Los Angeles FC (LAFC) continued their best-ever start to a Major League Soccer (MLS) season with a 2-0 home victory over St Louis City on Saturday.
Mathieu Choiniere scored twice on his first league start of the campaign to help LAFC become the only team with a 4-0-0 record this term. LAFC have also yet to concede a goal.
While Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is on a mission to impress in a World Cup year, LAFC have been quietly demonstrating why many people have tipped them to win the title.
A quick look at the list of previous MLS Cup winners highlights why Miami may find it difficult to retain the championship this season.
| Year | Club | Manager |
| 2025 | Inter Miami | Javier Mascherano |
| 2024 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Greg Vanney |
| 2023 | Columbus Crew | Wilfried Nancy |
| 2022 | Los Angeles FC | Steven Cherundolo |
| 2021 | New York City FC | Ronny Deila |
| 2020 | Columbus Crew | Caleb Porter |
| 2019 | Seattle Sounders FC | Brian Schmetzer |
| 2018 | Atlanta United FC | Gerardo Martino |
| 2017 | Toronto FC | Greg Vanney |
| 2016 | Seattle Sounders FC | Brian Schmetzer |
| 2015 | Portland Timbers | Caleb Porter |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Bruce Arena |
| 2013 | Sporting Kansas City | Peter Vermes |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Bruce Arena |
| 2011 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Bruce Arena |
| 2010 | Colorado Rapids | Gary Smith |
| 2009 | Real Salt Lake City | Jason Kreis |
| 2008 | Columbus Crew | Sigi Schmid |
| 2007 | Houston Dynamo | Dominic Kinnear |
| 2006 | Houston Dynamo | Dominic Kinnear |
| 2005 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Steve Sampson |
| 2004 | DC United | Piotr Nowak |
| 2003 | San Jose Earthquakes | Frank Yallop |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Sigi Schmid |
| 2001 | San Jose Earthquakes | Frank Yallop |
| 2000 | Kansas City Wizards | Bob Gansler |
| 1999 | DC United | Thomas Rongen |
| 1998 | Chicago Fire | Bob Bradley |
| 1997 | DC United | Bruce Arena |
| 1996 | DC United | Bruce Arena |
Just three teams have retained the MLS Cup – DC United (1996 & 1997), Houston Dynamo (2006 & 2007), and Los Angeles Galaxy (2011 & 2012).
That record alone shows why the reigning MLS champions are not certainties to go back-to-back, despite having Messi in their line-up.
However, digging a little deeper into the statistics reveals another strong reason why Miami will find it difficult to win another MLS Cup.
| Club | Finals | Wins | Most Recent Win | Runners-up | Most Recent Loss |
| LA Galaxy | 10 | 6 | 2024 | 4 | 2009 |
| DC United | 5 | 4 | 2004 | 1 | 1998 |
| New England Revolution | 5 | 0 | — | 5 | 2014 |
| Columbus Crew | 4 | 3 | 2023 | 1 | 2015 |
| Houston Dynamo | 4 | 2 | 2007 | 2 | 2012 |
| Seattle Sounders | 4 | 2 | 2019 | 2 | 2020 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 3 | 2 | 2013 | 1 | 2004 |
| Chicago Fire | 3 | 1 | 1998 | 2 | 2003 |
| Portland Timbers | 3 | 1 | 2015 | 2 | 2021 |
| Toronto FC | 3 | 1 | 2017 | 2 | 2019 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2 | 2 | 2003 | 0 | — |
| Real Salt Lake | 2 | 1 | 2009 | 1 | 2013 |
| Colorado Rapids | 2 | 1 | 2010 | 1 | 1997 |
| Los Angeles FC | 2 | 1 | 2022 | 1 | 2023 |
| New York Red Bulls | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 2024 |
| Atlanta United | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 0 | — |
| New York City FC | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 0 | — |
| Inter Miami | 1 | 1 | 2025 | 0 | — |
| FC Dallas | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2010 |
| Philadelphia Union | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2022 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2025 |
Aside from the three teams who retained the MLS Cup, only three others reached the final the year after they claimed the title – DC United (1998), Seattle Sounders (2020) and LAFC (2023).
While the weight of that trend may suggest that reaching consecutive finals has become a little easier, retaining the trophy remains a tricky task.
LAFC’s early season form has sent a message to the rest of the league that they should be rated as the favourites to win the title this term.
Head coach Marc Dos Santos has a strong squad at his disposal, as evidenced by the impressive 2-0 home victory over St Louis City.
He made three changes to the team that beat FC Dallas 1-0 last weekend, with Choiniere, Nathan Ordaz and Ryan Raposo replacing Stephen Eustaquio, Sergi Palencia and Timothy Tillman.
LAFC did not miss a beat, keeping St Louis at bay to become just the fourth team in MLS history to record a clean sheet in each of its first four games of the season.
They have surged to the top of the Western Conference standings despite former Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-min Son’s disappointing start to the new season.
Son, who has brought more global streaming viewers to the league, has yet to score. This has not impacted LAFC’s results who have continued to dominate. He played in a free role against St Louis and appeared to benefit from the positional change.
The South Korean international was renowned for being a ‘streaky’ player in the Premier League, and MLS defences will need to be wary over the next few weeks.
If Son rediscovers his scoring touch, LAFC will be extremely tough to stop in their bid to win the MLS Cup for the second time.
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