Without even kicking a ball during MLS Week 32, the New England Revolution can lift their first-ever Supporters’ Shield.
If the Seattle Sounders lose or tie Sporting Kansas City on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET | TUDN, Univision, Twitter), the Revs will mathematically be guaranteed of finishing the 2021 season with the most points. Should that result not fall their way, they can take care of business Sunday evening with a win at Orlando City SC (7:30 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes).
Whichever path unfolds, or if the Revs need to wait another matchday cycle, the opportunity is within touching distance for a team that’s already locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and a 2022 Concacaf Champions League spot. Plus, with the Shield comes MLS Cup hosting priority, meaning the path to lifting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy could soon run through Gillette Stadium.
“I think it means a lot to the club,” Arena said of possibly raising the Shield. “Right now, that is something now that is important. We've checked a lot of boxes this year and we're so close to being winners of the Supporters' Shield that we need to clearly say that that has to be a goal.
“To finish up the regular season as a Supporters' Shield winners, it says a lot about the players, our staff here, and the support we're getting. So, I think it would be a great accomplishment for our team.”
An MLS original from 1996, the Revs have two raised two pieces of silverware: the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and the 2008 SuperLiga, a now-defunct continental competition.
Veteran forward Teal Bunbury said winning the Shield would be a measuring stick of New England’s progress. They’ve taken serious leaps forward since Arena and his staff joined midway through the 2019 campaign, and they’re still aiming for the club’s ever-elusive MLS Cup as well.
"We kind of held off on maybe talking about it midway through the season or the past month or so, but I think now that it's right there for us, we want to win trophies as a team and as an organization," Bunbury said. "That's kind of what you're based on is your wins, trophies, and all those things. Playing well is great, but if you can win trophies, it's important.
"For me personally, I think this would be huge for the club, huge for the supporters, and it just showcases the strides we've taken as an organization to get to this point. But I don't think we should be satisfied with just winning Supporters' Shield. There's been teams in the past who have gotten to the end of the season, won Supporters' Shield, and kind of fizzled out in the playoffs. We definitely don't want to be a team like that. That's our goal now to win it, but our focus is the MLS Cup.”
Aside from the Shield, New England have three games remaining to surpass LAFC’s single-season points record (72) from the 2019 campaign. They’re on 69 points before heading to Orlando, and also have home games against the Colorado Rapids (Oct. 27) and Inter Miami CF (Nov. 7) remaining to amass four points and make some history.
Much like has happened all of 2021, they’re taking it one step at a time.
“The Supporters’ Shield is something we’re paying attention to and something we want to win,” center back Henry Kessler said. “The points record would be really nice. It’s not the priority but it would be really nice. Obviously, Bruce has done a fantastic job throughout his career winning so many games. But we’re really focused on that Supporters’ Shield first and if the other records come, they come, and that would be great.”
