The Supporters’ Shield Foundation announced on Friday that the Supporters’ Shield will be awarded to the top team in the overall standings in 2020, a reversal from earlier this week.
The Foundation had originally decided not to award the trophy last Sunday, citing the unbalanced schedule and lack of fans. The decision was immediately met with backlash from the MLS community.
The winner of the Supporters’ Shield doesn’t just get some nice hardware for finishing atop the MLS. The winner also gets a financial bonus, a CCL berth (U.S. -based clubs only), and the top seed throughout the MLS Cup playoffs.