What if MLS had relegation? For soccer fans, it would instantly make the league more interesting.
For example, imagine if the Premier League didn’t have promotion and relegation. There would be zero chance of Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Brentford or Bournemouth playing in Europe’s top league. These clubs and many others have breathed new life into the Premier League since it was founded in 1992.
Founded in 1993, MLS has had the same teams play in the league every year except for expansion teams that have been added, and for the three clubs that were contracted when Major League Soccer nearly went bust.
No matter how bad a team is in MLS, they will continue to play every year unless they go out. As a result, the teams in MLS are in no danger. Having a terrible season? Here’s a pat on the back, see you next year.
So what if MLS had relegation?
So what would MLS look like if the league had relegation? We went back in the history books to see who the worst performing teams were.
Here are the seven worst teams in MLS history from terrible to absolute worst. It is based on their finishing in the overall standings each year.
| Team | Last place | Second to last | Third to last |
| New York RB | Twice | Twice | No |
| New England | Once | Twice | Once |
| Chicago | 3 times | Once | No |
| Colorado | Once | 3 times | 3 times |
| Toronto fc | 3 times | Twice | 3 times |
| DC United | 4 times | Twice | Twice |
| San Jose | 5 times | Twice | Twice |
So there you have it. Commisations to fans of San Jose. Last season the team finished dead last with a goal difference of minus 37. The last time the team made the playoffs was in 2020 when the team was eliminated from the first round. DC United didn’t fare much better either.
If MLS had relegation, San Jose and DC United would be ideal candidates to broadcast a division.
Of course, this is all hypothetical because US Soccer does not have a pyramid. Instead, Major League Soccer is a closed league, essentially a Super League of American teams where none of the teams are relegated. The Premier League, and almost every other football league in the world, uses an open league format where teams can be relegated if they are the worst in a season.
MLS fans will argue that teams would go out of business if moved. But if US Soccer had a pyramid, teams like San Jose and DC United could win their way back into the top flight by proving themselves where it counts… by winning more points than the other teams.
Even football’s giants are being moved. Clubs like Manchester United, AC Milan, Liverpool, Spurs, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus and many others have been out of their top divisions in their history.
Who would replace San Jose and other bad MLS teams?
So if San Jose were relegated, as a hypothetical example, who would move up from the second tier to MLS? The USL championship is a D2 soccer league in the United States but its path is not connected to MLS.
But if it was, the team that finished in first place in the 2024 season was the regular USL to replace San Jose Louisville City FC.
If that happened, it would certainly make MLS more interesting, no offense to San Jose fans.
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