How every MLS expansion club has performed in its first two years
Inter Miami and Nashville SC are both playing in their second MLS season in 2021, hoping to improve on a tough debut campaign that saw each finish in the bottom half of the overall standings.
2021 also sees the MLS arrival of Austin FC, while Charlotte FC will be part of the ever-expanding league from 2022 and St. Louis City from 2023.
Plenty of eyes this season will be on Inter Miami in particular because of the David Beckham factor, as well as the appointment of Phil Neville as head coach and a first full season at the club for heavily decorated former Juventus players Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain.
The big aim for the Florida club will be to make the playoffs again, having scraped into a temporarily expanded post-season as a result of the season being re-shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. There won’t be as many playoff berths available this time, so the competition will be tougher.
To get an idea of what might be a realistic expectation for the newer teams, here’s a look at how all 15 MLS expansion clubs that have played two full seasons have performed...
1. Chicago Fire
Joined: 1998
Debut season: MLS Cup winners
Second season: Western Conference semi-finals
Chicago Fire were the first expansion club to join the original MLS founders and immediately went all the way to lift the 1998 MLS Cup at the first attempt, beating back-to-back reigning champions D.C. United in the final.
It wasn’t quite as good the following year in 1999. Chicago made the playoffs, dropping from second to third in the Western Conferences, but lost in the conference semi-finals.
2. Real Salt Lake
Joined: 2005
Debut season: 5th of 6 in Eastern Conference
Second season: 6th of 6 in Eastern Conference
Real Salt Lake finished a distant fifth out of six teams in the Eastern Conference in the 2005 debut season, a massive 25 points adrift of fourth place and a playoff berth.
In 2006, they were much improved in terms of wins and points, finishing 19 points better off, and even had golden boot winner Jason Cunningham in their ranks. But they actually slipped to sixth place, which put them last in the Eastern Conference.
3. Houston Dynamo
Joined: 2006
Debut season: MLS Cup winners
Second season: MLS Cup winners
Powered by the goals of USMNT forward Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo took MLS by storm when they debuted in 2006 and won the MLS Cup in each of their first two seasons.
They finished second in the Western Conference on both occasions but rose above the rest in the playoffs and beat New England Revolution in back-to-back finals.
4. Toronto FC
Joined: 2007
Debut season: 7th of 7 in Eastern Conference
Second season: 7th of 7 in Eastern Conference
Although they have played in three MLS Cup finals, winning one, in the last five seasons, success took a long time to develop at Toronto FC, the league’s first non-American team.
In each of their first two MLS seasons in 2007 and 2008, the Canadian franchise finished in last place in the Eastern Conference standings. They finished bottom of the overall standings in 2007 but at least slightly improved the following season by climbing to 12th overall.
5. Seattle Sounders
Joined: 2009
Debut season: Western Conference semi-finals
Second season: Western Conference semi-finals
Seattle Sounders immediately finished third in the Western Conference in their debut MLS season in 2009, but lost in the first round of the post-season against Houston in a close encounter.
In 2010, Seattle dropped one place in the conference standings, but made the playoffs again and were knocked out at the same stage – this time against LA Galaxy.
6. Philadelphia Union
Joined: 2010
Debut season: 7th of 8 in Eastern Conference
Second season: Eastern Conference semi-finals
Philadelphia Union enjoyed a best ever season in 2020 when they won the MLS Supporters’ Shield, a big leap for a club that has often struggled to reach the post-season in the past.
In their 2010 debut season, Philadelphia only finished above D.C. United in the Eastern Conference, although they improved to third place in 2011 and made it into the playoffs.
7. Vancouver Whitecaps
Joined: 2011
Debut season: 9th of 9 in Western Conference
Second season: Western Conference first knockout round
Canada’s second MLS club followed in the footsteps of its first and collected a dreaded conference wooden spoon, with Vancouver Whitecaps bottom of the Western Conference in 2011.
The team improved considerably in 2012, winning more than twice as many games and getting 15 points more to finish fifth in the conference and get into the wildcard round, where they lost to eventual champions LA Galaxy.
8. Portland Timbers
Joined: 2011
Debut season: 6th of 9 in Western Conference
Second season: 8th of 9 in Western Conference
Previously an historic NASL club, Portland Timbers couldn’t make the playoffs in either of their first two MLS seasons and actually regressed from the first to the second.
They won 11 games and took 42 points in the 2011 regular season, but too many tied games in 2012 resulted in fewer points and a slide down the Western Conference standings.
9. Montreal Impact
Joined: 2012
Debut season: 7th of 10 in Eastern Conference
Second season: Eastern Conference first knockout round
Now to be known as CF Montreal from 2021 onwards, Montreal Impact were the third Canadian team handed an MLS expansion berth in 2012 as the league grew to 19 clubs overall.
Albeit not enough for a playoff place, the 2012 season was a respectable start for Montreal. They then improved in 2013 to qualify for the east’s preliminary playoff knockout.
10. Orlando City
Joined: 2015
Debut season: 7th of 10 in Eastern Conference
Second season: 8th of 10 in Eastern Conference
2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka was the star attraction when Orlando City debuted in MLS in 2015, although in three years in central Florida the Brazilian never made it to the playoffs.
Orlando actually got progressively worse each season until levelling out in 2019 and it wasn’t until 2020 that they did enough to qualify for the post-season for the first and only time.
11. New York City
Joined: 2015
Debut season: 8th of 10 in Eastern Conference
Second season: Eastern Conference semi-finals
New York City were another MLS newbie carried by big names in 2015, with David Villa captaining the team and Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo arriving midway through the season.
After a tough 2015 debut campaign, things came together for NYC in 2016 and they enjoyed that all-important improvement, finishing second in the Eastern Conference. Their playoff dreams ended quickly, though, falling to a 7-0 aggregate blowout against Toronto.
12. Minnesota United
Joined: 2017
Debut season: 9th of 11 in Western Conference
Second season: 10th of 12 in Western Conference
Minnesota United took 36 points from 34 regular season games in each of their first two MLS season in 2017 and 2018. In neither was it good enough to get into the playoffs.
But after taking a little time to adapt and step up, progress has been there for Minnesota more recently and they have made the playoffs in both seasons since.
13. Atlanta United
Joined: 2017
Debut season: Eastern Conference first knockout round
Second season: MLS Cup winners
Atlanta United felt their way into life as an MLS club in 2017, making the first round of the playoffs with a respectable regular season of fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
2018 was when the team caught fire. Striker Josef Martinez set a new MLS record for single season goals with 31 and Atlanta lifted the MLS Cup by beating Portland Timbers in the final.
14. Los Angeles FC
Joined: 2018
Debut season: Western Conference first knockout round
Second season: Supporters’ Shield; Western Conference semi-finals
LA FC became the city’s eagerly awaited second MLS club in 2018 and were quickly a success when they finished third in the West Conference to make the playoffs.
Former Arsenal forward Carlos Vela then broke Josef Martinez’s single season goal record in 2019 when he scored 34 and LA finished top of the overall standings to win the Supporters’ Shield.
15. FC Cincinnati
Joined: 2019
Debut season: 12th of 12 in Eastern Conference
Second season: 14th of 14 in Eastern Conference
FC Cincinnati are the newest MLS club to have completed two seasons in the league and it hasn’t gone well so far. Following the recent successes of Atlanta and LA FC, they have gone in the opposite direction and have twice finished bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Not only that, the club has also been last in the overall standings each time.
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