MLS Cup

MLS Cup

Philip F. Anschutz Trophy
Founded	1996
Region	Major League Soccer (CONCACAF)
Current champions	Seattle Sounders FC (1st title)
Most successful club(s)	Los Angeles Galaxy (5 titles)
Television broadcasters	ESPN, FOX, UniMás, TSN, RDS
MLS Cup 2016

The MLS Cup is the trophy awarded at the conclusion of the MLS Cup final, the post-season championship match of Major League Soccer, the top tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues (i.e. via a playoff following a regular season). This differs from other top soccer leagues around the world which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the sole champion. MLS honors this achievement with the Supporters' Shield. An American team that wins the MLS Cup is awarded a berth in the following year's CONCACAF Champions League.

The league hosted its inaugural championship, MLS Cup '96 on October 20, 1996. Today the MLS Cup is typically held in early December, featuring the winners of the Eastern Conference Championship and Western Conference Championship. LA Galaxy are the most successful team, winning a record fifth Cup in 2014.

During its history, the MLS Cup has been represented by three different trophies: the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 through 1998, a redesigned Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 through 2007, and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008.

The MLS Cup's roots trace back to the foundation of Major League Soccer, when the league decided to have a championship format similar to its contemporary North American sports leagues by having the season culminate in a postseason tournament to determine the league champion.

For the first few MLS Cup finals, the championship was dominated by D.C. United, who appeared in the first four MLS Cup finals, winning three of them. The inaugural MLS Cup, MLS Cup '96 was the first MLS Cup championship match, featuring United and Los Angeles Galaxy. The inaugural match had the Galaxy take an early 1–0 lead, and double in early in the second half. However, their lead was relinquished towards the end of the match when Tony Sanneh pulled one back in the 72nd minute. Nine minutes later, Shawn Medved tied the match at two, resulting in overtime between the two sides. Four minutes into overtime, Eddie Pope gave United the golden goal victory.