What if?
24 famous title changes, replayed the other wayWe took famous MLS title changes, flipped the result, and replayed every game since through the same rules. Sometimes the belt finds its way home within days. Sometimes it never does.
What if FC Dallas had won?
Real result: Real Salt Lake beat FC Dallas 2–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by November 14, 2010, 29 days later, after 1 reign that never happened.
The alternate belt: Galaxy
What if New York Red Bulls had won?
Real result: Montreal Impact beat New York Red Bulls 1–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by November 6, 2016, 7 days later.
The alternate belt: Montréal
What if Sporting Kansas City had won?
Real result: Seattle Sounders beat Sporting Kansas City 2–1 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by November 20, 2011, 106 days later, after 6 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Dallas → New England → Portland → Red Bulls → Sporting KC → Houston
What if Chicago Fire had won?
Real result: Columbus Crew beat Chicago Fire 3–0 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by March 19, 1999, 254 days later, after 6 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: D.C. United → Tampa Bay → New England → Chicago → Galaxy → Chicago
What if LA Galaxy had won?
Real result: New England Revolution beat LA Galaxy 2–1 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by July 7, 2000, 45 days later, after 4 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Red Bulls → Tampa Bay → Galaxy → Sporting KC
What if Kansas City Wizards had won?
Real result: Dallas Burn beat Kansas City Wizards 1–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by May 19, 2004, 25 days later, after 1 reign that never happened.
The alternate belt: D.C. United
What if LA Galaxy had won?
Real result: Real Salt Lake beat LA Galaxy 1–0 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by June 17, 2011, 373 days later, after 15 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: New England → Chicago → Houston → Colorado → Red Bulls → Philadelphia → Columbus → Colorado → Columbus → D.C. United → New England → Real Salt Lake
What if Vancouver Whitecaps had won?
Real result: Portland Timbers beat Vancouver Whitecaps 1–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by October 20, 2021, 40 days later, after 2 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Seattle → Houston
What if Philadelphia Union had won?
Real result: Los Angeles FC beat Philadelphia Union 4–3 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by August 24, 2024, 658 days later, after 28 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Inter Miami → NYCFC → Houston → San Jose → Real Salt Lake → LAFC → Houston → Austin → Vancouver → San Jose → Sporting KC → Inter Miami
What if Los Angeles FC had won?
Real result: Vancouver Whitecaps beat Los Angeles FC 3–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by November 8, 2024, 5 days later.
The alternate belt: Seattle
What if Vancouver Whitecaps had won?
Real result: Los Angeles FC beat Vancouver Whitecaps 1–0 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by June 29, 2025, 233 days later, after 4 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Chicago → Red Bulls → D.C. United → Philadelphia
What if Los Angeles FC had won?
Real result: Seattle Sounders beat Los Angeles FC 2–1 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by September 30, 2025, 311 days later, after 15 reigns that never happened.
The alternate belt: Seattle → St. Louis → Philadelphia → Inter Miami → Dallas → San Diego → Seattle → Minnesota → San Diego → Houston → Real Salt Lake → Cincinnati
What if Seattle Sounders had won?
Real result: LA Galaxy beat Seattle Sounders 1–0 · the game
It takes a while: the belt is back on its real path by March 8, 2025, 98 days later, after 1 reign that never happened.
The alternate belt: Real Salt Lake
What if Chicago Fire had won?
Real result: Philadelphia Union beat Chicago Fire 3–2 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by November 1, 2025, 6 days later.
The alternate belt: Philadelphia
What if Philadelphia Union had won?
Real result: New York City FC beat Philadelphia Union 1–0 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to Chicago Fire, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: D.C. United → Austin → Charlotte → Nashville → Orlando → Red Bulls → Atlanta → Charlotte
What if New York City FC had won?
Real result: Inter Miami beat New York City FC 5–1 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to Real Salt Lake, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Inter Miami → Orlando → Montréal → Chicago → Inter Miami → Nashville → Toronto → Orlando
What if Portland Timbers had won?
Real result: Minnesota United beat Portland Timbers 2–0 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to St. Louis City SC, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Real Salt Lake → Dallas → Vancouver → Houston → St. Louis
What if Minnesota United had won?
Real result: Los Angeles FC beat Minnesota United 1–0 · the game
History snaps back fast: the belt is back on its real path by May 16, 2026, 21 days later, after 1 reign that never happened.
The alternate belt: Colorado
What if Los Angeles FC had won?
Real result: Houston Dynamo beat Los Angeles FC 4–1 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to St. Louis City SC, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: St. Louis
What if Houston Dynamo had won?
Real result: Real Salt Lake beat Houston Dynamo 3–0 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to St. Louis City SC, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: St. Louis
What if Real Salt Lake had won?
Real result: Los Angeles FC beat Real Salt Lake 3–1 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to Real Salt Lake, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Portland → Chicago → New England → Real Salt Lake
What if Los Angeles FC had won?
Real result: San Diego FC beat Los Angeles FC 1–0 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to Real Salt Lake, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Colorado → San Diego → Orlando → New England → Real Salt Lake
What if San Diego FC had won?
Real result: Portland Timbers beat San Diego FC 3–1 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to Real Salt Lake, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Orlando → New England → Real Salt Lake
What if Portland Timbers had won?
Real result: Austin FC beat Portland Timbers 2–1 · the game
The belt never finds its way back. Today it would belong to FC Dallas, not Austin FC.
The alternate belt: Dallas