Philadelphia Union Scores Supporter’s Shield After a Season Like No Other

By: Ava Kriebel

December 11, 2020

Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Union, the Major League Soccer team for Philadelphia, won the MLS Supporters’ Shield for the first time in their game against the New England Revolution. The Union defeated the Revolution 2-0 and finished the season with a 14-5-4 record to earn the Shield, which is awarded at the end of every regular season to the MLS team that finishes with the best record. Last week, the team was further rewarded for its outstanding season when head coach Jim Curtin was named MLS Coach of the Year and goalkeeper Andre Blake was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

These triumphs come after a season full of unexpected trials for the Union. The team was forced to pause their season right after it began last March due to the coronavirus outbreak. In April, it was announced that a player had tested positive for the virus. Over the summer, when they were finally able to resume their season, they were forced to do it in a format very different from a typical season. They started off by playing a month-long tournament inside a “bubble” in Orlando, where all games took place inside the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, before being able to return to regular season format. Even after the “MLS Is Back” tournament ended, the remaining games in the regular season were still not “regular” games, with strict limits on the number of spectators allowed. Finally, a week and a half before the game that would decide the winner of the Supporters’ Shield, Andre Blake, who has been the Union’s starting goalkeeper since 2016, fractured his right hand during a match and was unable to play in the final games of the regular season.

The Union were able to secure the Supporters’ Shield with their 2-0 win against the New England Revolution, combined with the 2-1 loss of Toronto FC, their competitor for the best record, to the New York Red Bulls. Goals for Philadelphia were scored by Sergio Santos and Cory Burke, who was just recently able to return to playing with the Union after being stuck in Jamaica and then Austria due to visa issues.

In addition to the Supporters’ Shield, the Union’s head coach, Jim Curtin, was recently awarded MLS Coach of the Year, and Blake was rewarded for the incredible goalkeeping he did before his injury when he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Mark McKenzie was runner-up for Defender of the Year, and 20-year-old Brenden Aaronson was the runner-up for Young Player of the Year.

“A lot of hard work went in from this club,” said Curtin in an interview with Extratime, the official podcast for the MLS, the day after the Union won the Shield. “We did it maybe in a unique way, but it was unique to the city of Philadelphia.” He added, “The players deserve all the credit for the performance they put in.”

The Union lost to the New England Revolution on Tuesday in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the MLS playoffs, ending their winning streak and their chances of winning the MLS cup (something they have not yet done). However, no one can deny that their achievements this season- especially during such an unusual year- were amazing. Fans can only hope now that next season will be just as good.