern: Columbus Crew Western: Houston Dynamo |
Eastern: Columbus Crew Western: New York Red Bulls |
Two conferences of seven. |
| 2009 | Eastern: Columbus Crew Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: Real Salt Lake Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
One conference of eight, one of seven. |
| 2010 | Eastern: New York Red Bulls Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: Colorado Rapids Western: FC Dallas |
Two conferences of eight. |
| 2011 | Eastern: Sporting Kansas City Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Eastern: Houston Dynamo Western: Los Angeles Galaxy |
Two conferences of nine. |
Before the 1976 season, the American Soccer League placed its first teams on the west coast, going national. For the first time, the United States/Canada had a national-level second-division league.
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Brooklyn Italians First Round |
No entrant |
| 1993 | San Jose Oaks First Round |
No entrant |
| 1994 | San Francisco CD Mexico First Round |
No entrant |
| 1995 | San Francisco Greek American First Round |
No entrant |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | D.C. United Runner-up |
No entrant |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Los Angeles Galaxy Runner-up |
No entrant |
| 2008 | New England Revolution Winner |
No entrant |
| 2009 | Chicago Fire Runner-up |
No entrant |
| 2010 | New England Revolution Runner-up |
No entrant |
| Year | Champions | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | D.C. United | 0-1 2-0 |
Vasco da Gama | RFK Stadium Lockhart Stadium |
Washington, DC, USA Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA |
25,000 7,283 |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Kansas City Wizards, MetroStars 3rd Place, Group Stage |
No entrant |
| Year | Best U.S. Finish | Best Canadian Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | D.C. United Round of 16 |
No entrant |
| 2007 | D.C. United Round of 16 |
No entrant |
| Western Soccer Alliance | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer | ||||
| 1985 | San Jose Earthquakes (1) | Victoria Riptides | |||||
| 1986 | Hollywood Kickers (1) | F.C. Portland | Brent Goulet | ||||
| 1987 | San Diego Nomads (1) | F.C. Seattle | Joe Mihaljevic | ||||
| 1988 | F.C. Seattle Storm (1) | San Diego Nomads | Scott Benedetti | ||||
| 1989 | San Diego Nomads (2) | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks | Steve Corpening | ||||
| Lone Star Soccer Alliance | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer | ||||
| 1987 | Dallas Express (1) | Houston Dynamos | |||||
| 1988 | Dallas Mean Green (2) | Houston Dynamos | |||||
| 1989 | Austin Thunder (1) | F.C. Dallas | |||||
| 1990 | Oklahoma City Spirit (1) | F.C. Dallas | |||||
| 1991 | F.C. Dallas (3) | Austin Thunder | Louis Morales | ||||
| 1992 | Dallas Inter (4) | America F.C. | David Gordon | ||||
| American Soccer League III | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer | ||||
| 1988 | Washington Diplomats (1) | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Jorge Acosta | ||||
| 1989 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1) | Boston Bolts | Ricardo Alonso Mirko Castillo |
||||
| Year | Champions |
Runners-up | Regular Season |
Runners-up | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bay Area CyberRays | Atlanta Beat | Atlanta Beat | Bay Area CyberRays | Tiffeny Milbrett (New York Power) | 16 |
| 2002 | Carolina Courage | Washington Freedom | Carolina Courage | Philadelphia Charge | Kátia (San Jose CyberRays) | 15 |
| 2003 | Washington Freedom | Atlanta Beat | Boston Breakers | Atlanta Beat | Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia Charge) Dagny Mellgren (Boston Breakers) |
14 |
| Year | Champions |
Runners-up | Regular Season |
Runners-up | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sky Blue FC | Los Angeles Sol | Los Angeles Sol | St. Louis Athletica | Marta (Los Angeles Sol) | 9 |
| 2010 | FC Gold Pride | Philadelphia Independence | FC Gold Pride | Boston Breakers | Marta (FC Gold Pride) | 19 |
| 2011 | Western New York Flash | Philadelphia Independence | Western New York Flash | Philadelphia Independence | Christine Sinclair (WNY Flash) Marta (WNY Flash) |
10 |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | San Jose Earthquakes(1) | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Paul Child |
| 1976 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (1) | Rochester Lancers | |
| 1979-80 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (2) | Memphis Rogues | David Byrne |
| 1980-81 | Edmonton Drillers (1) | Chicago Sting | Karl-Heinz Granitza |
| 1981-82 | San Diego Sockers (1) | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Juli Veee |
| 1983-84 | San Diego Sockers (2) | New York Cosmos | Steve Zungul |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1979 | New York Arrows (1) | Philadelphia Fever | Fred Grgurev |
| 1979–1980 | New York Arrows (2) | Houston Summit | Steve Zungul |
| 1980–1981 | New York Arrows (3) | St. Louis Steamers | Steve Zungul |
| 1981–1982 | New York Arrows (4) | St. Louis Steamers | Steve Zungul |
| 1982–1983 | San Diego Sockers (3) | Baltimore Blast I | Steve Zungul |
| 1983–1984 | Baltimore Blast I (1) | St. Louis Steamers | Mark Liveric |
| 1984–1985 | San Diego Sockers (4) | Baltimore Blast I | Steve Zungul |
| 1985–1986 | San Diego Sockers (5) | Minnesota Strikers | Erik Rasmussen |
| 1986–1987 | Dallas Sidekicks (1) | Tacoma Stars | Tatu |
| 1987–1988 | San Diego Sockers (6) | Cleveland Force | Hector Marinaro |
| 1988–1989 | San Diego Sockers (7) | Baltimore Blast I | Preki |
| 1989–1990 | San Diego Sockers (8) | Baltimore Blast I | Tatu |
| 1990–1991 | San Diego Sockers (9) | Cleveland Crunch | Tatu |
| 1991–1992 | San Diego Sockers (10) | Dallas Sidekicks | Zoran Karic |
| Season | Champion | Series | Runner-Up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Dallas Sidekicks (2) | 2-1 | San Diego Sockers | Tatu |
| 1994 | Las Vegas Dustdevils (1) | 2-1 | Dallas Sidekicks | Tatu |
| 1995 | Monterrey La Raza (1) | 2-1 | Sacramento Knights | Zizinho |
| 1996 | Monterrey La Raza (2) | 2-0 | Houston Hotshots | David Doyle |
| 1997 | Seattle SeaDogs (1) | 2-0 | Houston Hotshots | Paul Dougherty |
| Season | Champion | Score / series | Runner-Up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dallas Sidekicks (3) | 6 to 2 | Sacramento Knights | Tatu |
| 1999 | Sacramento Knights (1) | 7 to 6 | Dallas Sidekicks | David Doyle |
| 2000 | Monterrey La Raza (3) | 6 to 5 (SO 3-1) | Dallas Sidekicks | Clint Regier |
| 2001 | Dallas Sidekicks (4) | 2-1 | San Diego Sockers | Ato Leone |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–2002 | Philadelphia KiXX (1) | Milwaukee Wave | Dino Delevski |
| 2002–2003 | Baltimore Blast (2) | Milwaukee Wave | Dino Delevski |
| 2003–2004 | Baltimore Blast (3) | Milwaukee Wave | Greg Howes |
| 2004–2005 | Milwaukee Wave (4) | Cleveland Force | Greg Howes |
| 2005–2006 | Baltimore Blast (4) | St. Louis Steamers | Greg Howes |
| 2006–2007 | Philadelphia KiXX (2) | Detroit Ignition | Jamar Beasley |
| 2007–2008 | Baltimore Blast (5) | Monterrey La Raza | Greg Howes |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Baltimore Blast (6) | Rockford Rampage | Byron Alvarez |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Detroit Ignition* (1) | New Jersey Ironmen | Lucio Gonzaga |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Stockton Cougars (1) | 1790 Cincinnati | Bernie Lillavois |
| 2009–2010 | San Diego Sockers (11) | La Raza de Guadalajara | Jeff Hughes |
| 2010-2011 | San Diego Sockers (12) | La Raza de Guadalajara | Kraig Chiles |
| Year | Winner (number of titles) | Runners-up | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 | Monterrey La Raza (4) | Milwaukee Wave | Genoni Martinez |
| 2010-2011 | Milwaukee Wave (5) | Baltimore Blast |
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