Philadelphia Union clinch first major silverware through Supporters’ Shield

Philadelphia Union have clinched the first major silverware in their history as they secured the Supporters’ Shield on Decision Day.

Union needed to match Toronto’s result in the final Matchday to clinch the top spot in the overall standings and they were able to do so with ease.

Jim Curtain’s side were already leading the Canadian outfit with a superior goal difference and they sealed the top spot with a 2-0 win over New England Revolution.

Toronto needed a victory at New York Red Bulls alongside Union dropping points, but neither happened on the day as they suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss at the Red Bull Arena.

Union secured the most points 47 in the truncated 23-game regular season, but their top spot on the overall standings was determined by the points per game system as some teams played lesser games due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Unlike last season, the top team in each division won’t be guaranteed a spot in the Conference semi-finals and they will start their MLS Cup campaign from the first round.

Union are scheduled to face the lowest-ranked team which qualifies from the play-in round involving the teams from the seventh to tenth spot on the table.

They won’t face seventh-seeded Nashville as a result, but could come up against one of New England, Montreal Impact or Inter Miami, who finished eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.

Since entering Major League Soccer in 2010, Union have failed to make the MLS Cup final and they have not progressed beyond the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Their record has been poor with just one win from six matches in the play-offs and will need to produce a much better display this time around, if they are to make a realistic challenge for the Cup.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com