It looks like the 2022 Supporters' Shield race will go down to the wire.
LAFC grabbed just their second win over the last seven matches in Week 32, gaining an edge over the Philadelphia Union with two games remaining.
What happened
- LAFC entered Sunday having already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference ahead of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs and a 2023 Concacaf Champions League berth by virtue of Austin FC and Nashville SC's 1-1 draw the night before. After seeing Carlos Vela's opener from the spot cancelled out, they pulled out a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo FC.
- Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Union drew 0-0 with Atlanta United behind a superb effort in net by Andre Blake. Philadelphia haven't officially locked up first in the East, but with a five-point lead over CF Montréal, it appears to be a formality. They did, however, claim a CCL berth.
What it means
- With Week 32 in the books, LAFC and the Union are level on points with two matches to go, sitting on 64 points a piece.
- LAFC's win, though, is their 20th, compared to 18 for the Union. The first tiebreaker is wins, so if both teams finish even on points, LAFC will claim their second Shield in club history.
- "Our focus is always on the next game, and it has been the entire season, and I think that is the best way to deal with situations like this," LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said following the match. "There are two games left. I think it's very clear that if you win both games, we know what happens. But if we don't win, we don't know what happens."
Next up
- LAFC travel to the Portland Timbers on Oct. 2 (3 pm ET | ABC, ESPN Deportes) before returning to Banc of California Stadium to host Nashville on Oct. 9 - Decision Day (5 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+). Meanwhile, the Union visit Charlotte FC on Oct. 1 (5:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+) and welcome Toronto FC, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, to Subaru Park on Decision Day (2:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
- "There's not a lot of Supporters' Shield-winning teams that have also won MLS\] Cup, so it's not always about just finishing the regular season on top, but it's about going into the playoffs with that momentum, coming off a couple of big wins." LAFC defender [Ryan Hollingshead said. "So if we can put a string of wins together here... not only will that give us the Shield, but it will set up us well for some good rhythm going into playoffs."
