This is Seattle’s first Supporters’ Shield in club history and the second major trophy this season after winning the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in September.
As the winner of the Supporters’ Shield, the Sounders claim home-field advantage throughout the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs presented by AT&T. The Sounders have already qualified for the 2015-2016 CONCACAF Champions League by virtue of winning the U.S. Open Cup.
Of 18 clubs to hoist the Supporters’ Shield trophy, six have gone on to win MLS Cup, one has lost in the final, five have been eliminated in the Conference Championships, and the remaining six fell in the Conference Semifinals.
The Supporters’ Shield represents a history unlike many others in sport. The trophy was conceptualized by fans in the early years of Major League Soccer and unveiled at the inaugural Supporters’ Summit prior to MLS Cup in 1998.
2014: Seattle Sounders FC (20-10-4, 64 pts.)
2013: New York Red Bulls (17-9-8, 59 pts.)
2012: San Jose Earthquakes (19-6-9, 66 pts.)
2011: LA Galaxy (19-5-10, 67 pts.)
2010: LA Galaxy (18-7-5, 59 pts.)
2009: Columbus Crew (13-7-10, 49 pts.)
2008: Columbus Crew (17-7-6, 57 pts.)
2007: D.C. United (16-7-7, 55 pts.)
2006: D.C. United (15-7-10, 55 pts.)
2005: San Jose Earthquakes (18-4-10, 64 pts.)
2004: Columbus Crew (12-5-13, 49 pts.)
2003: Chicago Fire (15-7-8, 53 pts.)
2002: LA Galaxy (16-9-3, 51 pts.)
2001: Miami Fusion (16-5-5, 53 pts.)
2000: Kansas City Wizards (16-7-9, 57 pts.)
1999: D.C. United (23-9-0, 57 pts.)
1998: LA Galaxy (24-8-0, 68 pts.)
1997: D.C. United* (21-11-0, 55 pts.)
1996: Tampa Bay Mutiny* (20-12-0, 58 pts.)
*Awarded retroactively