The trophy appears in the logo of the tournament, and was featured on the now-retired "scudetto" that was worn by defending champions from 2009 through 2012.

The first MLS Cup trophy, introduced for the inaugural season in 1996, was named for league founder Alan Rothenberg.

[1] On October 29, 2008, Major League Soccer unveiled a redesigned trophy for the MLS Cup, named after Philip F. Anschutz, league co-founder and owner of multiple teams.

On the bottom side of the trophy is a map of North America with a star identifying the location of each MLS Cup-winning market.

[2] The original trophy is kept by the champions for the offseason before returning to Major League Soccer headquarters in New York City, while a duplicate is awarded to the club.