Why did the Philadelphia Union lift the Supporters’ Shield at the end of the MLS regular season?
At the end of the 2020 Major League Soccer regular season the Philadelphia Union earned the top seed for the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs.
Philadelphia Union concluded the 2020 Major League Soccer regular season with 47 points and earned the top seed of the entire playoffs this year. This means that the path to the MLS Cup has to go through Philadelphia after they secured the Supporters’ Shield, their first title in their history.
“On paper, we’re probably not the most talented or the team that people would pick at the beginning of the year. But that’s what makes pro sports special,” coach Jim Curtain said
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The Shield didn’t arrive on time
Philadelphia Union defeated New England Revolution on MLS ‘Decision Day’ to secure the top seed and as the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the entire franchise started celebrating their first title. What was curious is that the trophy looked different from last year, when Los Angeles FC won the title.
The reason is that the Supporters’ Shield didn’t arrive on time for the celebration from Los Angeles, California. The team wanted to celebrate their first-ever title so they got creative and Philadelphia’s web manager’s fiancees’ sister’s boyfriend gave them a Captain America 150-pound force magnet shield he had so they could celebrate at the PPL Park.
The MLS awards the team with the best overall standing from both conferences with the Supporters’ Shield at the end of each season. At first it was informed by the Supporter’s Shield Foundation that this season there would be no trophy this season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they reversed that decision the week before decision day in MLS.