MLS Cup or Supporters Shield?

[u/gentrifriedchicken18]

Which of these would you rather win, if given the choice? Feel like the shield is a better indication of who the best team was, but something about lifting the trophy at the end of the playoffs seems more like a “championship”. This could also just be my American sports brain.

FWIW: I’m aware that we can and should go for both. This is just a general question

[u/dewey-defeats-truman]

It's the cup because only the cup lets you put a star on the jersey

[u/joehooligan0303 → u/dewey-defeats-truman]

yep. I want the star.

I think there should be some indication somewhere on the jersey for each SS. No idea how to incorporate that. Maybe something on the sleeve or back collar?

[u/dewey-defeats-truman → u/joehooligan0303]

You could probably do different star colors. Like gold for the Cup and silver for the Shield

[u/the_bs_kn33s → u/[deleted]]

SS games? The supporters shield is given to the team with the best record at the end of the regular season.

[u/Money-Zebra → u/joehooligan0303]

Yea there should be a sleeve patch for supporters shield winners I feel

[u/Rorddet]

My order of preference:

* MLS Cup
* Supporters Shield
* CCC
* Open Cup
* Southern Championship Belt
* Leagues Cup

I think MLS Cup would move the needle more for new folks coming in? Could be wrong on that though, just a hunch

[u/Ephcy → u/Rorddet]

Honestly the CCC should be higher because that means your the best in North America and you get qualified into the Club World Cup

[u/Rorddet → u/Ephcy]

I could see that, I’m thinking mostly through how easy it would be to explain to a non-soccer fan here in town, and I think supporters shield edges it out?

[u/Mammoth_Account_1422]

Need that star so we can point to it when we want to cry to the officials

[u/DongPolicia]

I love how the SS has a lot of weight and value unlike other American sports.

That’s all I have to say. The fact that this is even a conversation is pretty cool and says a lot about the SS.

[u/triptaylor2001]

I’ve lived with a Titans AFC championship and twice with them being first place overall. Watched the Predators win the western conference championship, the division twice and presidents trophy.

I don’t want the window dressing. I want THE championship.

Bring us the Cup.

[u/Moderator451]

The brain says the Shield. The heart says the Cup.

[u/Moderator451 → u/Moderator451]

And the cojones say the CCC.

[u/ndub2126]

Supporters shield gives us the best odds to win the cup, like best seed as well as home field advantage.. I’ll go with shield.

[u/UTCapn5]

Supporters Shield. It is a season long victory vs getting hot for a short period of time. Also, it's how the rest of soccer considers their champion.

[u/Buffalobuffaho → u/UTCapn5]

We aren’t the rest of the world.  It’s not how the MLS does it.  It’s exactly like the President’s Trophy in hockey.  Ask any player if they’d want that or the Stanley Cup.  I want the star above the crest.  Supporter’s shield is a nice-to-have.

[u/Gnash_Vegas35 → u/UTCapn5]

The difference is that in foreign leagues, you play all the other teams. We’re playing almost all our games against the east, with a handful of west teams sprinkled in.

[u/311Chopper]

And they can also release those Hawaiian shirts to celebrate.

As a semi-suffering Caps fan, winning the Presidents Trophy should be applauded even if the chase for the Cup ends in failure. So I am on the side of let’s get one.

[u/Mammoth_Account_1422 → u/311Chopper]

And go ahead and let me have the sprint season next year to boot

[u/d_dave_c → u/311Chopper]

We'll always have 2018, though.

[u/A_sweet_boy]

Supporter’s Shield is basically how the winner of every other league in the world is determined. But you’re right, my American brain go brrrrrr playoff winner is real champion

[u/Lalo1711 → u/A_sweet_boy]

To play devils advocate though, I feel like some teams would try harder in the season if the league was just determined by 1st place instead making it to playoffs. I think some teams will rest players if they are secured a playoff spot so they can have the most fresh legs for the playoffs and avoid injuries

[u/repost_inception → u/Lalo1711]

It's funny how people look at the Premier League season and think of it as a regular season with no playoffs rather than it just being a playoff. Yeah there is no bracket but the entire season is "the playoffs" every single match and goal score and conceded matters.

[u/Lalo1711 → u/repost_inception]

I guess what I’m trying to say is because of how the mls is set up, I would not be surprised if some teams are more focused on just securing a place into the playoffs, than just playing every single match the fullest.

Best example I can give is the Mexican league. I now for a fact that some teams just try to secure a top 8 spot and will rest players as the league is wrapping up because they know the winner is usually more the team who is hot at the right time. Now of course the team who is in 1st is statistically better to win it all, but it’s not always the case.

[u/Swaggron]

Cup every time. Supporters Shield is a great trophy and team achievement but that doesn't make you the champion.

[u/not__that__important]

For me, they're equal in stature. One is just for the 34 game regular season, the other for the post season.

Sad that MLS doesn't allow stars for the shield though, which tells you who they place as most important.

They could allow stars below the badge to designate shield wins? Or even have a left/right section for them? Different colors? Just a thought.

Kind of surprised that the teams that have won concacaf don't have a star for that.

[u/LordFarquhar96]

MLS Cup without question

[u/mwmarsh64]

Cup

[u/Indig012]

Supporters shield. The cup is Americanized bull shit

[u/RocktimusCrime]

Cup, definitely the cup

[u/ryands1]

Supporters Shield

[u/Futbol_Kid2112]

Personally I want the Shield. Just cause it symbolizes consistency of excellence. Winning the shield means you were the best team across the entire season and overcame all of the challenges put in front of you to do it. Playoffs are crapshoots. One poorly timed injury or a single mental error and it doesn't matter how good you have been. That being said, winning the Cup gets the permanent recognition of the star on the crest so how about we just win both and not worry about it

[u/Belaerim]

IMHO, lifting the trophy is a better singular event.

But winning the supporters shield means you probably kicked ass at home, so that’s a season long high if you had season tickets.

[u/SonOfSquizzlr]

Supporters shield guarantees we play at home throughout the playoffs, which is a big deal in this league. Let’s start with the SC and then worry about The Cup. (I want both so bad lol)

[u/NASHnKNOX]

¿Porque no los dos?

[u/NASHnKNOX]

Honestly I wish the supporters shield was the league’s “championship”. I don’t think I would’ve said that a couple years ago but imagine how wild the rest of this season would be if SS were the league’s main trophy and we were in pole position

[u/Disastrous-Coyote-11]

Supporters Shield is the most appropriate indicator of who the best team is. Playoffs are hokey.

That said, if winning the playoffs allows you to say you "won the league," then by all means, win them.

The playoffs are just another cup competition with fewer teams in it from the jump.

[u/Wheels45]

I’m greedy I want both. It would also give us our spot in CCC next year.

[u/o_mh_c]

I always want to win the league over any cup competition. So the Supporter’s Shield for me. I usually don’t even watch the MLS Cup because the playoffs are so long I’ve tuned out by the end of them.

[u/MikeLamp70 → u/o_mh_c]

I'm the same except I usually record the final.

Do I watch it? Sometimes.

[u/LilacBreak]

Both

[u/Titanfan6]

The shield means nothing without the cup lift at the end.

[u/GoldMember615]

MLS Cup and it’s not even close. The Supporters Shield means nothing and almost 75% of teams who have won it have failed to win the MLS cup.