Major League Soccer has a long way in its ambitions to reach the level of media dominance leagues like the NFL and NBA hold within the United States. But with new viewership records and the Messi effect taking hold, the league is seeing continued growth in television and streaming audiences.
High-stakes matches seem to be propelling the league to new heights in revenue and attendance; of the most-watched MLS games, 60% of them have been MLS Cup final matches.
The most-watched MLS game ever is the inaugural MLS Cup title match, drawing 3.1 million American viewers in 1996. D.C. United faced off against the Galaxy for supremacy in the new league.
Fans were treated to a dramatic game featuring five goals. D.C. United came back from a two-goal deficit to send the game into extra time, winning 3-2.
D.C. United is featured in the second-most-watched game as well, which drew 2.2 million viewers in the United States. They played the Rapids in a game to decide if they would become the first back-to-back MLS champions in 1997.
Playing at home at the old RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., United pulled off a late goal to secure their second straight title. Despite rainy conditions, a crowd of 57,431 spectators watched their home team bring home the MLS Cup again.
Only three games among the most-watched MLS games are regular season games.
Freddy Adu’s debut game for D.C. United is the most-watched regular season game, drawing 1.97 million American viewers. At just 14 years old, he became the youngest player ever to play in an MLS game, which has since been broken by the Union’s Cavan Sullivan.
The other regular season game to attract over 1.5 million viewers is the 2019 game between Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls. The match had an average of 1.609 million viewers.
As MLS looks to expand the number of teams in the league, it hopes the growing interest will sustain its growth to compete with bigger, more established domestic leagues.
Ranking The Most Watched MLS Games Ever
Here is the list of the top 10 most-watched MLS games based on average U.S. viewership. The list was compiled using historical data from MLS Soccer and The Athletic.
- Updated: July 1, 2024
| Ranking | Matchup | Date | Average U.S. Viewership |
| 1 | D.C. United vs Los Angeles Galaxy | October 20, 1996 | 3.1 million |
| 2 | D.C. United vs Colorado Rapids | October 26, 1997 | 2.2 million |
| 3 | D.C. United vs San Jose Earthquakes | April 3, 2004 | 1.97 million |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids vs Portland Timbers | November 24, 2021 | 1.89 million |
| 5 | Atlanta United vs New York Red Bulls | July 7, 2019 | 1.61 million |
| 6 | Atlanta United vs Portland Timbers | December 8, 2018 | 1.56 million |
| 7 | New York City FC vs Portland Timbers | December 11, 2021 | 1.51 million |
| 8 | Los Angeles FC vs Philadelphia Union | November 5, 2022 | 1.48 million |
| 9 | Seattle Sounders vs Toronto FC | December 10, 2016 | 1.41 million |
| 10 | Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers | June 30, 2018 | 1.16 million |
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