The 2024 Major League Soccer season was the 29th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and the 46th season overall of a national first-division league in the United States.
The league's 29 teams were divided into the Eastern and Western conferences. This was the first season since the 2016 season to have no new expansion teams joining MLS; San Diego FC joined the league in 2025.
Pre-season matches ran from January 19 through February 17. The regular season began on February 21 and ended on October 19, with a pause from late July to late August for the 2024 Leagues Cup, which comprised all MLS and Liga MX teams. The 2024 MLS Cup playoffs began on October 22 and concluded with MLS Cup 2024 on December 7. MLS only sent eight senior squads to the 2024 U.S. Open Cup as part of a compromise with the USSF that allowed most teams to be represented by MLS Next Pro teams.
The Columbus Crew were the reigning MLS Cup champions and FC Cincinnati were the Supporters' Shield holders; St. Louis City SC were the reigning Western Conference champions. In their fifth season in the league, Inter Miami CF won the Supporters' Shield for the first time, earning a league-record 74 points. The LA Galaxy won a record sixth MLS Cup, and a first since 2014, after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2–1 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
This was the second season that Apple and MLS were part of a ten-year partnership for the broadcast and streaming rights to all MLS and Leagues Cup games, as well as select MLS Next and MLS Next Pro games, on the MLS Season Pass service within the Apple TV app.
Teams Stadiums and locations
Team Stadium Capacity Atlanta United FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium 42,500 Austin FC Q2 Stadium 20,738 Charlotte FC Bank of America Stadium 38,000 Chicago Fire FC Soldier Field 24,955 FC Cincinnati TQL Stadium 26,000 Colorado Rapids Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061 Columbus Crew Lower.com Field 20,011 FC Dallas Toyota Stadium 20,500 D.C. United Audi Field 20,000 Houston Dynamo FC Shell Energy Stadium 22,039 LA Galaxy Dignity Health Sports Park 27,000 Los Angeles FC BMO Stadium 22,000 Minnesota United FC Allianz Field 19,400 Inter Miami CF Chase Stadium 21,550 CF Montréal Saputo Stadium 19,619 Nashville SC Geodis Park 30,000 New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 20,000 New York City FC Yankee StadiumCiti Field 28,74341,992 New York Red Bulls Red Bull Arena 25,000 Orlando City SC Inter&Co Stadium Philadelphia Union Subaru Park 18,500 Portland Timbers Providence Park 25,218 Real Salt Lake America First Field 20,213 San Jose Earthquakes PayPal Park 18,000 Seattle Sounders FC Lumen Field 37,722 Sporting Kansas City Children's Mercy Park 18,467 St. Louis City SC CityPark 22,423 Toronto FC BMO Field 28,351 Vancouver Whitecaps FC BC Place 22,120
Personnel and sponsorships
Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor Sleeve sponsorAtlanta United FC (interim) American Family Insurance Piedmont HospitalAustin FC (interim) Yeti NetspendCharlotte FC AllyRugs.comChicago Fire FC Carvana Magellan CorporationFC Cincinnati Mercy Health KrogerColorado Rapids UCHealth— Columbus Crew Nationwide Tipico SportsbookFC Dallas (interim) Children's Health (Home) UT Southwestern (Away)— D.C. United Guidehouse The FruitistHouston Dynamo FC MD Anderson—Inter Miami CF Royal Caribbean Fracht GroupLA Galaxy Herbalife— Los Angeles FC BMO BankRockstar sponsors training and special event jerseys FordMinnesota United FC TargetBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota sponsors training and special event jerseys AllianzCF Montréal Bank of Montreal TelusNashville SC Renasant BankVanderbilt Health sponsors training and special event jerseys HyundaiNew England Revolution UnitedHealth SantanderNew York City FC Etihad AirwaysMontefiore Einstein sponsors training and special event jerseys Capital RxNew York Red Bulls Red Bull OANDAOrlando City SC Orlando Health ExploriaPhiladelphia Union Bimbo Bakeries USA Independence Blue CrossPortland Timbers DaBella (1 game)Tillamook (rest of season)Dutch Bros. Coffee sponsors training and special event jerseys TikTokReal Salt Lake Select Health Intermountain HealthSan Jose Earthquakes (interim) Intermedia PayPalSeattle Sounders FC ProvidenceProvidence Swedish sponsors training and special event jerseys Emerald Queen CasinoSporting Kansas City Compass Minerals— St. Louis City SC (interim) Purina BJC HealthCareToronto FC Bank of Montreal LGVancouver Whitecaps FC Telus—
Coaching changes Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment Portland Timbers Miles Joseph (interim) End of interim period November 6, 2023Pre-season Phil Neville November 6, 2023Charlotte FC Christian Lattanzio Mutual consent November 8, 2023 Dean Smith December 12, 2023 CF Montréal Hernán Losada November 9, 2023 Laurent Courtois January 8, 2024 New York Red Bulls Troy Lesesne End of contract November 14, 2023 Sandro Schwarz December 14, 2023 Colorado Rapids Chris Little (interim)End of interim period November 17, 2023 Chris Armas November 17, 2023 Chicago Fire FC Frank Klopas (interim) December 5, 2023 Frank Klopas December 5, 2023 Minnesota United FC Sean McAuley (interim) January 5, 2024 Cameron Knowles (interim) January 5, 2024 D.C. United Frédéric Brillant (interim) January 10, 2024 Troy Lesesne January 10, 2024 New England Revolution Clint Peay (interim) December 19, 2023 Caleb Porter December 19, 2023 Minnesota United FC Cameron Knowles (interim) March 13, 2024 2nd in West, 3rd Overall Eric Ramsay March 13, 2024 Nashville SC Gary Smith Mutual consent May 16, 2024 10th in East, 19th Overall Rumba Munthali (interim) May 16, 2024 Atlanta United FC Gonzalo PinedaFired June 3, 2024 13th in East, 24th Overall Rob Valentino (interim) June 3, 2024 FC Dallas Nico Estévez June 9, 2024 13th in West, 27th Overall Peter Luccin (interim) June 9, 2024 San Jose Earthquakes Luchi Gonzalez June 24, 2024 14th in West, 29th Overall Ian Russell (interim) June 24, 2024 St. Louis City SC Bradley Carnell July 1, 2024 12th in West, 26th Overall John Hackworth (interim) July 1, 2024 Nashville SC Rumba Munthali (interim) End of interim period July 22, 2024 12th in East, 23rd Overall B.J. Callaghan July 31, 2024 Austin FC Josh Wolff Fired October 6, 2024 10th in West, 19th Overall Davy Arnaud (interim) October 2024 Chicago Fire FC Frank Klopas Mutual consent October 20, 2024 15th in East, 28th Overall Gregg Berhalter October 20, 2024
Regular season Format The regular season consisted of 34 matches for each team, split evenly between home and away games. The opening match was played on February 21, the earliest in league history; the regular season ended with Decision Day on October 19, which comprised simultaneous intra-conference matches. Matches were paused from July 25 to August 23 for the 2024 Leagues Cup, a knockout tournament that included teams from MLS and Liga MX. The league did not pause matches for the 2024 Copa América, which was played in the United States from June to July. Most regular season matches were played on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. local time.
The 29 teams were divided into two conferences: the Eastern and Western. The 15 teams in the East played a round-robin format with intra-conference teams and six matches against six opponents from the West. The 14 teams in the West played a round-robin with intra-conference teams, an additional one or two intra-conference matches, and six to seven matches against opponents from the East. The top nine teams in each conference advanced to the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, which began with a wild card round for the eighth and ninth placed teams, and was followed by a best-of-three series that was introduced in 2023. The remaining matches were single-elimination, and culminated with the MLS Cup final on December 7.
Several new rules were scheduled to be introduced for the 2024 season following trials in MLS Next Pro, including in-stadium announcements of video assistant referee decisions, a time limit for substitutions, and mandatory off-field checks for injured players. These initiatives were postponed by MLS due to an ongoing labor dispute with the Professional Soccer Referees Association, who organized a lockout of their referees. Replacement referees from outside the union, including former officials and those from lower-level leagues other than USL, were called in to officiate MLS matches. The referees' union and MLS reached an agreement in time for the regular referees to return to the field for Matchday 7, on March 30.
After the conclusion of the 2024 season, on January 28, 2025, MLS announced new competition regulations which determined which teams could enter the numerous cup competitions which MLS clubs could be in. With the exception of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, MLS teams were allowed to compete in up to two extra tournaments for the 2025 campaign. Notably, all teams that participated in the MLS Cup Playoffs were qualified retroactively for the 2025 Leagues Cup, with the exception of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who had their place given to the expansion team San Diego FC as a result of winning the 2024 Canadian Championship (which qualified them for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup). 16 US-based clubs who weren't in the Champions Cup qualified for the 2025 U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 based on performance, with teams not in both the Champions Cup and Leagues Cup given first priority.
The 2024 MLS All-Star Game was played between the MLS All-Stars and the Liga MX All-Stars on July 24.
Conference standings
Overall table The leading team in this table won the Supporters' Shield.
MLS All-Star Game
MLS Cup playoffs
Bracket
MLS Cup
Attendance
Average home attendances
RankTeam 1 Atlanta United FC 17 796,120 67,795 42,501 46,831 2 Charlotte FC 17 597,405 62,291 26,899 35,141 3 Seattle Sounders FC 17 522,812 36,341 29,244 30,754 4 New England Revolution 17 496,446 65,612 14,557 29,203 5 Nashville SC 17 485,980 30,109 26,842 28,587 6 LA Galaxy 17 444,303 70,076 19,302 26,135 7 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 17 444,055 51,035 17,361 26,121 8 Toronto FC 17 436,582 30,217 21,355 25,681 9 FC Cincinnati 17 429,022 25,513 24,282 25,237 10 New York City FC 17 395,858 44,738 10,785 23,286 11 Orlando City SC 17 387,676 25,046 20,985 22,804 12 St. Louis City SC 17 381,730 22,500 22,423 22,455 13 Los Angeles FC 17 376,065 22,321 22,010 22,121 14 Portland Timbers 17 373,136 25,218 19,113 21,949 15 Chicago Fire FC 17 362,576 55,385 11,372 21,328 16 Sporting Kansas City 17 360,279 72,610 14,826 21,193 17 Inter Miami CF 17 356,643 21,550 19,939 20,979 18 Austin FC 17 352,545 20,738 20,738 20,738 19 Columbus Crew 17 349,186 20,927 20,314 20,540 20 Real Salt Lake 17 344,503 21,570 19,268 20,265 21 New York Red Bulls 17 342,474 25,291 15,128 20,146 22 CF Montréal 17 333,523 19,619 19,619 23 Minnesota United FC 17 333,143 19,906 18,722 19,597 24 FC Dallas 17 324,632 19,096 19,096 19,096 25 Philadelphia Union 17 320,369 19,513 18,513 18,845 26 D.C. United 17 308,333 19,365 15,899 18,137 27 San Jose Earthquakes 17 297,509 43,774 10,104 17,501 28 Houston Dynamo FC 17 294,473 22,039 14,282 17,322 29 Colorado Rapids 17 260,720 18,183 7,492 15,336 Total 493 11,509,475 72,610 7,492 23,346
Highest attendances Regular season