Supporters’ Shield will be awarded in reversal from earlier this week

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. Right now, the top two teams are Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union. TFC head coach Greg Vanney and Union midfielder had been quite critical of the original decision earlier in the week.

The decision to award the Supporters’ Shield this season also makes Saturday’s matchup between Toronto and Philadelphia that much more important. You can read about the full decision to bring back the trophy here.