SafekipediaSupporters' Shield
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The Supporters' Shield is a special award given each year to the team in Major League Soccer that has the best record during the regular season. The award is given out at the MLS Supporters' Summit and has been given out since 1999. Before that, winners from 1996 to 1998 were also given the award later.
Teams work hard all season to win the Supporters' Shield because it shows they were the best team in the league that year. Winning the Shield also means the team gets to play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a big tournament with teams from many countries.
D.C. United and the LA Galaxy hold the record for winning the most Shields, with four each. In 2025, the Philadelphia Union won their second Supporters' Shield. Inter Miami CF set a new record in the 2024 campaign with 74 points, the most ever in a season.
History
In 1996, Major League Soccer started its first season. The team with the best record only got the top seed in the playoffs, with no special award.
In 1997, a fan named Nick Lawrus suggested giving a "Supporters' Scudetto" to the best team. Another fan, Sam Pierron, helped raise money to buy a real trophy. They collected nearly $3,000 and made the first Supporters' Shield, a silver chevron designed by an art student. The shield was finished late in the 1999 season, and D.C. United were the first winners. The shield shows the best records from 1996 to 1998.
Over time, the Supporters' Shield became more important. In 2006, the winner got to represent the United States in a big tournament. In 2013, a new, bigger shield was made, weighing 35 pounds and featuring a football design.
In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league at first decided not to award the shield, since fans couldn’t attend games. But after many complaints, they changed their mind. The Philadelphia Union won that year but had to use a temporary shield made from a Captain America prop until the real one arrived.
Winners
Sixteen different teams have won the Supporters' Shield. The LA Galaxy and D.C. United have the most wins, with four each. Seven teams have also won the MLS Cup after winning the Supporters' Shield. Both the Galaxy and D.C. have done this twice.
Three teams have won both the Supporters' Shield and the U.S. Open Cup. But no American team has won all three big trophies. In 2017, Toronto FC won the Supporters' Shield, the MLS Cup, and the Canadian Championship.
Keys
Team also won the MLS Cup.
Team also won the U.S. Open Cup / Canadian Championship.
Team also won the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup / Canadian Championship.
| Ed. | Season | Teams | Winner | Record | Points (PPG) | Playoffs result | Coach | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Tied | |||||||
| 1 | 1996 | 10 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 32 | 20 | 12 | — | 58 (1.81) | Lost Conf Finals (DC) | Thomas Rongen |
| 2 | 1997 | 10 | D.C. United | 32 | 21 | 11 | — | 55 (1.72) | Won MLS Cup | Bruce Arena |
| 3 | 1998 | 12 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 32 | 24 | 8 | — | 68 (2.12) | Lost Conf Finals (CHI) | Octavio Zambrano |
| 4 | 1999 | 12 | D.C. United (2) | 32 | 23 | 9 | — | 57 (1.78) | Won MLS Cup | Thomas Rongen |
| 5 | 2000 | 12 | Kansas City Wizards | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 57 (1.78) | Won MLS Cup | Bob Gansler |
| 6 | 2001 | 12 | Miami Fusion | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 53 (2.04) | Lost Semifinals (SJO) | Ray Hudson |
| 7 | 2002 | 10 | Los Angeles Galaxy (2) | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 51 (1.82) | Won MLS Cup | Sigi Schmid |
| 8 | 2003 | 10 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 53 (1.77) | Lost MLS Cup (SJO) | Dave Sarachan |
| 9 | 2004 | 10 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 49 (1.63) | Lost Conf Semifinals (NE) | Greg Andrulis |
| 10 | 2005 | 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | 32 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 64 (2.00) | Lost Conf Semifinals (LA) | Dominic Kinnear |
| 11 | 2006 | 12 | D.C. United (3) | 32 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 55 (1.72) | Lost Conf Finals (NE) | Piotr Nowak |
| 12 | 2007 | 13 | D.C. United (4) | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 55 (1.83) | Lost Conf Semifinals (CHI) | Tom Soehn |
| 13 | 2008 | 14 | Columbus Crew (2) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 57 (1.90) | Won MLS Cup | Sigi Schmid |
| 14 | 2009 | 15 | Columbus Crew (3) | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 49 (1.63) | Lost Conf Semifinals (RSL) | Robert Warzycha |
| 15 | 2010 | 16 | Los Angeles Galaxy (3) | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 59 (1.97) | Lost Conf Finals (DAL) | Bruce Arena |
| 16 | 2011 | 18 | Los Angeles Galaxy (4) | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 67 (1.97) | Won MLS Cup | Bruce Arena |
| 17 | 2012 | 19 | San Jose Earthquakes (2) | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 66 (1.94) | Lost Conf Semifinals (LA) | Frank Yallop |
| 18 | 2013 | 19 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 59 (1.74) | Lost Conf Semifinals (HOU) | Mike Petke |
| 19 | 2014 | 19 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 64 (1.88) | Lost Conf Finals (LA) | Sigi Schmid |
| 20 | 2015 | 20 | New York Red Bulls (2) | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 60 (1.76) | Lost Conf Finals (CLB) | Jesse Marsch |
| 21 | 2016 | 20 | FC Dallas | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 60 (1.76) | Lost Conf Semifinals (SEA) | Óscar Pareja |
| 22 | 2017 | 22 | Toronto FC | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 69 (2.02) | Won MLS Cup | Greg Vanney |
| 23 | 2018 | 23 | New York Red Bulls (3) | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 71 (2.09) | Lost Conf Finals (ATL) | Chris Armas |
| 24 | 2019 | 24 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 72 (2.12) | Lost Conf Finals (SEA) | Bob Bradley |
| 25 | 2020 | 26 | Philadelphia Union | 23 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 47 (2.04) | Lost first round (NE) | Jim Curtin |
| 26 | 2021 | 27 | New England Revolution | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 73 (2.15) | Lost Conf Semifinals (NYC) | Bruce Arena |
| 27 | 2022 | 28 | Los Angeles FC (2) | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 67 (1.97) | Won MLS Cup | Steve Cherundolo |
| 28 | 2023 | 29 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 69 (2.03) | Lost Conf Finals (CLB) | Pat Noonan |
| 29 | 2024 | 29 | Inter Miami CF | 34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 74 (2.18) | Lost first round (ATL) | Gerardo Martino |
| 30 | 2025 | 30 | Philadelphia Union (2) | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 66 (1.94) | Lost Conf Semifinals (NYC) | Bradley Carnell |
Records
Shield winners
- Defunct teams in italics.
Performance in CONCACAF competition
See also: American soccer clubs in international competitions
Before 2006, the team with the best regular season record did not always get to play in CONCACAF competitions. Most of these teams got to play by winning the MLS Cup or because of how many spots the United States had in the tournament. Usually, the United States had two spots, which went to the MLS Cup winner and the runner-up.
Since 2007, the team with the best regular season record took the place of the MLS Cup runner-up as the second American team in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. In 2008, when the CONCACAF Champions League started, the team with the best regular season record and the MLS Cup winner both got to skip straight to the group stage of the Champions League.
Toronto FC and Los Angeles FC are the only teams with the best regular season record to reach the final of a CONCACAF competition. However, Toronto FC, being a Canadian team, got to play in the tournament by winning the Canadian Championship, not by winning the Supporters' Shield. D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls hold the record for leaving a CONCACAF competition the earliest as teams with the best regular season record, being eliminated from the group stage in the 2008–09 and 2014–15 editions of the Champions League, respectively.
Key
- QR1 = Qualification first round
- PR = Preliminary round
- GS = Group stage
- R16 = Round of 16
- QF = Quarter-finals
- SF = Semi-finals or consolation match
- F = Final
Performance table
| Champions | Runners-up | Semi-finals |
| Season | Shield winner | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Did not qualify | ||
| 1998 | |||
| 1999 | Los Angeles Galaxy | QR1 | |
| 2000 | D.C. United | SF | |
| 2002 | Kansas City Wizards | SF | |
| 2003 | Los Angeles Galaxy | QF | |
| 2004 | Chicago Fire | SF | |
| 2005 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2006 | |||
| 2007 | D.C. United | SF | |
| 2008 | D.C. United | SF | |
| 2008–09 | D.C. United | GS | |
| 2009–10 | Columbus Crew | QF | |
| 2010–11 | Columbus Crew | QF | |
| 2011–12 | Los Angeles Galaxy | QF | |
| 2012–13 | Los Angeles Galaxy | SF | |
| 2013–14 | San Jose Earthquakes | QF | |
| 2014–15 | New York Red Bulls | GS | |
| 2015–16 | Seattle Sounders FC | QF | |
| 2016–17 | New York Red Bulls | QF | |
| 2018 | Toronto FC | F | |
| 2019 | New York Red Bulls | QF | |
| 2020 | Los Angeles FC | F | |
| 2021 | Philadelphia Union | SF | |
| 2022 | New England Revolution | QF | |
| 2023 | Los Angeles FC | F | |
| 2024 | FC Cincinnati | R16 | |
| 2025 | Inter Miami CF | SF | |
| 2026 | Philadelphia Union | R16 | |
Related articles
.svg?width=330){kind=logo}
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Supporters' Shield, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.