MLS through the years: U.S. counties and southern Canada

Pick a U.S. county or a census division in the displayed part of southern Canada, choose a season, and ask one question: which MLS club was closest? Our interactive MLS history map follows the answer from the league's first season in 1996 through 2026. Club colors fill the regions, while the crests bring each era back into view.

Ten clubs, then a much fuller map

MLS began in 1996 with ten teams. With relatively few home cities, one club could be the closest option across several states. Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion joined in 1998, taking the league to twelve. The shape of the map changed again when the Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny ceased operations in January 2002. Both are present through 2001 in our timeline and absent from 2002. MLS's expansion history documents those early changes.

Try comparing 1996, 2002 and 2017. As clubs enter new regions, counties that once pointed toward a distant city gain a closer option. The biggest colored region does not necessarily contain the most people: large western counties occupy much more screen space than small counties in the Northeast.

San Diego FC joined for the 2025 season as the league's thirtieth club, adding another anchor in Southern California. The league's San Diego announcement distinguishes its 2023 award from its 2025 playing debut. The map follows playing seasons, so an announced future club does not appear early.

San Jose, Houston and the names you remember

San Jose's interruption deserves a closer look. Its team moved to Houston ahead of 2006, and the Earthquakes returned to MLS in 2008. The league retained the Earthquakes' history in San Jose while Houston began a separate club history. Our timeline therefore leaves San Jose out of 2006 and 2007 and includes Houston from 2006. MLS's return announcement explains that distinction.

The older marks are part of the experience. Dallas Burn, the MetroStars, the Kansas City Wiz and Wizards, and the San Jose Clash help make the early seasons recognizable. Names and crests follow the identity eras recorded in the map. Select a crest beneath the map to highlight its regions and compare its reach with the other clubs that season.

For a view beyond MLS, explore the USL history map. It follows Championship, League One and League Two from 2011 across the same U.S. and southern Canadian geography, with separate league views and announced future expansion.

How we decide what is closest

For each U.S. county or Canadian census division, we calculate a geographic center and measure great-circle distance to each active club's approximate home-city location for that season. The shortest distance determines its color. These are city anchors, so the mileage is approximate; the map does not reconstruct every stadium move, temporary venue or individual match location. When neighboring club colors are too similar, the map chooses a more distinct solid color from the club's palette or a lighter or darker shade. The crests and matching legend help identify each club. When two clubs share the same anchor, their tied regions use multi-color stripes.

Canadian MLS clubs count from their first MLS season, and the map now shows a slice of southern Canada alongside the United States. Alaska and Hawaii remain as insets for readability, but their distances use their real geographic locations. Moving Alaska on the page never moves it closer to California in the calculation.

The U.S. geography includes 3,142 counties and county equivalents across all fifty states and Washington, DC, using U.S. Census Bureau 2017 boundaries redistributed by U.S. Atlas. The Canadian portion uses Statistics Canada's 2021 census divisions. Every season uses those fixed boundaries. Historical border changes are not modeled, and the geographic centers are not population weighted.

Canada is a cropped view, not a map of the whole country. If a division extends beyond the edge, only its drawing is clipped: the nearest-club calculation still uses the full division's geographic centroid. U.S. county counts and Canadian division counts are shown separately, and the Canadian totals cover only divisions included in the displayed area.

The resulting colors describe proximity. They cannot tell you who people support, the fastest drive to a match, or a club's official territory. Logos label the colored regions rather than pinpoint stadiums. Use the map to explore how nearby MLS options changed, then check the club's current venue and schedule before planning a visit.

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