Ranking the all-time banger MLS kit sponsors

Ahhh the 90s. The decade when people were optimistic, malls were still a thing and Wayne’s World reigned supreme.

The 90s were also the golden age of kit design. Creativity was at an all-time high, a phenomenon coupled by fun, interesting sponsors. The launch of the Premier League funneled a ton of capital into the league and subsequently the number of teams with sponsors grew. As a burgeoning industry, you had all types of companies trying their luck at plastering their names on a football shirt.

These days, kit sponsors today are rather bland and boring. For the most part it’s the same derivative cycle of betting sites, banks, airlines and other corporate entities. Quirkiness is decidedly frowned upon.

That being said, in the three decades of Major League Soccer there’s been a few real bangers.

To interpret what counts as a banger, I’ve devised a simple formula.

Cars, video games, adult fun? ✅ Good!

Pyramid schemes, banks, betting sites? ❌ Bad!

5. acura (Columbus Crew 2017-2020)

Columbus wasn’t the first MLS team sponsored by an motoring company. D.C. United repped Volkswagen and the San Jose Clash rocked a smart Honda sponsor for awhile, but nothing tops that Acura logo. (Admittedly I have an affinity for reliable Japanese automobiles)

At the time five of Acura’s models were assembled in central Ohio, so the sponsorship had local roots too. It didn’t hurt Columbus released a few gorgeous kits with the logo as well. Somewhere Anthony Precourt is going “See?!? I tried!”. Not that Crew fans give a damn.

That Machine Gun Kelly guy was onto something.

4. Tillamook (Portland Timbers 2024- present)

I also have an affinity for Marionberry Pie ice cream. Head to your nearest grocery store and you’re sure to find it among their Tillamook Mudslide and Oregon Strawberry flavors.

For over 110 years Tillamook has served up a slice of the Pacific Northwest with their delicious ice creams, cheeses and other products. (At affordable prices btw, which is important when a bag of chips these days is 8 f**king dollars) The creamery is quintessential Portland and just about everything you’d want from a kit sponsor.

The ship logo thing is also rad.

3. XBOX (Seattle Sounders 2009-2018)

You read the formula earlier. If you’re sponsored by a video game console, you’re probably making the list.

The Xbox gaming console, an ambitious attempt by Microsoft to break into the notoriously challenging video game industry, had its flaws. If it wasn’t for the Halo franchise, the system may very well have flopped. So maaaaybe it doesn’t have quite the same panache as the Japanese console sponsors? (Think: Fiorentina Nintendo kit, Arsenal Dreamcast jersey etc.)

It’s still pretty darn cool though. I’d rock a Dempsey one any day of the week.

Bonus points for the fun variations over the years.

2. Adidas (D.C. United 1996-2007)

What’s so fascinating about United’s distinctive sponsorship is that technically it wasn’t a sponsor at all. (!)

While Mastercard was the official sponsor of the club, for over a decade Adidas stuck the three stripes synonymous with their brand onto D.C.’s kits. With horizontal white stripes on the home jerseys and vertical black lines for the aways, it was a cool and clever move on the German outfitters’ part. (What did I say about the 90s and creativity?)

Credit to D.C. for bringing the look back for this year’s Archive Kit collection, but for the love of God make it permanent. D.C. hasn’t won a single MLS Cup since ditching the three stripes.

They need their aura back. (A new front office too, but one step at a time)

1. Budweiser (LA Galaxy 1996-2005)

Perhaps it’s fitting the most iconic jersey in league history features my favorite MLS sponsorship of all-time.

Look, I’ll level with y’all. Picking Budweiser mostly contradicts my earlier logic. The King of Beers isn’t local, they’re based in St. Louis. I only drink Bud when it’s the only thing left at a gathering and I’m too inebriated to drive to the nearest liquor store. I’ve certainly never used my own legal tender to buy some. Like, ever.

It’s the nostalgia. When the league launched, I was so immensely proud to finally have a local club to call my own. Galaxy jerseys weren’t just athletic apparel, but sacred garments. You couldn’t just buy one online either, your only choice were snagging one at the stadium at a premium price or Eurosport.

The Bud logo was a big-time sponsor that reinforced the Galaxy as a big-time club in a big-time league. There was also the novelty factor of being a kid supporting a team with an alcohol sponsor, which made me feel more like an adult.

Article done! Time to celebrate with a beer.

Just not a Bud.

Honorable mentions

Amigo Energy (Houston Dynamo 2008-2010) — Local energy company with a sombrero for a logo, what’s not to like?

YETI (Austin FC 2021-present) — It’s “that” sponsor fans from abroad think is rad without having a clue what the product actually is.

Gillette (New England Revolution 2025-present) — “The best a man (or woman) can get.”