The 10 Original MLS Clubs
October 10, 2025
Major League Soccer (MLS) is celebrating its 30th year of play in 2025 and just added its 30th team. The size of the league and its cultural impact has increased year after year. Before we can begin to talk about where the league is now, we should start at the beginning.
The year is 1988, yes, really. The original North American Soccer League (NASL) had folded a few years earlier in 1984 and the United States had placed their bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. When the United States was selected, FIFA stipulated that the country needed to establish a top flight professional soccer league. Major League Professional Soccer was officially founded late in 1993 and officially became Major League Soccer in 1995.
June 1994 saw the announcement of the 10 original clubs: Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New England, New York/New Jersey, San Jose, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. Let’s take a look at those clubs and where they are now.
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are based out of the Denver, Colorado area and originally played their games at Mile High Stadium - home to the Denver Broncos or the National Football League. Colorado would finish the first season with the worst record in the league but would make an MLC Cup appearance the following season.
Over the years since, some things have changed for the Rapids but not much. The Rapids logo shown would be used from 1996 to 2001 and would be replaced by the logo that is currently in use today, but the club name still remains. They moved out of Mile High in 2001 and moved to their own soccer specific stadium in 2007. In 2010 the Rapids would win their one and only MLS Cup. While they won the top prize, they have the least amount of silverware of any active club on this list.
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are based out of Columbus, Ohio. The Crew got their name as the result of a public naming contest. There were 650 different name suggestions but the Crew would be the winning selection. The men in the logo are meant to represent construction workers and the “midwest work ethic”. Columbus would begin play at Ohio Stadium, home of the collegiate Ohio State Buckeyes before opening the first soccer specific stadium in America in 1999.
Columbus has gone on to be one of the most successful teams in league history. They have 3 MLS Cups (2008, 2020 and 2023), 3 Supporters Shields (2004, 2008 and 2009), a US Open Cup (2002), a Leagues Cup (2023) and a Campeones Cup (2021). They have changed their logo a few times over the year as well. The original logo made it from 1996 to 2014, then in 2021 they changed again to their current logo. They also moved into a new modern soccer specific stadium in 2021.
Dallas Burn
Dallas Burn are based out of Dallas, Texas. The name relates to during Texan oilfields and the Texas heat. The club began play at the historic Cotton Bowl stadium and played there off and on until 2005 when they relocated to their own soccer specific stadium in Frisco, Texas.
In 2005 the club would completely rebrand, changing both their logo and their name. The club now goes by the name FC Dallas and their logo can be seen here on the club website. As far as on field success is concerned, they won the Supporters Shield in 2016 and won the US Open Cup twice (1997, 2016).
D.C. United
D.C. United are based in Washington, D.C. and are tied atop the list of most successful clubs in American soccer in terms of trophies won. D.C. United got their name both because United is a common aspect of European club names but also because they are located in the capital of the United States of America. The club would call historic Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium their home from 1996 to 2017 before moving to their own soccer specific stadium in 2018.
The club has had 3 different logos. The one above lasted for a single season. Their longest tenured logo lasted from 1998 to 2015 and their current logo has been in use since then. All in all D.C. United have had one of the more consistent presences in the league, from a branding perspective.
Let’s talk about all of those trophies! They have won MLS Cup 4 times (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004), they have 4 Supporters Shields (1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007), 3 US Open Cups (1996, 2008 and 2013) as well as a CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1998 and a Copa Interamerica also in 1998.
Kansas City Wiz
The Kansas City Wiz of Kansas City, Missouri. The story of this club features a lot of change and a lot of success. The club came out of the gate with one of the most iconic names and visual identities in American soccer history. You decide if that is positive or negative. The Wiz played their home matches at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football league from 1996 to 2007.
Some teams change their logo, some change their name - the Wiz did both and also changed the state that they play in. Thanks to the quirks of American geography, the club was able to move from playing in Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas just across the border. The Wiz were only the Wiz for the 1996 season. From 1997 to 2010 they were known as the Kansas City Wizards. Eventually in 2011, the club rebranded again to Sporting Kansas City with a cleaner visual identity overall.
As far as the success of the club is concerned, they have a full trophy cabinet. The club has won 2 MLS Cups (2000 and 2013), a Supporters Shield (2000) and 4 US Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017). Those 4 US Open Cups have Sporting tied for the most US Open Cup wins my an MLS club.
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy of Los Angeles, California are arguable one of the most famous clubs in league history and also the most successful. The Galaxy began playing their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California - the home to the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final. The name Galaxy is a play on the concept of Los Angeles being filled with “stars” and their initial logo is made to look like a spinning galaxy.
The Galaxy have kept their name but rebranded in 2007 coinciding with the groundbreaking arrival of David Beckham in a move that literally changed the trajectory of the entire league. That updated brand is what the team still uses to this day. Since 2003 the Galaxy have called Carson, California their home at Home Depot Center / StubHub Center / Dignity Health Sports Park.
Now, for the accolades. The LA Galaxy hold the record with 6 MLS Cups (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2024), they have 4 Supporters Shields (1998, 2002, 2010 and 2011), 2 US Open Cups (2001 and 2005) and a CONCACAF Champions Cup (2000). A truly impressive haul.
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution of Foxborough, Massachusetts are unfortunately the least successful of the still active original clubs. It’s not all doom and gloom as there has been a lot of positive play, it just did not always end in a trophy. The Revolution share ownership with the National Football League’s New England Patriots. This has meant that they have shared home venues for the entirety of their existence. This means that they began play at Foxboro Stadium and then eventually moved to Gillette Stadium when it opened in 2002.
The logo shown above was in place from 1996 to 2021 and was replaced with their current logo. This meant that the Revolution were the last of the original 10 clubs to ditch their original branding/name. The Revolution have not won an MLS Cup but have been runners up 5 different times. They have however won the Supporters Shield (2021), setting the single season points record in the process. They have also won the US Open Cup (2007) and a shortly lived competition North American SuperLiga (2008).
New York / New Jersey MetroStars
The New York / New Jersey MetroStars playing out of East Rutherford, New Jersey. This is not the name of the club now and almost wasn’t the name of the club then! The original name was Empire Soccer Club, the ownership group had explored bringing the Cosmos name back to life, and Nike wanted to call the team MetroFlash. The team would eventually be named MetroStars after the company MetroMedia which was owned by one of the original club owners.
The team originally played at Giants Stadium, home to the National Football League’s New York Giants, and moved to their own soccer specific stadium in Harrison, New Jersey in 2010. In 2006, the club was purchased by the RedBull corporation where they were rebranded and renamed to Red Bull New York (or New York Red Bulls). This would be the first instance of a global club network getting a foothold in Major League Soccer.
The MetroStars/Red Bulls also have a lackluster trophy cabinet. They have not won an MLS Cup but have been runners up twice. They have however won 3 Supporters Shields (2013, 2015 and 2018). They have not won a US Open Cup but have also been runners up twice in that competition.
San Jose Clash
The San Jose Clash of San Jose, California is a wild tale so we’re going to jump right in. The club is currently called the San Jose Earthquakes. That also happens to be the name of the North American Soccer League (NASL) club that existed from 1974 to 1988. When San Jose was awarded their MLS franchise, the owner held the naming rights to the San Jose Earthquakes name but Nike wanted to name the club the San Jose Clash so the Clash is what we got.
The Clash hosted the very first MLS game ever and had a good amount of success on the field but the name was not long for this world. In 1999 the club rebranded “back” to the San Jose Earthquakes. They would go on to win 2 MLS Cups (2001 and 2003) and a Supporters Shield (2005). The following year (2006), the club would go on “hiatus”. The team and coach all moved to Houston and became the Houston Dynamo but none of the records or trophies went with them. This meant that when a new team returned to San Jose in 2008, they picked up the name, badge, records and trophies. They would go on to add an additional Supporters Shield to their haul in 2012.
Even with the start and stop nature of the “club” across decades, leagues and names - the organization celebrated their 50th year in 2025.
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny of Tampa, Florida hold the distinction of being the only club on this list that no longer exists. Even though they were not able to find success off the field, they did briefly find it on the field. The Mutiny were the first ever winners of the Supporters Shield in 1996. You will never see a photo of their title celebration though because the title didn’t exist in 1996, so it had to be awarded to the club retroactively once it was created in 1999.
The Mutiny played 6 season before the club was folded in early 2002 due to declining attendance and an increase in costs.