# Eastern Conference (MLS)

The Eastern Conference (French: Association de l'Est) is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with clubs east of the river in the Eastern Conference.
As of 2023, the Eastern Conference contains 15 teams. The conference has produced 17 Supporters' Shield champions and 11 MLS Cup winners in Major League Soccer's first 28 seasons. In 2000 and 2001, the conference was referred to as the Eastern Division when Major League Soccer briefly reorganized into three divisions.

## 2024 standings

MLS Eastern Conference table (2024) :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Inter Miami CF | 34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 79 | 49 | +30 | 74 | Qualification for round one, the 2025 Leagues Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup round one |
| 2 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 66 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 3 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 58 | 48 | +10 | 59 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 4 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 59 | 50 | +9 | 52 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 51 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 6 | New York City FC | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 54 | 49 | +5 | 50 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 7 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 47 | Qualification for round one and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 8 | CF Montréal | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 48 | 64 | −16 | 43 | Qualification for the wild-card round and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 9 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 40 | Qualification for the wild-card round and the 2025 Leagues Cup |
| 10 | D.C. United | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 52 | 70 | −18 | 40 | |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 34 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 40 | 61 | −21 | 37 | |
| 12 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 37 | |
| 13 | Nashville SC | 34 | 9 | 16 | 9 | 38 | 54 | −16 | 36 | |
| 14 | New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 37 | 74 | −37 | 31 | |
| 15 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 7 | 18 | 9 | 40 | 62 | −22 | 30 | |

## Members
### Current

| Team | City | Stadium |
| Atlanta United FC | Atlanta, Georgia | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Charlotte FC | Charlotte, North Carolina | Bank of America Stadium |
| Chicago Fire FC | Chicago, Illinois | Soldier Field |
| Columbus Crew | Columbus, Ohio | Lower.com Field |
| FC Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | TQL Stadium |
| D.C. United | Washington, D.C. | Audi Field |
| Inter Miami CF | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Chase Stadium |
| CF Montréal | Montreal, Quebec | Saputo Stadium |
| Nashville SC | Nashville, Tennessee | Geodis Park |
| New England Revolution | Foxborough, Massachusetts | Gillette Stadium |
| New York City FC | New York City, New York | Yankee Stadium |
| New York Red Bulls | Harrison, New Jersey | Red Bull Arena |
| Orlando City SC | Orlando, Florida | Inter&Co Stadium |
| Philadelphia Union | Chester, Pennsylvania | Subaru Park |
| Toronto FC | Toronto, Ontario | BMO Field |

### Timeline

Eastern Conference member Western Conference member Central Division member

## Conference lineups by year
### 1996–97 (5 teams)

* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* New England Revolution
* New York/New Jersey MetroStars
* Tampa Bay Mutiny
Changes from 1995: Creation of the Major League Soccer.

### 1998–99 (6 teams)

* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* New York MetroStars
* Miami Fusion
* New England Revolution
* Tampa Bay Mutiny
Changes from 1997: New York/New Jersey MetroStars simplified their name to New York MetroStars; the Miami Fusion were added in the 1998 expansion.

### 2000–01 (as Eastern Division) (4 teams)

* D.C. United
* New York MetroStars
* Miami Fusion
* New England Revolution
Changes from 1999: The Eastern Conference changed its name to Eastern Division with the creation of the Central Division; the Columbus Crew and the Tampa Bay Mutiny moved to the new division.

### 2002–04 (5 teams)

* Chicago Fire
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* New York MetroStars
* New England Revolution
Changes from 2001: The Eastern Division changed back its name to Eastern Conference following the contraction of the Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, resulting in the disbanding of the Central Division; Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew moved in from the Central Division

### 2005 (6 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Kansas City Wizards
* New York MetroStars
* New England Revolution
Changes from 2004: Kansas City Wizards moved in from the Western Conference.

### 2006 (6 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Kansas City Wizards
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
Changes from 2005: The New York MetroStars were bought by Red Bull and changed their name to New York Red Bulls.

### 2007–09 (7 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Kansas City Wizards
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2006: Toronto FC was added in the 2007 expansion.

### 2010 (8 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Kansas City Wizards
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2009: Philadelphia Union was added in the 2010 expansion.

### 2011 (9 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Houston Dynamo
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* Philadelphia Union
* Sporting Kansas City
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2010: The Kansas City Wizards changed their name to Sporting Kansas City; Houston Dynamo moved in from the Western Conference.

### 2012–14 (10 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Houston Dynamo
* Montreal Impact
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* Philadelphia Union
* Sporting Kansas City
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2011: Montreal Impact was added in the 2012 expansion.

### 2015–16 (10 teams)

* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew SC
* D.C. United
* Montreal Impact
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2014: New York City FC and Orlando City SC were added as expansion franchises; Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo moved out to the Western Conference; Columbus Crew adds "SC" to the official team name.

### 2017–18 (11 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew SC
* D.C. United
* Montreal Impact
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2016: Atlanta United FC was added in the 2017 expansion.

### 2019 (12 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew SC
* FC Cincinnati
* D.C. United
* Montreal Impact
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2018: FC Cincinnati was added in the 2019 expansion.

### 2020 (14 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* Columbus Crew SC
* FC Cincinnati
* D.C. United
* Inter Miami CF
* Montreal Impact
* Nashville SC
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2019: Inter Miami CF was added in the 2020 expansion, Nashville SC was added since the MLS is Back Tournament up to the end of the 2020 season; Chicago Fire SC was renamed Chicago Fire FC.

### 2021 (14 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* FC Cincinnati
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Inter Miami CF
* CF Montréal
* Nashville SC
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2020: Nashville SC moved in from the Western Conference; the Montreal Impact was renamed Club de Foot Montréal. Columbus Crew SC was briefly renamed to Columbus SC and then to Columbus Crew.

### 2022 (14 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Charlotte FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* FC Cincinnati
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Inter Miami CF
* CF Montréal
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2021: Charlotte FC was added as a then-unnamed expansion franchise in 2019, with its first season initially set for 2021 but delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nashville SC moved back to the Western Conference.

### 2023–25 (15 teams)

* Atlanta United FC
* Charlotte FC
* Chicago Fire FC
* FC Cincinnati
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* Inter Miami CF
* CF Montréal
* Nashville SC
* New England Revolution
* New York Red Bulls
* New York City FC
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Toronto FC
Changes from 2022: Nashville SC was moved back to the Eastern Conference as expansion side St. Louis City SC was added to the Western Conference.

## Eastern Conference playoff champions by year

Note: The conference finals were a best-of-three series through 2001 (including the MLS semifinals in 2000 and 2001, when a conference playoff format was not used). Matches tied after regulation were decided by a shoot-out. In 2002, a similar format was used except that draws were allowed and the team earning the most points advanced. From 2003 through 2011, the Finals were a single match. Matches tied after regulation moved to extra time (Golden goal extra time was implemented for 2003 only), then a shoot-out if necessary. Beginning in 2012, the finals were a two-match aggregate series. The away goals rule for series that finished even on aggregate was first implemented in 2014. Extra time and shoot-outs are used if necessary, although away goals did not apply in extra time. In 2019, the playoffs returned to a single match format (including the conference finals), hosted by the higher ranked team through the regular season.
| Bold | MLS Cup champions |
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners-up |
| 1996 | D.C. United | 2 matches to 0 | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| 1997 | D.C. United | 2 matches to 0 | Columbus Crew |
| 1998 | D.C. United | 2 matches to 1 | Columbus Crew |
| 1999 | D.C. United | 2 matches to 1 | Columbus Crew |
| 2000 | No conference playoffs | No conference playoffs | No conference playoffs |
| 2001 | No conference playoffs | No conference playoffs | No conference playoffs |
| 2002 | New England Revolution | 5 points to 2 | Columbus Crew |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | New England Revolution |
| 2004 | D.C. United | 3–3 (4–3 p) | New England Revolution |
| 2005 | New England Revolution | 1–0 | Chicago Fire |
| 2006 | New England Revolution | 1–0 | D.C. United |
| 2007 | New England Revolution | 1–0 | Chicago Fire |
| 2008 | Columbus Crew | 2–1 | Chicago Fire |
| 2009 | Real Salt Lake$^W$ | 0–0 (5–4 p) | Chicago Fire |
| 2010 | Colorado Rapids$^W$ | 1–0 | San Jose Earthquakes$^W$ |
| 2011 | Houston Dynamo | 2–0 | Sporting Kansas City |
| 2012 | Houston Dynamo | 4–2 agg. | D.C. United |
| 2013 | Sporting Kansas City | 2–1 agg. | Houston Dynamo |
| 2014 | New England Revolution | 4–3 agg. | New York Red Bulls |
| 2015 | Columbus Crew SC | 2–1 agg. | New York Red Bulls |
| 2016 | Toronto FC | 7–5 agg. (a.e.t.) | Montreal Impact |
| 2017 | Toronto FC | 1–0 agg. | Columbus Crew SC |
| 2018 | Atlanta United FC | 3–1 agg. | New York Red Bulls |
| 2019 | Toronto FC | 2–1 | Atlanta United FC |
| 2020 | Columbus Crew SC | 1–0 | New England Revolution |
| 2021 | New York City FC | 2–1 | Philadelphia Union |
| 2022 | Philadelphia Union | 3–1 | New York City FC |
| 2023 | Columbus Crew | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | FC Cincinnati |
| 2024 | New York Red Bulls | 1–0 | Orlando City SC |
$^W$ – Western Conference team.

## Eastern Conference regular season champions by year

No trophy is awarded for leading the conference standings at the end of the regular season, unless the regular season leader also wins the Supporters' Shield. The winner of the Conference play-offs is considered the Conference champion. Three clubs have topped the Eastern Conference standings at the end of the regular season, won the Supporters' Shield, the Eastern Conference (MLS) and the MLS Cup; D.C. United, twice, Columbus Crew and Toronto FC. Toronto in 2017 also won the Canadian Championship, being the only MLS team to therefore take a clean sweep of all titles available to them.
| | also won Supporters' Shield |
| Italic | also won Eastern Conference play off final |
| Bold | also won MLS Cup |
| Season | Team | Record (W–L–T) (GD) | Playoffs result |
| 1996 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 20–12–0^ (+15) | Lost conference finals |
| 1997 | D.C. United | 21–11–0^ (+17) | Won MLS Cup |
| 1998 | D.C. United | 24–8–0^ (+30) | Lost MLS Cup |
| 1999 | D.C. United | 23–9–0^ (+22) | Won MLS Cup |
| 2000 | MetroStars | 17–12–3 (+8) | Lost Semifinals |
| 2001 | Miami Fusion† | 16–5–5 (+21) | Lost Semifinals |
| 2002 | New England Revolution | 12–14–2 (0) | Lost MLS Cup |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire | 15–7–8 (+10) | Lost conference finals |
| 2004 | Columbus Crew | 12–5–13 (+8) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2005 | New England Revolution | 17–7–8 (+18) | Lost MLS Cup |
| 2006 | D.C. United | 15–7–10 (+14) | Lost conference finals |
| 2007 | D.C. United | 16–7–7 (+22) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2008 | Columbus Crew | 17–7–6 (+14) | Won MLS Cup |
| 2009 | Columbus Crew | 13–7–10 (+10) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2010 | New York Red Bulls | 15–9–6 (+9) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2011 | Sporting Kansas City | 13–9–12 (+10) | Lost conference finals |
| 2012 | Sporting Kansas City | 18–7–9 (+15) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2013 | New York Red Bulls | 17–9–8 (+17) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2014 | D.C. United | 17–9–8 (+15) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2015 | New York Red Bulls | 18–10–6 (+19) | Lost conference finals |
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls | 16–9–9 (+17) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2017 | Toronto FC | 20–5–9 (+37) | Won MLS Cup |
| 2018 | New York Red Bulls | 22–7–5 (+29) | Lost conference finals |
| 2019 | New York City FC | 18–6–10 (+21) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2020 | Philadelphia Union | 14–4–5 (+24) | Lost first round |
| 2021 | New England Revolution | 22–5–7 (+24) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2022 | Philadelphia Union | 19–5–10 (+46) | Lost MLS Cup |
| 2023 | FC Cincinnati | 20–5–9 (+18) | Lost conference finals |
| 2024 | Inter Miami CF | 22–4–8 (+30) | Lost first round |
^ – MLS did not have draws until the 2000 season. † – Miami Fusion were declared winners of the Eastern Division in 2001 after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks forced the cancellation of the rest of the regular season. The MLS Cup playoffs began on September 20.

## MLS East at the MLS All-Star Game

In 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004, the Major League Soccer All-Star Game was contested between an all-star team from the Eastern Conference and an all-star team from the Western Conference. In total, the MLS East all-star team has 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss against the west.
Yearly results :
| Year | Result | Score | Series |
| 1996 | Won | 3–2 | East 1–0–0 |
| 1997 | Won | 5–4 | East 2–0–0 |
| 1999 | Lost | 4–6 | East 2–1–0 |
| 2000 | Won | 9–4 | East 3–1–0 |
| 2001 | Tied | 6–6 | East 3–1–1 |
| 2004 | Won | 3–2 | East 4–1–1 |