Nashville SC can make history on Saturday night at San Jose. After a barnstorming 2026 season, the Boys in Gold sit just one result away from clinching the Supporters’ Shield, one of the two biggest prizes on offer in Major League Soccer.
Here’s what you need to know about the trophy and how Nashville can secure it.
What is the Supporters’ Shield?
The Supporters’ Shield is one of the two premier prizes in Major League Soccer, awarded annually to the team which accumulates the most points across its 34-game regular season.
Unlike many major European competitions, which crown their winners based on the regular season alone, the Supporters’ Shield does not decide MLS’ overall league champion. That honor is achieved through the MLS Cup Playoffs, a knockout-style bracket taking place once the regular season ends.
The winner of the Supporters’ Shield receives several perks in addition to the trophy itself, headlined by home-field advantage throughout the Playoffs. Apart from one game in the best-of-three opening round, the Supporters’ Shield winner is guaranteed to host every Playoff game it participates in, including the championship game should it make it that far. This comes with the overall No. 1 seed, ensuring the — on paper — easiest trek to the title. Since 2006, the winning club also earns automatic qualification to the Concacaf Champions Cup, North America’s premier international competition. Nashville made the semifinals of the 2026 edition this spring, which it qualified for by winning last season’s U.S. Open Cup, its first-ever trophy.
History of the trophy
The Supporters’ Shield hasn’t always been held in the esteem it is now.
When MLS was founded in 1996, its regular season existed solely to decide playoff seeding. But, after noticing the discrepancy between it and competitor leagues across the world, MLS certified the Supporters’ Shield in 1999 and retroactively awarded it to the regular-season champions from preceding seasons.
The winner of the Supporters’ Shield has gone on to win MLS Cup eight times since its certification, most recently by LAFC in 2022. The all-time points record for the Supporters’ Shield belongs to Inter Miami, who accumulated 74 in the 2024 season a year before taking the Playoff crown.
How Nashville can claim it
Nashville sits 14 points clear in the league table with five matches to play (15 possible points). Here’s how the Boys in Gold can clinch the Shield:
- A win Saturday, or in any of their remaining games
- A draw on Saturday, plus dropped points by Vancouver
- A loss on Saturday, plus dropped points by Vancouver and Miami
Nine points from Nashville’s final five games would hand it the all-time regular-season record.
Match Preview
Read more about Nashville’s trip to San Jose and some of the other storylines from Saturday’s match.
