# 2018 Major League Soccer season

The 2018 Major League Soccer season was the 23rd season of Major League Soccer, top division of soccer in the United States and Canada. The regular season began on March 3, 2018 and concluded on October 28, 2018. The MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 31, 2018 and concluded with MLS Cup 2018 on December 8, 2018. The league took a nine-day hiatus in early June for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, reduced from previous breaks.
Los Angeles FC joined the league as an expansion franchise, while D.C. United debuted their new soccer-specific stadium, Audi Field.
Toronto FC were the defending Supporters' Shield champions and defending MLS Cup champions.
New York Red Bulls won their third Supporters' Shield, with a league record 71 points, while Atlanta United FC won their first MLS Cup in their second year in the league.

## Teams
### Stadiums and locations

* ^ Non-soccer specific stadium and artificially reduced capacity.

### Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Adidas as kit manufacturer.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor |
| Atlanta United FC | Tata Martino | Michael Parkhurst | American Family Insurance |
| Chicago Fire | Veljko Paunović | Dax McCarty | Valspar |
| Colorado Rapids | Anthony Hudson | Tim Howard | Transamerica |
| Columbus Crew SC | Gregg Berhalter | Wil Trapp | Acura |
| D.C. United | Ben Olsen | Wayne Rooney | Leidos |
| FC Dallas | Óscar Pareja | Matt Hedges | AdvoCare |
| Houston Dynamo | Wílmer Cabrera | DaMarcus Beasley | — |
| LA Galaxy | Dominic Kinnear | Ashley Cole | Herbalife |
| Los Angeles FC | Bob Bradley | Carlos Vela | YouTube TV |
| Minnesota United FC | Adrian Heath | Francisco Calvo | Target |
| Montreal Impact | Rémi Garde | Ignacio Piatti | Bank of Montreal |
| New England Revolution | Brad Friedel | Claude Dielna | UnitedHealthcare |
| New York City FC | Domènec Torrent | David Villa | Etihad Airways |
| New York Red Bulls | Chris Armas | Luis Robles | Red Bull |
| Orlando City SC | James O'Connor | Jonathan Spector | Orlando Health |
| Philadelphia Union | Jim Curtin | Alejandro Bedoya | Bimbo Bakeries USA |
| Portland Timbers | Giovanni Savarese | Diego Valeri | Alaska Airlines |
| Real Salt Lake | Mike Petke | Kyle Beckerman | LifeVantage |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Matias Almeyda | Chris Wondolowski | Sutter Health |
| Seattle Sounders FC | Brian Schmetzer | Osvaldo Alonso | Xbox |
| Sporting Kansas City | Peter Vermes | Matt Besler | Ivy Funds |
| Toronto FC | Greg Vanney | Michael Bradley | Bank of Montreal |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Craig Dalrymple | Kendall Waston | Bell Canada |
* ↑ Kinnear was named interim head coach of the Galaxy on September 10 following Sigi Schmid's departure on that day.
* ↑ Torrent was named head coach of New York City FC on June 11 following Patrick Vieira's departure on that day to manage OGC Nice.
* ↑ Armas was named head coach of the Red Bulls on July 6 following Jesse Marsch's departure on that day to join the coaching staff of RB Leipzig.
* ↑ O'Connor was named head coach on June 29, but did not join Orlando City until July 1. Bobby Murphy, who had been named interim head coach on June 15 after Orlando City and Jason Kreis agreed to part ways, coached the team's June 30 match.
* ↑ Almeyda was named head coach on October 8, replacing interim head coach Steve Ralston, who took over after the Earthquakes fired Mikael Stahre on September 17.
* ↑ Dalrymple was named interim head coach after the Whitecaps parted ways with Carl Robinson on September 25.

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Montreal Impact | Mauro Biello | Fired | October 23, 2017 | Pre-season | Rémi Garde | November 8, 2017 |
| New England Revolution | Tom Soehn (interim) | End of interim period | November 9, 2017 | Pre-season | Brad Friedel | November 9, 2017 |
| Portland Timbers | Caleb Porter | Resigned | November 17, 2017 | Pre-season | Giovanni Savarese | December 18, 2017 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Chris Leitch | Returned to technical director role | November 24, 2017 | Pre-season | Mikael Stahre | November 24, 2017 |
| Colorado Rapids | Steve Cooke (interim) | End of interim period | November 29, 2017 | Pre-season | Anthony Hudson | November 29, 2017 |
| New York City FC | Patrick Vieira | Signed by Nice | June 11, 2018 | 2nd in East, 4th overall | Domènec Torrent | June 11, 2018 |
| Orlando City SC | Jason Kreis | Mutual decision | June 15, 2018 | 6th in East, 14th overall | Bobby Murphy (interim) | June 15, 2018 |
| Orlando City SC | Bobby Murphy (interim) | End of interim period | June 29, 2018 | 8th in East, 17th overall | James O'Connor | June 29, 2018 |
| New York Red Bulls | Jesse Marsch | Signed by RB Leipzig | July 6, 2018 | 2nd in East, 3rd overall | Chris Armas | July 6, 2018 |
| LA Galaxy | Sigi Schmid | Resigned | September 10, 2018 | 8th in West, 13th overall | Dominic Kinnear (interim) | September 10, 2018 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Mikael Stahre | Fired | September 17, 2018 | 12th in West, 23rd overall | Steve Ralston (interim) | September 17, 2018 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Carl Robinson | Fired | September 25, 2018 | 8th in West, 14th overall | Craig Dalrymple (interim) | September 25, 2018 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Steve Ralston (interim) | End of interim period | October 8, 2018 | 12th in West, 23rd overall | Matías Almeyda | October 8, 2018 |

## Regular season
### Format

During the 2018 MLS regular season, each team played 34 games, including 17 home games and 17 away games. Teams faced each of their conference opponents (10 in the East, 11 in the West) twice during the season with one game at home and one game away. Western Conference teams played one additional intra-conference game and Eastern Conference teams played two. All teams faced each non-conference opponent once.

### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 62 | 33 | +29 | 71 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 69 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 56 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 4 | D.C. United | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 51 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 51 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 49 | 50 | −1 | 50 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 46 | |
| 8 | New England Revolution | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 41 | |
| 9 | Toronto FC | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 36 | |
| 10 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 32 | |
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 8 | 22 | 4 | 43 | 74 | −31 | 28 | |

### Western Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 62 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 59 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 57 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 4 | FC Dallas | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 57 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 54 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 49 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 7 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 66 | 64 | +2 | 48 | |
| 8 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 54 | 67 | −13 | 47 | |
| 9 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 38 | |
| 10 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 36 | |
| 11 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 36 | 63 | −27 | 31 | |
| 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 4 | 21 | 9 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 21 | |

### Overall standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | New York Red Bulls (S) | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 62 | 33 | +29 | 71 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Atlanta United FC (C) | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 69 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 62 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 59 | |
| 5 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 57 | |
| 6 | FC Dallas | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 57 | |
| 7 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 56 | |
| 8 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 54 | |
| 9 | D.C. United | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 51 | |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 51 | |
| 11 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 49 | 50 | −1 | 50 | |
| 12 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 49 | |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 66 | 64 | +2 | 48 | |
| 14 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 54 | 67 | −13 | 47 | |
| 15 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 46 | |
| 16 | New England Revolution | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 41 | |
| 17 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 38 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 18 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 36 | |
| 19 | Toronto FC | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 36 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 20 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 32 | |
| 21 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 36 | 63 | −27 | 31 | |
| 22 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 8 | 22 | 4 | 43 | 74 | −31 | 28 | |
| 23 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 4 | 21 | 9 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 21 | |

## MLS Cup Playoffs
### Bracket

| Knockout round | Knockout round | Knockout round | | | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | MLS Cup December 8 – Atlanta, Georgia | MLS Cup December 8 – Atlanta, Georgia | MLS Cup December 8 – Atlanta, Georgia |
| | | | | | E3 | New York City FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 10/31 – New York, New York | 10/31 – New York, New York | 10/31 – New York, New York | | | E3 | New York City FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 10/31 – New York, New York | 10/31 – New York, New York | 10/31 – New York, New York | | | E2 | Atlanta United FC | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| E3 | New York City FC | 3 | | | E2 | Atlanta United FC | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Philadelphia Union | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Philadelphia Union | 1 | | | | | | | | E2 | Atlanta United FC | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Atlanta United FC | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | |
| | | | | | E5 | Columbus Crew | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | | | E5 | Columbus Crew | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | 11/1 – Washington, D.C. | | | E1 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| E4 | D.C. United | 2 (2) | | | E1 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Columbus Crew (p) | 2 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Columbus Crew (p) | 2 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Atlanta United FC | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | W5 | Portland Timbers | 0 |
| | | | | | W5 | Portland Timbers (p) | 2 | 2 | 4 (4) | | | | | | | | |
| 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | | | W5 | Portland Timbers (p) | 2 | 2 | 4 (4) | | | | | | | | |
| 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | 10/31 – Frisco, Texas | | | W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 1 | 3 | 4 (2) | | | | | | | | |
| W4 | FC Dallas | 1 | | | W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 1 | 3 | 4 (2) | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Portland Timbers | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Portland Timbers | 2 | | | | | | | | W5 | Portland Timbers | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W5 | Portland Timbers | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Sporting Kansas City | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | W6 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | | | W6 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | 11/1 – Los Angeles, California | | | W1 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| W3 | Los Angeles FC | 2 | | | W1 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Real Salt Lake | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Attendance
### Average home attendances

    As of October 29, 2018
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Pos. | Team | GP | Cumulative | High | Low | Mean |
| 1 | Atlanta United FC | 17 | 901,033 | 72,243 | 44,696 | 53,002 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 17 | 690,893 | 47,521 | 39,465 | 40,641 |
| 3 | Toronto FC | 17 | 452,675 | 30,799 | 23,011 | 26,628 |
| 4 | LA Galaxy | 17 | 415,543 | 27,068 | 16,231 | 24,444 |
| 5 | Minnesota United FC | 17 | 406,342 | 52,242 | 18,057 | 23,902 |
| 6 | Orlando City SC | 17 | 405,730 | 25,527 | 22,337 | 23,866 |
| 7 | New York City FC | 17 | 394,583 | 30,139 | 18,584 | 23,211 |
| 8 | Los Angeles FC | 17 | 374,716 | 22,716 | 22,000 | 22,042 |
| 9 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 17 | 373,089 | 27,863 | 17,357 | 21,946 |
| 10 | Portland Timbers | 17 | 359,448 | 21,144 | 21,144 | 21,144 |
| 11 | Sporting Kansas City | 17 | 339,148 | 21,064 | 18,508 | 19,950 |
| 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | 17 | 323,547 | 50,743 | 15,648 | 19,032 |
| 13 | New York Red Bulls | 17 | 316,956 | 25,219 | 14,768 | 18,644 |
| 14 | Real Salt Lake | 17 | 316,286 | 21,363 | 16,015 | 18,605 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact | 17 | 315,665 | 26,005 | 15,485 | 18,569 |
| 16 | New England Revolution | 17 | 311,897 | 36,573 | 10,547 | 18,347 |
| 17 | D.C. United | 17 | 299,803 | 20,573 | 5,128 | 17,635 |
| 18 | Houston Dynamo | 17 | 287,408 | 22,320 | 13,094 | 16,906 |
| 19 | Philadelphia Union | 17 | 280,805 | 19,013 | 14,795 | 16,518 |
| 20 | FC Dallas | 17 | 263,707 | 19,096 | 13,147 | 15,512 |
| 21 | Colorado Rapids | 17 | 260,660 | 17,837 | 10,790 | 15,333 |
| 22 | Chicago Fire | 17 | 251,708 | 21,915 | 8,551 | 14,806 |
| 23 | Columbus Crew | 17 | 211,603 | 19,121 | 7,683 | 12,447 |
| – | Total | 391 | 8,553,245 | 72,243 | 5,128 | 21,875 |

### Highest attendances

    As of October 22, 2018
Regular season
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Stadium |
| 1 | Atlanta United FC | 1–1 | Seattle Sounders FC | 72,243 | July 15, 2018 | 20 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 2 | Atlanta United FC | 3–1 | D.C. United | 72,035 | March 11, 2018 | 2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 3 | Atlanta United FC | 2–0 | Real Salt Lake | 72,017 | September 22, 2018 | 30 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 4–0 | Orlando City SC | 71,932 | June 30, 2018 | 18 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 5 | Atlanta United FC | 2–1 | Chicago Fire | 71,812 | October 22, 2018 | 34 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 6 | Minnesota United FC | 1–3 | LA Galaxy | 52,242 | October 21, 2018 | 33 | TCF Bank Stadium |
| 7 | San Jose Earthquakes | 3–3 | LA Galaxy | 50,743 | June 30, 2018 | 18 | Stanford Stadium |
| 8 | Seattle Sounders FC | 2–3 | Portland Timbers | 47,521 | June 30, 2018 | 18 | CenturyLink Field |
| 9 | Atlanta United FC | 3–1 | Columbus Crew | 45,303 | August 19, 2018 | 25 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 10 | Atlanta United FC | 5–0 | Los Angeles FC | 45,207 | April 7, 2018 | 6 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |

## Player statistics
### Goals

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | 31 |
| 2 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy | 22 |
| 3 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | New York Red Bulls | 20 |
| 4 | Mauro Manotas | Houston Dynamo | 19 |
| 4 | Gyasi Zardes | Columbus Crew | 19 |
| 6 | Ignacio Piatti | Montreal Impact | 16 |
| 7 | Nemanja Nikolić | Chicago Fire | 15 |
| 8 | Kei Kamara | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 |
| 8 | Ola Kamara | LA Galaxy | 14 |
| 8 | Carlos Vela | Los Angeles FC | 14 |
| 8 | David Villa | New York City FC | 14 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
| Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4–1 | March 17 |
| Dominique Badji | Colorado Rapids | Philadelphia Union | 3–0 | March 31 |
| Johnny Russell | Sporting Kansas City | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 6–0 | April 20 |
| Ignacio Piatti | Montreal Impact | Los Angeles FC | 3–5 | April 21 |
| Cristian Techera | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | New England Revolution | 3–3 | May 26 |
| Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | Philadelphia Union | 3–1 | June 2 |
| Adama Diomande | Los Angeles FC | Philadelphia Union | 4–1 | June 30 |
| Darwin Quintero | Minnesota United FC | Toronto FC | 4–3 | July 14 |
| Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | D.C. United | 3–1 | July 21 |
| Michael Barrios | FC Dallas | Sporting Kansas City | 3–2 | July 28 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy | Orlando City SC | 4–3 | July 29 |
| Luciano Acosta | D.C. United | Orlando City SC | 3–2 | August 12 |
| Damir Kreilach | Real Salt Lake | LA Galaxy | 6–2 | September 1 |
| Bradley Wright-Phillips | New York Red Bulls | D.C. United | 3–3 | September 16 |
| Gyasi Zardes | Columbus Crew SC | Minnesota United FC | 3–2 | October 28 |

### Assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Bořek Dočkal | Philadelphia Union | 18 |
| 2 | Luciano Acosta | D.C. United | 17 |
| 3 | Nicolás Lodeiro | Seattle Sounders FC | 16 |
| 3 | Maximiliano Moralez | New York City FC | 16 |
| 5 | Sebastian Giovinco | Toronto FC | 15 |
| 5 | Darwin Quintero | Minnesota United FC | 15 |
| 7 | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United FC | 14 |
| 7 | Julian Gressel | Atlanta United FC | 14 |
| 7 | Kaku | New York Red Bulls | 14 |
| 10 | Tomás Martínez | Houston Dynamo | 13 |
| 10 | Ignacio Piatti | Montreal Impact | 13 |
| 10 | Carlos Vela | Los Angeles FC | 13 |

### Shutouts

| Rank | Player | Club | Shutouts |
| 1 | Luis Robles | New York Red Bulls | 14 |
| 2 | Tim Melia | Sporting Kansas City | 13 |
| 3 | Andre Blake | Philadelphia Union | 10 |
| 3 | Evan Bush | Montreal Impact | 10 |
| 3 | Sean Johnson | New York City FC | 10 |
| 3 | Tyler Miller | Los Angeles FC | 10 |
| 3 | Zack Steffen | Columbus Crew | 10 |
| 8 | David Bingham | LA Galaxy | 8 |
| 8 | Brad Guzan | Atlanta United FC | 8 |
| 10 | Jeff Attinella | Portland Timbers | 7 |
| 10 | Stefan Frei | Seattle Sounders FC | 7 |
| 10 | Nick Rimando | Real Salt Lake | 7 |

## Awards
### Individual awards

| Award | Player | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC |
| Defender of the Year | Aaron Long | New York Red Bulls |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Zack Steffen | Columbus Crew SC |
| Coach of the Year | Gerardo Martino | Atlanta United FC |
| Rookie of the Year | Corey Baird | Real Salt Lake |
| Newcomer of the Year | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Gyasi Zardes | Columbus Crew SC |
| Golden Boot | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC |
| Fair Play Award | Valeri Qazaishvili | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Humanitarian of the Year | Matt Lampson | Minnesota United FC |
| Goal of the Year | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy |
| Save of the Year | Stefan Frei | Seattle Sounders FC |

### Player of the Month

| Month | Player | Club | Stats |
| March | Felipe Gutiérrez | Sporting Kansas City | 5G |
| April | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United FC | 5G, 2A |
| May | Zack Steffen | Columbus Crew | 0 GA |
| June | Adama Diomande | Los Angeles FC | 7G |
| July | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | 9G, 1A |
| August | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | 4G, 1A |
| September | Luciano Acosta | D.C. United | 4G, 6A |
| October | Wayne Rooney | D.C. United | 5G |

### Player and team of the week

* Bold denotes league player of the week.
* Italics denotes Audi player performance of the week.
Team of the week :
| Week | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Bench | Coach |
| 1 | Miller (LAFC) | Valenzuela (CLB) Elliott (PHI) Senderos (HOU) Abubakar (CLB) | Davies (VAN) Higuaín (CLB) Meram (ORL) Medina (NYC) | Elis (HOU) Hoesen (SJ) | Rimando (RSL) Bedoya (PHI) Ciman (LAFC) Vako (SJ) Sapong (PHI) Spector (ORL) O. Kamara (LAG) | Wílmer Cabrera (HOU) |
| 2 | Turner (NE) | Tierney (NE) Escobar (NY) Tinnerholm (NYC) | Medina (NYC) Gutiérrez (SKC) Finlay (MIN) Gressel (ATL) | Rossi (LAFC) K. Kamara (VAN) Vela (LAFC) | Marinovic (VAN) Beitashour (LAFC) Davis (NY) Almirón (ATL) Sallói (SKC) Rivas (NY) Zardes (CLB) | Bob Bradley (LAFC) |
| 3 | Rimando (RSL) | Fanni (MTL) Elliott (PHI) Zusi (SKC) | Piatti (MTL) Lamah (DAL) Díaz (DAL) Taïder (MTL) Moralez (NYC) | J. Martínez (ATL) Elis (HOU) | Bush (MTL) Beasley (HOU) Gutiérrez (SKC) Gressel (ATL) Medina (NYC) Nicholson (MIN) L. Acosta (DC) | Patrick Vieira (NYC) |
| 4 | Howard (COL) | Valenzuela (CLB) Steres (LAG) Tuiloma (POR) | Penilla (NE) Muyl (NY) Gutiérrez (SKC) Higuaín (CLB) Martínez (CLB) | Wright-Phillips (NY) Tajouri-Shradi (NYC) | Johnson (NYC) Aja (VAN) Long (NY) Duncan (NY) Hayes (DAL) Caldwell (NE) Santos (CLB) | Gregg Berhalter (CLB) |
| 5 | Johnson (NYC) | Opara (SKC) Parkhurst (ATL) Wynne (COL) | Vela (LAFC) Ilie (SKC) Schweinsteiger (CHI) Penilla (NE) | Badji (COL) Ibrahimović (LAG) Altidore (TOR) | Turner (NE) van der Wiel (TOR) Tinnerholm (NYC) Felipe (VAN) Kljestan (ORL) Blanco (POR) Dwyer (ORL) | Jason Kreis (ORL) |
| 6 | Melia (SKC) | Lennon (RSL) Parkhurst (ATL) Schweinsteiger (CHI) Farrell (NE) | Gressel (ATL) Zahibo (NE) Bedoya (PHI) Fagúndez (NE) | Russell (SKC) Dwyer (ORL) | Tarbell (SJ) Opara (SKC) Almirón (ATL) Blanco (POR) Eriksson (SJ) Picault (PHI) Nikolić (CHI) | Gerardo Martino (ATL) |
| 7 | Clark (DC) | Cole (LAG) Chanot (NYC) Powell (POR) | T. Martínez (HOU) Kljestan (ORL) Hayes (DAL) Moralez (NYC) Almirón (ATL) | Vela (LAFC) Quintero (MIN) | Bendik (ORL) Cannon (DAL) Price (COL) J. Dos Santos (LAG) Roldan (SEA) Kaku (NY) Wright-Phillips (NY) | Patrick Vieira (NYC) |
| 8 | Sánchez (CHI) | Hedges (DAL) Mabiala (POR) Dielna (NE) | Piatti (MTL) Croizet (SKC) Alonso (SEA) Almirón (ATL) | Quioto (HOU) Russell (SKC) Mueller (ORL) | Maurer (DAL) Medranda (SKC) Blanco (POR) McCarty (CHI) Rusnák (RSL) Yotún (ORL) Vela (LAFC) | Giovanni Savarese (POR) |
| 9 | Shuttleworth (MIN) | Sweat (NYC) Ciman (LAFC) Dielna (NE) | Almirón (ATL) Yotún (ORL) Dočkal (PHI) Kaku (NY) Davies (VAN) | Villa (NYC) Wright-Phillips (NY) | Bono (TOR) Farrell (NE) Ibson (MIN) Kratz (ATL) Barco (ATL) Grella (CLB) Meram (ORL) | Jason Kreis (ORL) |
| 10 | Shuttleworth (MIN) | Abubakar (CLB) Calvo (MIN) Parker (NY) | Piatti (MTL) Kaku (NY) Yotún (ORL) Adams (NY) | Sallói (SKC) Jackson-Hamel (MTL) Giovinco (TOR) | Bush (MTL) Valenzuela (CLB) Kljestan (ORL) Valeri (POR) Almirón (ATL) Quioto (HOU) Urruti (DAL) | Jesse Marsch (NY) |
| 11 | Melia (SKC) | Waston (VAN) Parker (NY) Svensson (SEA) | Díaz (DAL) Kaye (LAFC) Rusnák (RSL) Ilie (SKC) Penilla (NE) | Zardes (CLB) Bunbury (NE) | Steffen (CLB) Ciman (LAFC) Opara (SKC) Bedoya (PHI) Larentowicz (ATL) Blanco (POR) Wondolowski (SJ) | Gregg Berhalter (CLB) |
| 12 | Shuttleworth (MIN) | Matarrita (NYC) Mensah (CLB) Murillo (NY) | Telfer (TOR) Durkin (DC) Dočkal (PHI) Kaku (NY) | Wright-Phillips (NY) Villa (NYC) Elis (HOU) | Meara (NY) Long (NY) Paredes (POR) Chará (POR) Moralez (NYC) L. Acosta (DC) Epps (PHI) | Jesse Marsch (NY) |
| 13 | González (DAL) | D. Acosta (RSL) McKenzie (PHI) Fuenmayor (HOU) Williams (CLB) | M. Ibarra (MIN) Artur (CLB) Penilla (NE) | Techera (VAN) Armenteros (POR) Elis (HOU) | Melia (SKC) McLain (CHI) Parker (NY) Silva (RSL) Arriola (DC) Alessandrini (LAG) Gordon (CHI) | Wílmer Cabrera (HOU) |
| 14 | Turner (NE) | D. Acosta (RSL) Hollingshead (DAL) Zusi (SKC) | Díaz (DAL) Almirón (ATL) Higuaín (CLB) Vargas (MTL) | Tajouri-Shradi (NYC) J. Martínez (ATL) Bunbury (NE) | Rimando (RSL) Glad (RSL) Ibeagha (NYC) Ilie (SKC) Dočkal (PHI) Reyna (VAN) Gordon (CHI) | Mike Petke (RSL) |
| 15 | Guzan (ATL) | Opara (SKC) Kappelhof (CHI) Afful (CLB) | Davies (VAN) T. Martínez (HOU) Lodeiro (SEA) Moralez (NYC) Osorio (TOR) | Diomande (LAFC) Ibrahimović (LAG) | Melia (SKC) Skjelvik (LAG) Mabiala (POR) Callens (NYC) Felipe (VAN) Díaz (DAL) Wondolowski (SJ) | Greg Vanney (TOR) |
| 16 | Bush (MTL) | Kutler (NY) Parkhurst (ATL) Hagglund (TOR) T. Smith (COL) | Fagúndez (NE) Katai (CHI) Larentowicz (ATL) Asad (DC) | Piatti (MTL) Hoesen (SJ) | Frei (SEA) Parker (NY) Fanni (MTL) Muyl (NY) Arriola (DC) Penilla (NE) J. Martínez (ATL) | Gerardo Martino (ATL) |
| 17 | Attinella (POR) | Ciman (LAFC) Long (NY) McKenzie (PHI) | Dočkal (PHI) Piette (MTL) Adams (NY) Gashi (COL) | Sallói (SKC) Berget (NYC) Katai (CHI) | Tarbell (SJ) Sweat (NYC) Bronico (CHI) Gressel (ATL) Kaku (NY) Rusnák (RSL) Manotas (HOU) | Jesse Marsch (NY) |
| 18 | Robles (NY) | Mabiala (POR) Hedges (DAL) T. Smith (COL) Camacho (MTL) | Almirón (ATL) Valeri (POR) Sosa (CLB) | Diomande (LAFC) Ibrahimović (LAG) Katai (CHI) | Howard (COL) Lawrence (NY) McCarty (CHI) Lodeiro (SEA) Penilla (NE) Blessing (LAFC) Wondolowski (SJ) | Rémi Garde (MTL) |
| 19 | Frei (SEA) | Senderos (HOU) González Pírez (ATL) Chanot (NYC) | Taïder (MTL) Savarino (RSL) Kaye (LAFC) Valeri (POR) | Armenteros (POR) Diomande (LAFC) Quintero (MIN) | Miller (LAFC) Fanni (MTL) Glad (RSL) Akindele (DAL) K. Kamara (VAN) Ibrahimović (LAG) J. Martínez (ATL) | Mike Petke (RSL) |
| 20 | Johnson (NYC) | Callens (NYC) Ziegler (DAL) Ford (COL) | Piatti (MTL) Rzatkowski (NY) Chará (POR) Arriola (DC) Pontius (LAG) | Quintero (MIN) Dwyer (ORL) | Miller (LAFC) Nouhou (SEA) Stieber (DC) Medina (NYC) Lewis (NYC) Alessandrini (LAG) Burke (PHI) | Domè Torrent (NYC) |
| 21 | Shuttleworth (MIN) | Ciani (LAG) Kim (SEA) Fanni (MTL) | Piatti (MTL) Osorio (TOR) Trapp (CLB) Lodeiro (SEA) | Quintero (MIN) J. Martínez (ATL) Ramirez (MIN) | Willis (HOU) Kallman (MIN) Parker (NY) Roldan (SEA) Davis (NY) M. Ibarra (MIN) Alessandrini (LAG) | Adrian Heath (MIN) |
| 22 | Frei (SEA) | Afful (CLB) Mavinga (TOR) Kim (SEA) | Barrios (DAL) Giovinco (TOR) Dočkal (PHI) Canouse (DC) Davies (VAN) | Ibrahimović (LAG) J. Martínez (ATL) | Johnson (NYC) Kashia (SJ) Hedges (DAL) Moralez (NYC) Mullins (CLB) Wright-Phillips (NY) Adi (POR) | Brian Schmetzer (SEA) |
| 23 | Bush (MTL) | Castillo (COL) Kashia (SJ) Opara (SKC) | Plata (RSL) Kreilach (RSL) Alonso (SEA) Adams (NY) | Vako (SJ) J. Martínez (ATL) Giovinco (TOR) | Attinella (POR) Parker (NY) Larentowicz (ATL) Busio (SKC) L. Acosta (DC) Valeri (POR) Royer (NY) | Mikael Stahre (SJ) |
| 24 | Marinovic (VAN) | Besler (SKC) Elliott (PHI) Marshall (SEA) | L. Acosta (DC) K. Acosta (COL) Adams (NY) Lodeiro (SEA) | Tajouri-Shradi (NYC) Zardes (CLB) Rooney (DC) | Howard (COL) Bush (MTL) Boxall (MIN) Valenzuela (CLB) Rosell (ORL) Ilie (SKC) Higuaín (CLB) | Jim Curtin (PHI) |
| 25 | Miller (LAFC) | Lovitz (MTL) Elliott (PHI) Marshall (SEA) | L. Acosta (DC) Rusnák (RSL) Aránguiz (DAL) Canouse (DC) Lodeiro (SEA) | Rubio (SKC) Savarino (RSL) | Putna (RSL) Waston (VAN) Castillo (COL) Bedoya (PHI) Royer (NY) Villalba (ATL) Ramirez (LAFC) | Ben Olsen (DC) |
| 26 | Blake (PHI) | Sinovic (SKC) Ibeagha (NYC) Kim (SEA) Lawrence (NY) | Reyna (VAN) Kaku (NY) Bradley (TOR) | Savarino (RSL) J. Martínez (ATL) Giovinco (TOR) | Melia (SKC) Elliott (PHI) Alonso (SEA) Russell (SKC) Baird (RSL) Burke (PHI) Nikolić (CHI) | Greg Vanney (TOR) |
| 27 | Hamid (DC) | B. Smith (SEA) Fanni (MTL) Afful (CLB) | Rusnák (RSL) Vako (SJ) Alonso (SEA) L. Acosta (DC) | Vela (LAFC) Kreilach (RSL) Savarino (RSL) | Miller (LAFC) Arriola (DC) Chará (POR) Reyna (VAN) Meram (CLB) Piatti (MTL) Sapong (PHI) | Rémi Garde (MTL) |
| 28 | Melia (SKC) | Sinovic (SKC) Birnbaum (DC) Anibaba (NE) Valentin (POR) | Blanco (POR) Sands (NYC) Gutiérrez (SKC) | Wright (NE) Villa (NYC) Ebobisse (POR) | Knighton (NE) Hamid (DC) Howard (COL) Rosell (ORL) Canouse (DC) Chará (POR) Valeri (POR) | Giovanni Savarese (POR) |
| 29 | Miller (LAFC) | Lovitz (MTL) Mensah (CLB) Gressel (ATL) | Piatti (MTL) Almirón (ATL) L. Acosta (DC) Elis (HOU) | Gerso (SKC) Wright-Phillips (NY) Ruidíaz (SEA) | Frei (SEA) Opara (SKC) Leerdam (SEA) González Pírez (ATL) Osorio (TOR) Silva (MTL) Nikolić (CHI) | Rémi Garde (MTL) |
| 30 | McCarthy (PHI) | Zimmerman (LAFC) Trusty (PHI) Gressel (ATL) | Almirón (ATL) Quintero (MIN) Higuaín (CLB) Urruti (DAL) | R. Ibarra (MIN) O. Kamara (LAG) Simpson (PHI) | Rimando (RSL) Spector (ORL) Polo (POR) Hansen (CLB) Villalba (ATL) Wright-Phillips (NY) J. Martínez (ATL) | Jim Curtin (PHI) |
| 31 | Blake (PHI) | Glad (RSL) Parker (NY) Cannon (DAL) | Vázquez (TOR) L. Acosta (DC) Mihailovic (CHI) Rzatkowski (NY) Lodeiro (SEA) | Ibrahimović (LAG) Rooney (DC) | Hamid (DC) Lawrence (NY) Morrow (TOR) Arriola (DC) Ruidíaz (SEA) Rodríguez (MIN) Manotas (HOU) | Ben Olsen (DC) |
| 32 | Bush (MTL) | Bello (ATL) Long (NY) Rosenberry (PHI) | Blanco (POR) Taïder (MTL) Urruti (DAL) Teibert (VAN) | Diomande (LAFC) Rooney (DC) Picault (PHI) | Bingham (LAG) Zimmerman (LAFC) Dočkal (PHI) Roldan (SEA) Villalba (ATL) Wright-Phillips (NY) Bruin (SEA) | Rémi Garde (MTL) |
| 33 | Hamid (DC) | Silva (LAFC) Mancienne (NE) Miller (MIN) | Asad (DC) Caldwell (NE) Canouse (DC) Ulloa (DAL) Bassett (COL) | Penilla (NE) Vela (LAFC) | Grinwis (ORL) Hairston (COL) Zimmerman (LAFC) Fagúndez (NE) Boli (COL) Manotas (HOU) Diomande (LAFC) | Bob Bradley (LAFC) |
| 34 | Melia (SKC) | Marshall (SEA) Birnbaum (DC) Besler (SKC) | L. Acosta (DC) Lodeiro (SEA) Yotún (ORL) Blanco (POR) | Sallói (SKC) Ibrahimović (LAG) Rooney (DC) | Robles (NY) Escobar (ATL) Calvillo (SJ) Kaku (NY) Piatti (MTL) Baird (RSL) Rossi (LAFC) | Peter Vermes (SKC) |
| 35 | Turner (NE) | Fuenmayor (HOU) Parker (NY) Besler (SKC) DeLeon (DC) | Davies (VAN) Janson (TOR) Bassett (COL) | Manotas (HOU) Ruidíaz (SEA) Zardes (CLB) | Robles (NY) Calvo (MIN) Giovinco (TOR) Quioto (HOU) Sallói (SKC) O. Kamara (LAG) Villa (NYC) | Chris Armas (NY) |

### Goal of the Week

Goal of the Week :
| Week | Player | Club | Ref |
| 1 | Diego Rossi | Los Angeles FC | |
| 2 | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United FC | |
| 3 | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | |
| 4 | Yamil Asad | D.C. United | |
| 5 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy | |
| 6 | Johnny Russell | Sporting Kansas City | |
| 7 | Alvas Powell | Portland Timbers | |
| 8 | Albert Rusnák | Real Salt Lake | |
| 9 | Kevin Kratz | Atlanta United FC | |
| 10 | Ezequiel Barco | Atlanta United FC | |
| 11 | Corey Baird | Real Salt Lake | |
| 12 | Samuel Armenteros | Portland Timbers | |
| 13 | Samuel Armenteros | Portland Timbers | |
| 14 | Ilsinho | Philadelphia Union | |
| 15 | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | |
| 16 | Paul Arriola | D.C. United | |
| 17 | Diego Rubio | Sporting Kansas City | |
| 18 | Aleksandar Katai | Chicago Fire | |
| 19 | Héctor Villalba | Atlanta United FC | |
| 20 | Yamil Asad | D.C. United | |
| 21 | Wil Trapp | Columbus Crew | |
| 22 | Alphonso Davies | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | |
| 23 | Will Bruin | Seattle Sounders FC | |
| 24 | Jukka Raitala | Montreal Impact | |
| 25 | Albert Rusnák | Real Salt Lake | |
| 26 | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | |
| 27 | Albert Rusnák | Real Salt Lake | |
| 28 | Not awarded | Not awarded | Not awarded |
| 29 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy | |
| 30 | Héctor Villalba | Atlanta United FC | |
| 31 | Djordje Mihailovic | Chicago Fire | |
| 32 | Johnny Russell | Sporting Kansas City | |
| 33 | Not awarded | Not awarded | Not awarded |
| 34 | Víctor Rodríguez | Seattle Sounders FC | |
| 35 | Roger Espinoza | Sporting Kansas City | |

### Best XI

| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Zack Steffen, Columbus | Kemar Lawrence, Red Bulls Aaron Long, Red Bulls Chad Marshall, Seattle | Luciano Acosta, D.C. United Miguel Almirón, Atlanta Ignacio Piatti, Montreal Carlos Vela, LAFC | Zlatan Ibrahimović, LA Galaxy Josef Martínez, Atlanta Wayne Rooney, D.C. United |

## Player transfers
### SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft is an annual event, taking place in January of each year, in which the teams of Major League Soccer select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The first two rounds of 2018 MLS SuperDraft were held on January 19 in Philadelphia. Rounds three and four of the 2018 SuperDraft were held via conference call on January 21. Los Angeles FC selected João Moutinho with the first overall pick.

### Allocation ranking

The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a player who is in the MLS allocation list. The MLS allocation list contains select U.S. National Team players and players transferred outside of MLS garnering a transfer fee of at least $500,000. The allocations are ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2017 season, taking playoff performance into account. As an expansion team, Los Angeles FC took the top spot.
Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS season.
| Original ranking | Current ranking | Club | Date allocation used (Rank on that date) | Player signed | Previous club |
| 3 | 1 | D.C. United | | | |
| 4 | 2 | Colorado Rapids | | | |
| 5 | 3 | Minnesota United FC | | | |
| 11 | 4 | FC Dallas | | | |
| 7 | 5 | Montreal Impact | | | |
| 8 | 6 | Philadelphia Union | | | |
| 9 | 7 | New England Revolution | | | |
| 10 | 8 | Real Salt Lake | | | |
| 1 | 9 | Los Angeles FC | | | |
| 12 | 10 | San Jose Earthquakes | | | |
| 13 | 11 | Sporting Kansas City | | | |
| 14 | 12 | Atlanta United FC | | | |
| 15 | 13 | Chicago Fire | | | |
| 16 | 14 | New York Red Bulls | | | |
| 2 | 15 | LA Galaxy | | | |
| 19 | 16 | New York City FC | | | |
| 20 | 17 | Houston Dynamo | | | |
| 21 | 18 | Columbus Crew | | | |
| 22 | 19 | Seattle Sounders FC | | | |
| 23 | 20 | Toronto FC | | | |
| 17 | 21 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | December 22, 2017 (17) | Doneil Henry | West Ham United |
| 6 | 22 | Orlando City SC | January 30, 2018 (1) | Oriol Rosell | Sporting CP |
| 18 | 23 | Portland Timbers | August 8, 2018 (1) | Jorge Villafaña | Santos Laguna |
* ^ On December 10, 2017, FC Dallas acquired the number 1 allocation ranking, $250,000 in general allocation money (GAM), and $250,000 in targeted allocation money (TAM) from Los Angeles FC in exchange for the number 11 allocation ranking and Walker Zimmerman.
* ^ On January 30, 2018, Orlando City acquired the number 1 allocation ranking from FC Dallas in exchange for the number 6 allocation ranking and $400,000 in targeted allocation money (TAM).
* ^ On August 8, 2018, Portland acquired the number 1 allocation ranking from LA Galaxy in exchange for the number 16 allocation ranking, $75,000 in general allocation money (GAM), and $100,000 in 2019 targeted allocation money (TAM).