The deepest hole an MLS winner has climbed out of is 15 points: Columbus Crew sat that far behind in the 2009 Supporters' Shield on May 16, 2009, and won it by 1 point. The biggest lead lost: D.C. United led the 2015 Eastern by 12 points as late as July 10, 2015, and finished behind Red Bull New York. Every charted race since 1996 is ranked below; how the numbers are read is spelled out under the tables.
Companion page: Closest MLS races.
| Rank | Race | Winner | Deficit (points) | Deepest on | Won by (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 Supporters' Shield | Columbus Crew | 15 | May 16, 2009 | 1 |
| 2 | 2011 Eastern | Sporting Kansas City | 15 | May 28, 2011 | 2 |
| 3 | 2015 Eastern | Red Bull New York | 15 | June 27, 2015 | 7 |
| 4 | 2009 Western | Houston Dynamo FC | 14 | May 2, 2009 | 0 |
| 5 | 2000 Supporters' Shield | Chicago Fire FC | 13 | May 20, 2000 | 0 |
| 6 | 1999 Western | LA Galaxy | 12 | May 22, 1999 | 3 |
| 7 | 2002 Eastern | New England Revolution | 12 | August 18, 2002 | 0 |
| 8 | 2005 Western | San Jose Earthquakes | 12 | June 22, 2005 | 16 |
| 9 | 2002 Western | LA Galaxy | 11 | July 24, 2002 | 6 |
| 10 | 2007 Western | Chivas USA | 11 | July 12, 2007 | 1 |
| Rank | Race | Team that led | Lead (points) | Held as late as | Eventual winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 Eastern | D.C. United | 12 | July 10, 2015 | Red Bull New York |
| 2 | 2013 Western | Real Salt Lake | 11 | August 30, 2013 | Portland Timbers |
| 3 | 2000 Supporters' Shield | Kansas City Wizards | 10 | June 27, 2000 | Chicago Fire FC |
| 4 | 2005 Western | FC Dallas | 10 | July 3, 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 5 | 2010 Eastern | Columbus Crew | 10 | August 7, 2010 | Red Bull New York |
| 6 | 2009 Western | Chivas USA | 9 | May 29, 2009 | Houston Dynamo FC |
| 7 | 1996 Supporters' Shield | LA Galaxy | 8 | July 3, 1996 | Tampa Bay Mutiny |
| 8 | 1999 Western | Chicago Fire FC | 8 | April 17, 1999 | LA Galaxy |
| 9 | 2002 Western | San Jose Earthquakes | 8 | August 9, 2002 | LA Galaxy |
| 10 | 2007 Western | FC Dallas | 8 | June 15, 2007 | Chivas USA |
| Rank | Race | Winner | First place for good | Charted days left | Days in first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 Western | Houston Dynamo FC | October 25, 2009 | 0 | 111 of 221 |
| 2 | 2002 Eastern | New England Revolution | September 22, 2002 | 0 | 1 of 184 |
| 3 | 2013 Eastern | Red Bull New York | October 27, 2013 | 0 | 34 of 240 |
| 4 | 2018 Eastern | Red Bull New York | October 28, 2018 | 0 | 21 of 240 |
| 5 | 2021 Western | Colorado Rapids | November 7, 2021 | 0 | 8 of 206 |
| 6 | 2025 Western | San Diego Football Club | October 18, 2025 | 0 | 56 of 239 |
| 7 | 2017 Western | Portland Timbers | October 22, 2017 | 0 | 22 of 234 |
| 8 | 2013 Western | Portland Timbers | October 26, 2013 | 1 | 19 of 240 |
| 9 | 2001 Western | LA Galaxy | September 8, 2001 | 1 | 16 of 156 |
| 10 | 2020 Western | Sporting Kansas City | November 4, 2020 | 4 | 193 of 254 |
Everything on this page comes from the same day-by-day season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day ended. All 92 charted MLS races from 30 finished seasons enter: every conference and Supporters' Shield race from 1996 to 2025. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. The 2026 season joins these lists when it ends. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.
Biggest comebacks: the deepest end-of-day deficit the eventual winner faced, in points behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest end-of-day lead over second place held by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer.
Latest deciding day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good; a day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.