The Longest Losing Streaks in MLS History

It is every player and team’s worst nightmare to hit a losing streak, and a horrible one. While it’s only a nightmare for some, it has become a reality for many others in the MLS.

Soccer is a more difficult sport in general to ‘win’ often with games finishing in draws rather than losses or wins. Even so, this wouldn’t stop some very unfortunate MLS teams from experiencing some of the worst losing streaks to date. That’s why in this article, we’ll describe three of the longest losing streaks in MLS history, which teams suffered from losing, what year, and how many games in a row the team lost.

3: Real Salt Lake (August 2005 – October 2005) – 10-game streak

First up on the list is one of three MLS teams in history that managed to hit double-digit numbers for a losing streak, Real Salt Lake. Starting on August 10, 2005, the New England Revolution (losing streak record of 9 games x 2) destroyed Salt Lake City in a 4-1 beating, kicking off their string of bad games.

From then until October 8, Salt Lake would not win or tie a single game, setting a record for one of the longest MLS losing streaks in history at 10 games in a row. The horrid streak would end with an unconvincing 2-2 draw vs. the San Jose Earthquakes, only to lose the next game against the Rapids 1-0, saving themselves from a possible 12-game losing streak.

2: New York Red Bulls (July 1999 – September 1999) – 12-game streak

Speaking of a 12-game losing streak, the New York Red Bulls will want to forget theirs in the 1999 MLS season. Halfway through the season, the Red Bulls were doing quite decently, although they would hit one of the longest MLS losing streaks in history under the identity of the MetroStars starting on July 4, 1999.

What was interesting about this streak, however, was that at the time, the MLS did not finish games as a draw, and they would instead end in a win or loss from penalty kicks after regulation. This factor allowed for two penalty kick shootout losses (ties at the end of regulation) for the Red Bulls after already losing 9 in a row, to which they’d lose their 12th game in a row before beating the Columbus Crew 2-1, effectively ending one of thelongest MLS losing streaks in history.

1: FC Cincinnati (September 2021 –  March 2022) – 14-game streak

Lastly, we have the more recent 2021 to 2022 season of FC Cincinnati. Cincinnati’s streak would, unfortunately, go on to be remembered as the longest losing streak in MLS history, and was even a relatively new record set two years ago, and run through the end of their 2021 season into the beginning of their 2022 season.

Their 2021 season was not the greatest, while they’d strike a 4-8-22 overall record, they’d lose 12 straight at the end of the season and two more at the beginning of the 2022 season. Totaling an all-time high of 14 games lost in a row, the 2021-2022 FC Cincinnati team holds the current record for the longest losing streak in MLS history.