2021 Major League Soccer season

Major League Soccer
Season2021
Dates
  • April 16 – November 7
    (regular season)
  • November 20 – December 11
    (playoffs)
MLS CupNew York City FC (1st title)
Supporters' ShieldNew England Revolution
(1st shield)
Champions League
(United States)
New England Revolution
Colorado Rapids
Seattle Sounders FC
New York City FC
Champions League
(Canada)
CF Montréal
Matches played459
Goals scored1,282 (2.79 per match)
Top goalscorerValentín Castellanos
Ola Kamara
(19 goals each)
Biggest home win6 goals:
DC 7–1 TOR (July 3)
NYC 6–0 DC (October 23)
Biggest away win5 goals:
MIA 0–5 NE (July 21)
Highest scoring9 goals:
MTL 5–4 CIN (July 17)
CIN 3–6 NSH (October 27)
Longest winning run5 matches
NE (May 16 – June 23)
Longest unbeaten run13 matches
SEA (April 16 – July 7)
Longest winless run16 matches
HOU (May 29 – September 3)
Longest losing run12 matches
CIN
(September 15 – November 7)
Highest attendance67,507
ATL 0–1 CLB
(July 24)
Total attendance2,762,942
Average attendance15,350
2020
2022

The 2021 Major League Soccer season was the 26th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The 2021 season included the addition of Austin FC as an expansion club, which took the league to 27 teams.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the season was originally scheduled to begin on April 3, as opposed to the normal late February or early March start. This was later pushed back to April 16, the latest ever start to an MLS season, due to negotiations with the MLS Players Association for a new collective bargaining agreement.[1] The regular season concluded on November 7. The 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs began on November 20, and concluded with MLS Cup 2021 on December 11.[2]

At the beginning of the season, COVID-19 cross-border restrictions imposed by the Canadian government has also made the Canadian teams to play their home matches in the United States from the start of the season, while also sharing stadiums with other American MLS teams. On July 14, MLS announced that a select Toronto FC and CF Montréal matches would be played in Canada while working with the Canadian government on how the matches were to be held. Nearly a week later, the MLS announced that the Canadian teams would play home matches in Canada in August 2021.[3]

The Columbus Crew were the defending champions, having defeated Seattle Sounders FC in MLS Cup 2020 but was eliminated from playoffs during the regular season, while the Philadelphia Union were the defending Supporters' Shield winners. The New England Revolution won their first Supporters' Shield, in the process breaking the record for most regular season points collected.[4] New York City FC won their first ever MLS Cup, beating Portland Timbers in the decider.

  1. ^ Baxter, Kevin (February 10, 2021). "Start of 2021 MLS season is being delayed two weeks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Major League Soccer pushes season start date back to April 17". ESPN. February 10, 2021. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "MLS' Canadian teams to host home matches in Canada in August". Major League Soccer. July 23, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "History made: New England Revolution set single-season MLS points record". Major League Soccer. October 28, 2021. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.