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  1. #1
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    Default MLS SG Council will not award Supporters Shield in 2020

    The Supporters' Shield, awarded to the team that finishes with the best record during the MLS regular season, will not be awarded in 2020. The decision was made and officially announced by the Supporters' Shield Foundation, the group appointed by the Independent Supporters Council to oversee the awarding of the trophy every year.
    The Shield was created by club supporters in the early years of the league and it has recognized the best MLS team in every regular season since 1998 (the 1996 and 1997 teams were later inscribed into the trophy).

    https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/10/17/supporters-shield-will-not-be-awarded-2020-following-decision-isc


    Saw this posted in another thread, but feel like it deserves its own thread, since we are currently in line to win it
    Last edited by Oldtimer; 10-18-2020 at 08:14 AM. Reason: fixed title

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    This is a slap in the face to players, especially on Canadian teams who have openly said if they are going to be separated from their families that they’d make it worth it (titles).

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    Further developments


    5 people made this decision, without consultation with the ISC (the supporter's group umbrella)
    Last edited by Oldtimer; 10-18-2020 at 08:15 AM.

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    if this is the case..i hope vanney will play some of the young canadians the rest of way.

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    The league has removed the words Supporter Shield from the standings on the website, it's now just overall standings.

    Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!

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    Anyone in favor of petitioning MLSE to create a new trophy to award to the 2020 MLS season champions regardless of who they are? Why does this ISC group, whoever they are, get to decide what trophies the league awards? This is a joke.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reggie View Post
    if this is the case..i hope vanney will play some of the young canadians the rest of way.
    I don't really care about the passports but Vanney should definitely spread the minutes around. TFC are in. Pozuelo, Osorio, Delgado, et al have been running a lot lately and there is now no longer a reason (other than keeping guys match ready) to worry about regular season games. We should see some first team debuts and opportunities for guys who impress in training.

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    Maybe when we win the RPB and other groups should create the Supporters Sword and give it to the team instead

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    Quote Originally Posted by reggie View Post
    if this is the case..i hope vanney will play some of the young canadians the rest of way.
    Don't forget these teams are fighting for seedimg for the playoffs. Finishing first means TFC wouldn't have to travel at all in the playoffs, which is a huge advantage for them

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    Quote Originally Posted by PaceyWinger View Post
    I don't really care about the passports but Vanney should definitely spread the minutes around. TFC are in. Pozuelo, Osorio, Delgado, et al have been running a lot lately and there is now no longer a reason (other than keeping guys match ready) to worry about regular season games. We should see some first team debuts and opportunities for guys who impress in training.

    Vanney talked about this in his bit on Footy Talks this week. He indicated he really wants to give kids more minutes & if we were in 4th or so would likely be doing so...but the need to win supporters is big for this team. Its worth a look at

    Starts about minute 30

    https://www.pscp.tv/FootyTalksLive/1DXxyADdqrgxM

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    Yeah, giving the midfield trio a break will be key going into the playoffs. The amount of distance guys like Osorio and Delgado run each game has to take it's toll. I mean, I don't want to see TFC II out there tomorrow night, but it would be nice to see Marshall-Rutty get some minutes and maybe Prisco next week. You can still put your superstars like Mullins out there with them and show the kids what if means to work hard and be the very best.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TFC07 View Post
    Don't forget these teams are fighting for seedimg for the playoffs. Finishing first means TFC wouldn't have to travel at all in the playoffs, which is a huge advantage for them
    if it was bmo i understand.essentially they are all road games

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeForbes View Post
    Yeah, giving the midfield trio a break will be key going into the playoffs. The amount of distance guys like Osorio and Delgado run each game has to take it's toll. I mean, I don't want to see TFC II out there tomorrow night, but it would be nice to see Marshall-Rutty get some minutes and maybe Prisco next week. You can still put your superstars like Mullins out there with them and show the kids what if means to work hard and be the very best.
    superstars like mullins lol.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reggie View Post
    if it was bmo i understand.essentially they are all road games

    Don't underestimate being able to stay in one place of our choosing on a pitch we can control without having to travel during Covid.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OgtheDim View Post
    Don't underestimate being able to stay in one place of our choosing on a pitch we can control without having to travel during Covid.
    Exactly! One pitch, one hotel, no travel which creates more risk of infection. Imagine losing someone like Pozuelo during the playoffs due to a positive Covid test. Also key: avoiding crappy plastic turf fields.

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    I am surprised that there isn't more outrage on this forum about no trophy being awarded this year for the regular season championship. Everywhere else in the world the league championship is the primary goal and the cup tournament is secondary, except the MLS. And now there will be no league champion this year because some obscure group outside of MLS arbitrarily decides so? Has anyone ever even heard of this group? Can you imagine if Liverpool were denied the Premiership this year by some type of supporters association? This makes MLS the laughingstock of world football.
    Last edited by NK Toronto; 10-17-2020 at 09:42 PM.

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    FWIW I read that the team that secures first will still make the bonus prize, get a concacaf champions league spot, and top seed for the playoffs (obviously). So there is still technically a reason to win the league.

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    Lol, this shit is a fucking joke. Right, let’s change rules and take out trophies right in the middle of a tournament. What’s nexts? First goal wins in the MLS Cup finals?

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    Quote Originally Posted by NK Toronto View Post
    I am surprised that there isn't more outrage on this forum about no trophy being awarded this year for the regular season championship. Everywhere else in the world the league championship is the primary goal and the cup tournament is secondary, except the MLS. And now there will be no league champion this year because some obscure group outside of MLS arbitrarily decides so? Has anyone ever even heard of this group? Can you imagine if Liverpool were denied the Premiership this year by some type of supporters association? This makes MLS the laughingstock of world football.
    MLS’s unbalanced schedule already makes winning the league less of a championship to me. Certainly not on par with winning the Premier League. But that’s never stopped them from awarding the Supporters Shield before. It’s a really juvenile decision.

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    If you aren't going to award anything to the season champion why even bother playing it? Why work hard all season to finish first when you can be eliminated in a one game series on an own goal or in penalty kicks, and end up with nothing. Might as well play just hard enough to qualify for the playoffs and then start resting players. Or better yet just forfeit when it involves long plane trips to the west coast, or if you have to play just send a reserve squad.

    MLS needs to establish its own trophy for regular season champion and cut its ties to this group, whoever they are. This is ridiculous.
    Last edited by NK Toronto; 10-18-2020 at 06:56 AM.

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    Also their original rationale, before retconning to say it’s about the unbalanced schedule, that there have been no supporters in the stadiums is ludicrous.

    This should be the end of this version of the Supporters Shield. MLS should step in with something this year. Something different and more democratic needs to be brought in for future years and these clowns finished.

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    Quote Originally Posted by NK Toronto View Post
    If you aren't going to award anything to the season champion why even bother playing it? Why work hard all season to finish first when you can be eliminated in a one game series on an own goal or in penalty kicks, and end up with nothing? Might as well play just hard enough to qualify for the playoffs and then start resting players. Or better yet just forfeit long plane trips to the west coast or if you have to play just send a reserve squad.

    MLS needs to establish its own trophy for regular season champion and cut its ties to this group, whoever they are.
    Some teams do just play for the playoffs. This is a good opportunity actually to rethink the league title. We undervalue it in North America.

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    I agree that an unbalanced schedule is not equitable but overall a 34 game season spread over 7 months is a better measure of a team's quality than a single game elimination series played over a few weeks. You lose your top player going in even for a mild injury and you are done.

    What I find even more incredible is that MLS would agree to an arrangement where some group outside of the league is even allowed to have any say in this matter. Up until yesterday I had never heard of this group. Does this go on anywhere else in the world?

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    Quote Originally Posted by NK Toronto View Post
    I agree that an unbalanced schedule is not equitable but overall a 34 game season spread over 7 months is a better measure of a team's quality than a single game elimination series played over a few weeks. You lose your top player going in even for a mild injury and you are done.

    What I find even more incredible is that MLS would agree to an arrangement where some group outside of the league is even allowed to have any say in this matter. Up until yesterday I had never heard of this group. Does this go on anywhere else in the world?
    The shield wasn't awarded by the league at all - the league actively resisted such a thing. So, the trophy is a creation of the fans. Then somebody at the head office realised it was free content so might as well embrace it - the groups involved resisted the league controlling the trophy and insist the trophy is handed to supporter's to hand to the players.

    When you dig down deep into what seems to have happened is somebody isn't enjoying themselves and decided to take their ball home. They literally said "See you in 2021". They have now backtracked and said "We will take the shield on tour" which is like saying "Instead of you players competing and some of you winning this trophy, we will share this trophy with our friends and talk about how important we are to this game."

    Yes, they would rather take the shield to a bar in every city then award it to a team.

    Turns out a large amount of supporters at a number of teams who are not near the top are unhappy with this season because they can't go to games. They consider this season meaningless because they can't support their team in the way they are used to. I get it...there are people not on here now because they just can't do this support thing during Covid. BUT, to change the rules a few weeks before the end of the season, without ensuring buy in from every supporter's group is...amateur.


    The chairman of this group is a capo from NYRB
    The vice chair is a Timber's Army guy.

    See the trend.

    They both went on Twitter yesterday indicating consultations happened when it turns out all they did was talk about it in a slack and expected reps to look at said slack, without telling them to look at said slack & then considered no response to be support.

    The chair spent also a good chunk of yesterday afternoon liking tweets that said "this season is meaningless so I'm OK with this".

    When confronted with "Maybe consider the work your own team players have done this season as being meaningful to them.", they have no response.


    *********

    4 years ago the league was provided a consultation that said the winning of the league should be almost completely abandoned as important. This group of performative supporters has given MLS the perfect opportunity to do so, along with making $250K or so from some sponsor for the new trophy to be awarded next season. The league winners will get the league trophy - the league winner's supporters will be given the shield. Slowly, the shield will die off in importance.

    All because a group of people who said they valued what supporters do didn't think what supporters are doing during Covid is really being a supporter - I don't think they thought about the players at all.

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    This sums it up perfectly IMO.


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    Quote Originally Posted by PaceyWinger View Post
    FWIW I read that the team that secures first will still make the bonus prize, get a concacaf champions league spot, and top seed for the playoffs (obviously). So there is still technically a reason to win the league.
    We don’t get the spot regardless (perhaps I am wrong) but isn’t the only way we got into 2018 Champions league final was in winning the Canadian championship.
    Last edited by Bushmancan; 10-18-2020 at 08:14 AM.

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    It’s frustrating that this trophy isn’t being awarded. It seems really silly that this was decided at this point of the season and the rationale seems really weak. Every year the schedule is unbalanced and the “strength of schedule” always varies.

    I was unaware of how this trophy is administered before this fiasco and their decision seems unpopular in the comments sections I have read.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OgtheDim View Post
    The shield wasn't awarded by the league at all - the league actively resisted such a thing. So, the trophy is a creation of the fans. Then somebody at the head office realised it was free content so might as well embrace it - the groups involved resisted the league controlling the trophy and insist the trophy is handed to supporter's to hand to the players.

    When you dig down deep into what seems to have happened is somebody isn't enjoying themselves and decided to take their ball home. They literally said "See you in 2021". They have now backtracked and said "We will take the shield on tour" which is like saying "Instead of you players competing and some of you winning this trophy, we will share this trophy with our friends and talk about how important we are to this game."

    Yes, they would rather take the shield to a bar in every city then award it to a team.

    Turns out a large amount of supporters at a number of teams who are not near the top are unhappy with this season because they can't go to games. They consider this season meaningless because they can't support their team in the way they are used to. I get it...there are people not on here now because they just can't do this support thing during Covid. BUT, to change the rules a few weeks before the end of the season, without ensuring buy in from every supporter's group is...amateur.


    The chairman of this group is a capo from NYRB
    The vice chair is a Timber's Army guy.

    See the trend.

    They both went on Twitter yesterday indicating consultations happened when it turns out all they did was talk about it in a slack and expected reps to look at said slack, without telling them to look at said slack & then considered no response to be support.

    The chair spent also a good chunk of yesterday afternoon liking tweets that said "this season is meaningless so I'm OK with this".

    When confronted with "Maybe consider the work your own team players have done this season as being meaningful to them.", they have no response.


    *********

    4 years ago the league was provided a consultation that said the winning of the league should be almost completely abandoned as important. This group of performative supporters has given MLS the perfect opportunity to do so, along with making $250K or so from some sponsor for the new trophy to be awarded next season. The league winners will get the league trophy - the league winner's supporters will be given the shield. Slowly, the shield will die off in importance.

    All because a group of people who said they valued what supporters do didn't think what supporters are doing during Covid is really being a supporter - I don't think they thought about the players at all.
    As MLS evolves and grows it is becoming more global and less American. You don't see games being played with football yard markings on the field any more. The breakaway penalty shot has been eliminated. More and more clubs are playing in soccer specific stadiums. What separates our sport from the other traditional North American sports is ours is the only one truly global that is not American dominated. I hope MLS is guided by what the rest of the world is doing and not what the NFL or MLB does. The rest of the world awards a trophy to their league champions and MLS should do the same. Otherwise you are devaluing the regular season and encouraging teams to manage their season where the only goal is a playoff spot. If you want to make it a secondary award to the MLS Cup so be it, but not to have any award is just wrong. I understand why the league will not consider promotion and relegation as this has huge financial implications to any club relegated, but there is no cost to the league or the teams in awarding a trophy to the regular season champion. In fact it creates more interest if your team is competing for it after having already clinched a playoff spot. What makes 2017 so special was not just the MLS Cup, but the fact we won the treble, something no other team has done. No one can argue we weren't the best team in MLS that year. We won every competition.

    I am hoping the league recognizes the absolute stupidity of this current arrangement and establishes its own award for the regular season champion, and actively promotes the trophy. I believe that most fans are not just TFC fans but also follow the game internationally and would like to see MLS adopt what is done in other major leagues. Ultimately the goal is to have MLS grow and become amongst the elite leagues in the world.

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    I think MLS moves even more to the NFL model, with 2 separate conferences that occasionally do interplay and enough divisions so that winning that is important and getting home field advantage is important.


    They MIGHT have learned from baseball which almost had the specter of a team recently convicted of cheating having a below .500 season come within 1 game of going to a World Series. You make sure that doesn't happen by having many divisions and just enough wild cards across those divisions.

    But, a 40 team league is coming and it will make winning only important as far as getting into the playoffs.


    ********

    My bigger concern is the immaturity of people thinking the only way you can support is in the stands. This is preposterous, unheard of in the rest of the world & ultimately hurts the growth of MLS within North American soccer culture. The fact these people think what they do normally in the stands has more value then what players are doing during Covid is mind numblingly selfish.
    Last edited by OgtheDim; 10-18-2020 at 09:15 AM.

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    I hope that doesn't happen but if it does you can always create 2 awards, one for the east and one for the west. Even have them play in a one game match for regular season champ. I just don't want the season to be devalued by turning it into a glorified training camp.

    As for the playoffs I prefer a 2 game series home and away. This one and done set up makes the playoffs more of a lottery.

 

 

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