Three days left til First Kick, and that’s the smell of excitement in the air. Let’s look at the number 3 in MLS history...
3 Shields: Both the LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew have three Supporters’ Shields, tied for second behind D.C. United’s four. LA and Columbus have combined to win the last three Shields on the trot; LA, Columbus and DC have won the last five.
Best XI x3: Landon Donovan has made the last three MLS Best XIs. Shalrie Joseph had his streak of 3 consecutive snapped last year. D.C. United legend Marco Etcheverry and Chicago Fire stallwart Chris Armas are the only players who've made four consecutive Best XIs.
3 Boots: FC Dallas and LA Galaxy have had the most Golden Boot winners with three each. Jeff Cunningham won for FCD in 2009, with Eddie Johnson sharing the honors in 2004 and Jason Kreis winning outright in 1999. For LA, Donovan won in 2008 while current Philadelphia Union striker Carlos Ruiz won in 2002 and shared the honors in 2003.
A Painful 3: The New England Revolution lost three straight MLS Cup finals from 2005 through 2007.
Tricky 3: Conor Casey and Donovan both have three career hat-tricks, the active leaders. Stern John and Diego Serna top the all-time charts with five tricks each.
Help 3 Out: MLS MVP David Ferreira led the playoffs with three assists in 2010, ringing them up in three straight games.
