Soccer leagues around the world crown their champions in one of two methods: play-offs (Mexico) or straight league play (England). In Major League Soccer, teams compete in the post-season for the MLS Cup, the league's championship. Specifically, the trophy teams win is the Phillip Anschutz Cup, replacing the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy that was used in two versions until the 2008 season.
However, there is also an award for the regular season champion called the Supporters' Shield. To win that award, a team must gain the most points in the league regardless of conference. In the past, the top regular season team was the #1 seed in the play-offs in different play-off formats and also received a berth to one of CONCACAF's North American club championship tournaments such as the Champions Cup. With the new CONCACAF Champions League, the Supporters' Shield winner was given a slot in the group stage. The Open Cup winner and the MLS Cup runner-up would get qualifying slots.
Who are the supporters?
The supporters, kind of a British term, are the MLS fan clubs who sponsor the award. At MLS Cup, there is usually a meeting of the fan clubs before the final called the Supporters' Summit. The award is dedicated to the fans of former MLS teams, Miami and Tampa Bay.
This is not an official league award since it is given by the fans, but it is a widely accepted term for the regular season champions. In recent years, Major League Soccer has tried to formalize the shield, but it remains a fan creation.
Do they get an actual shield?
Again, another British term adopted by Americans. As you can see from the picture above, it looks a lot like a trophy, with a base and everything. The two most popular uses of a shield in soccer are in England and Italy. The Community Shield is a competition that dates back to 1908 which now brings together the previous year's Premier League champion and FA Cup winner. The proceeds of the match go to charity. As the first game played in the new season, the championship is fairly prestigious and usually played at a neutral venue like Wembley Stadium in London or Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. The winner does get an actual shield. American goalkeeper Tim Howard helped Manchester United win the Shield in 2006.
In Italy, the championship is called the Scudetto, which means "little shield" in Italian. When a team wins ten championships in Italy, it gets to put a star on its uniform to mark the occasion. Juventus has two stars for their 27 champions while there are two one-star teams: AC Milan (17) and Internazionale (16).
Is the Supporters' Shield an accurate predictor of the MLS Cup champion?
It has happened only four out of 10 times, so it is not always an accurate predictor. As you can see from the chart below, it's common for the Supporters' Shield winner to not even reach the MLS Cup Final. That's happened seven times in 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. DC United is the only team to win the Supporters' Shield/MLS Cup "double" twice.
| Year | Supporters Shield | MLS Cup Champion | MLS Cup runner-up |
| 1996 | Tampa Bay | DC United | Los Angeles |
| 1997 | DC United | DC United | Colorado |
| 1998 | Los Angeles | Chicago Fire | DC United |
| 1999 | DC United | DC United | Los Angeles |
| 2000 | Kansas City | Kansas City | Chicago |
| 2001 | Miami | San Jose | Los Angeles |
| 2002 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles | New England |
| 2003 | Chicago | San Jose | Chicago |
| 2004 | Columbus | DC United | Kansas City |
| 2005 | San Jose | Los Angeles | New England |
| 2006 | DC United | Houston | New England |
| 2007 | DC United | Houston | New England |
| 2008 | Columbus |
The National Hockey League has a similar award in the Presidents Trophy which goes to the team with the most points in a season, but it is also a faulty predictor for the Stanley Cup champion. Only six of the past twenty Presidents Trophy winners won the Stanley Cup.
