On December of 2020 the MLS announced a new system for it's franchises to follow regarding championship stars over their crests. Simply put, clubs get a silver star for a championship win and a gold star at their 5th win. I imagine most readers at this point are thinking this is the end of this post, but the trust is that the MLS doesn't seem to be very clear on exactly what it wants and isn't too tough on enforcing it either.
For example, it is unclear whether the golden star substitutes the previous 4 silver stars or is added in addition to. Also, it is unclear what happens from the sixth title onward.
The only team with 5 titles is LA Galaxy, and they've decided to maintain 4 silver stars and making the golden star the 5th one on the crest. This has created criticism from fans alleging that it seems like Galaxy has 9 titles since the golden star is supposed to signify five titles, not the fifth title.
Considering LA Galaxy is our only example, many questions arise. How will the sixth title be represented? One golden star and one silver star? Just one golden star adding a second golden star at 10 wins? When Galaxy wins their ninth title, will their crest look the same as it did at 5? Only time will tell.
DC United has 4 MLS wins and, at this moment, is the closest to being the second club to reach 5 wins. It'll be interesting to see what decision they take, and if its different from what Galaxy does, if the MLS will say anything about it.
Another interesting, and personally disappointing, thing worth mentioning is that the MLS does not allow for stars for any other competitions. Neither the US Open Cup, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF Champions League, or any other international tournament, can be proudly represented on an MLS club crest.