MLS Supporters Shield
| Supporters' Shield | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded for | Major League Soccer team with the best record in the regular season |
| Presented by | The Supporter's Shield Foundation |
| First awarded | 1999 |
| Currently held by | FC Dallas (1st shield) |
| Most awards |
D.C. United and LA Galaxy (four shields each) |
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1999, and has been recognized as a major trophy by the league. It echoes the practice of the top European soccer leagues in which the team with the best record is the champion. Since 2006, the Supporters' Shield winner has earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.
D.C. United and LA Galaxy, with four Supporters' Shields each, have won the most shields of any MLS team. FC Dallas are the 2016 holders of the Supporters' Shield.
When Major League Soccer had its inaugural season in 1996, the league resembled its contemporary North American leagues. After the regular season, the campaign culminated with the MLS Cup Playoffs, en route to the postseason championship match, the MLS Cup. The club with the best regular season record received nothing more than the top seed in the playoffs.
In 1997, soccer fan Nick Lawrus proposed the notion of a "Supporters' Scudetto", as a result of the Tampa Bay Mutiny earning the best regular season record but failing to win the 1996 MLS Cup final. A committee composed of members of all MLS teams' supporters changed the name to "Supporters's Shield" but, due to disagreements between members of the committee, the proposal failed to come to fruition.
The following year, another group led by soccer enthusiast Sam Pierron tried to revive the idea by giving an award to the regular season champions. Since MLS refused to fund the idea, Pierron began fundraising to purchase a trophy with the help of supporters from various MLS clubs. Fundraising was boosted with the assistance of ESPN's MLS commentator (at the time) Phil Schoen donating for the award. In the end, nearly $3,000 was donated to commission the trophy, which was made by artist Paula Richardson out of sterling silver sheet metal, for $2,200.
The money donated to create and purchase the trophy was not fulfilled until the tail end of the 1999 season, when the second MLS Supporters' Summit was held. D.C. United is the first currently active MLS club to win the Supporters' Shield.
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