Since its inception in 1993, the MLS has seen elite talent from around the world grace the US turf and put on some of the greatest displays of soccer ever seen.
Major league soccer has a rich history of hosting some of the most famous players in the world, from the likes of David Beckham to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and with such talent comes some unsurprisingly great moments. But besides these sparks of genius, the league has also witnessed some pretty amazing records, from the most successful seasons to the highest scoring players.
Today, we're going to take a look at the most impressive all-time records in Major League Soccer.
Most Career Goals
Former US Men's National Team striker Chris Wondolowski is head and shoulders clear of the competition in this category.
The San Jose Earthquakes legend scored 171 goals in 413 appearances in the regular season, that's 26 more back-of-the-net shots than the next best striker - Landon Donovan.
Wondolowski won the MLS MVP in 2012, seven years after he began his career on US soil in 2005. Including playoff goals, he still remains top of the list, scoring a total of 184 goals in 462 appearances before he retired in 2021.
Most Career Assists
While Donovan couldn't quite hold onto the top spot of the all-time scorers list, he impressively holds the record for most career assists for a single player in the MLS.
To come second in career goals and also top the list of all-time career assists is no easy feat, but Donovan is one of the most famous American athletes for a reason.
The yearly award to the most talented player in the league is now called The Landon Donovan MVP Award. So if that isn't a testament to just how great he was, I don't know what is.
Most Supporters' Shields
The Supporters' Shield is the award given out at the end of each season to the team with the most points.
The first top-of-the-table team was the Tamba Bay Mutiny who secured the shield in the 1996 debut season, while the most recent win came from the New England Revolution in 2021.
LA Galaxy and DC United are tied in first place for the most Supporters' Shield wins, with 4 apiece. Although they still hold the record, the last win from either team came all the way back in 2011 with Los Angeles, while DC haven't won since '07.
Columbus Crew comes in a close second place with 3 victories, and with their last Shield awarded in 2020, perhaps they're looking to break the record if they can keep up their recent form.
Most MLS Cups
The MLS operates unlike most European leagues, who simply crown yearly champions based on their points in the regular season. Instead the MLS follows in the footsteps of all other major US sports and hosts a postseason tournament-style playoffs, where one eventual winner emerges after a series of knockout rounds. This postseason victor receives a trophy called the MLS cup.
The LA Galaxy accompanies it's 4 Supporters' Shields with 5 MLS Cups, giving them 9 awards in total, the most of any MLS team.
They collected all five titles between 2022-2014, where their dominance was a regular feature in the postseason.
Most Points in a Single Season
The New England Revolution currently holds the record for the most points in a season, bagging 73 points in 2021 - just one more than their record-holding predecessors, LA FC. The 22 win season is joint-fourth most in MLS history, and also gave them their first Supporters' Shield victory.
Most Team Goals in a Single Season
Both LA sides are tied for the most goals in one season, with 85. LA Galaxy first set the record in 1998, while LAFC matched the total in 2019.
Longest Unbeaten Run
The Columbus Crew currently holds the MLS record for the longest stint without a loss.
Between July 3, 2004 and April 2, 2005 the Ohio team won an amazing 19 games in succession.
Highest Scoring Game
The highest scoring game came in 1998, as LA Galaxy defeated Colorado Rapids 7-4. This is the only time in the history of the MLS that 11 goals have been scored in a single game.
Though this was the highest score, it was not the largest margin ever recorded. Just last season, the Philadelphia Union won 7-0 against DC in a game that could have seen United lose by over 10 goals. This matches the 8-1 victory of LA Galaxy over Dallas Burn in 1998 - the first time a 7 goal lead was ever seen.
Check the highlights of Union's 7-0 win from July this year:
Highest Attendance
Charlotte FC enters the league with a bang!
Their inaugural home game against LA Galaxy at Bank of America Stadium, hosted 74,479 fans.
The 2022 expansion side beat the previous record of 73,019, set by the Portland Timbers at the MLS Cup Match in 2018.
The Major League Soccer and MLS name and shield are registered trademarks of Major League Soccer, L.L.C. (MLS).
