On the heels of Chivas USA's loss to the Colorado Rapids on Sunday evening, D.C. United has claimed the 2007 Supporters Shield, the title given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record. The club's fourth Supporters' Shield crown becomes the 11th major domestic or international title in club history. Having earned the title in 2006, United is the first Major League Soccer franchise to win back-to-back regular season honors. United will finish their MLS schedule this coming Saturday by hosting the Columbus Crew. The team will be awarded the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield prior to the game at which the club's 1997 MLS Cup championship side will be honored. A pre-game tribute match celebrating the playing career of Marco Etcheverry is set for 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the event remain available at www.dcunited.com or by calling 202-587-5000.
"All of us at D.C. United are proud to have won the Supporters' Shield for a fourth time," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "It's great testimony to the character of this group of players to have won this title back-to-back for the first time in League history. We're equally proud of the fact that we have now won the League regular season point championship on four different occasions. We have accomplished that under four different coaches and, obviously, with very different casts of players. That speaks to the strength and quality of the organization and the commitment of everyone at D.C. United to be the most successful professional organization in the history of American soccer."
D.C. United (16-6-7, 55 points) is currently riding a League-best, 13-game unbeaten streak and stands atop the Major League Soccer standings heading into the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs. United will play the return leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series at RFK Stadium on Thursday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Should the club advance, United will host the Eastern Conference Championship the following week. MLS Cup is set for RFK Stadium on November 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET before a national television audience on ABC. Ticket packages and individual game tickets are now available for all possible D.C. United home games for the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, including MLS Cup, at www.dcunited.com
or by calling 202-587-5000.
United's Supporters' Shield run was guided by first year head coach Tom Soehn. Following an 0-3 start to the MLS season, Soehn engineered an immediate turn-around that has led his club to the top of the League standings. United would lose only three more times over the remainder of the League season.
"Certainly, given the rigors of our schedule this year and the fact that we've played more games than any other team in our League, Tom Soehn is a very worthy candidate for MLS Coach of the Year honors," added Payne.
United was led on the field by MLS Honda MVP candidate Luciano Emilio. Emilio has scored a League-leading 20 goals in his first season with D.C. United. The feat marks the first time an MLS player has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau in five seasons. The striker earned MLS Player of the Week honors three times, following a two-goal performance in a win over Chicago June 16, after a brace in a victory at New England August 5 and on the heels of a four-goal week in which United drew at Chivas USA and defeated New England the first full week of September. His six-goal September, during which United went 4-0-2, earned the striker MLS Player of the Month honors. Four of Emilio's tallies have proven to be game-winners, while his lone assist also allowed United to take home the full three points.
Previous winners of the Supporters Shield
1996: Tampa Bay Mutiny
1997: D.C. United
1998: Los Angeles Galaxy
1999: D.C. United
2000: Kansas City Wizards
2001: Miami Fusion
2002: Los Angeles Galaxy
2003: Chicago Fire
2004: Columbus Crew
2005: San Jose Earthquakes
2006: D.C. United
