I think the concept or the attempt concept of bringing a single table will not work.... Instead of giving the SS the CCL sport Give the east and west regular season winners the auto matic berth to the semi finals of the MLS playoffs . And let the place decide which places are worthy a spot for international tourneys.... This Allows the MLS Cup Championship Game the (undisputed Champion)worth it deserves.
If I understand this correctly, you are not necessarily getting rid of the Supporters' Shield, you just want to take away the entry into the CCL that it brings? Is that correct? Or are you entirely opposed to even the concept of the Supporters' Shield? On your last point, how exactly does giving one of the CCL slots to the Supporters' Shield winner take anything away from the Cup winner? The MLS Cup winner gets the scudetto and later a star, gets to call themselves MLS Champion, and gets a direct entry into the CCL group stage. Wouldn't giving the other group entry slot to a non-Cup winner reduce the value of that just as much as giving it to the Supporters' Shield winner?
The Supporter's Shield was/is a fantastic idea and the winners deserve something for it. Change nothing.
So, the teams play a season of 30 games and the team that gets the best record out of those 30 games gets nothing? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
I say, have the single table view, and have the East, West view, at the same time.. And no keep the Supporters Shield, it shows you who did the best in the overall season.. Like it or not, Single Table is in all the sports here in the US, When you look at Wildcard for the NFL, thats in single table, and MLB is no different, so why the hate on single table?
When the teams in the West are so crappy that a team from the East has to represent them in the playoffs, you know the Supporters' Shield is an embarrassment.
Columbus' SS was only for the regular season not the whole season. they had to win the MLS Cup to be champion(and wear the star).... Plus it makes way better sensejust to award the regular season conference winners any way.... Instead of just handing the the championship for just finishing. make folks earn it. I also would like to see all international spots earned using the playoffs. why wait til the next season to play a CCL just trying to get a placing from the previous season.. makes no sense to me... If you have the top record going in to the playoffs then you should prove it by trying to win it. ... and NO MLB is not single table.. neither is NFL or NBA. MLS does need to follow such a european flaw.
As a DC United fan I totally understand. It's been awhile since DC has won back to back Supporter's Shields. It's probably about time for this award to disappear.
The Supporter's Shield is the closest thing MLS has to honoring the true champion. All it needs is a balanced schedule.
Actually I agree. However, this is broad subject that has to do with the whole league design. Eventually we'll have 20-24 teams divided into two conferences. Say 22 teams divided into two conf. 11 per each. home and away in conference and 1 game with teams in the other conf. It gives you 31 games. Then playoffs. At the end of the regular season, we should crown top of each conferences as the conference champions and give them berth to CCL. Supporters Shiled doesn't mean much anymore in this design.
i dont see any legitimate reason to have the supportsers shield for anything. With Proper league structure which the EPL and other euro leagues dont have. And competitive teams across the board, Which the Euro leagues do Not have. I believe its best to get rid of the Shield.. Awarding the Conference Winners a semi final berth fits better and it reflects balance in the league. .. teams know to make the the CCL they need to win thier conference. kinda much like the NFL is with thier system you have to win your division to get a playoff spot. if you dont win your division you better have the best record out of the non winners(wildcard). the Playoffs will be Alot more exciting when not only the league title on the line but CCL and super liga spots too. keep Conferences, give the winners a bye to the semi, have the remaining 4 fight it out from highest to lowest seed in open rounds play, the surviving two go to semi. and the semi finals to the CUP game. ..... There really isnt a need for a Supporters Shield.. its just a watse of time. why follow some so called european copy cat that doesnt show results, doesnt mean anything. Sure Columbus wins both this past season But if they didnt win the MLS Cup they wouldnt have been league Champions. thats the truth!