How often do the Supporters’ Shield winners lift the MLS Cup?
FC Cincinnati kick-start their post-season campaign on Sunday evening against New York Red Bulls. Cincy were the runaway winners of the 2023 Supporters’ Shield, the trophy awarded to the team who pick up the most points during the regular season. They became just the second team in MLS History to win their first ten home fixtures and captain Luciano Acosta is expected to be named Landon Donovan MLS MVP. You might think that Cincinnati will be the favourites to lift MLS Cup on December 9, but history suggests otherwise. Across the past 27 seasons the Supporters’ Shield winners have only gone on to win MLS Cup on eight occasions : 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2017 and 2022. Game by Game #CincyTilTheEnd pic.twitter.com/zR76UVDIfB — S - FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) October 28, 2023 Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was more common in the early days of MLS when there were fewer teams in the league. In four of the first seven seasons the Supporters’ Shield winner also lifte...