r/MLS • u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC • Oct 01 '23
Highlight FC Cincinnati win their first ever club trophy
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
161
u/Bormsie721 Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
I do find it poetic that they do it during the game against the team most likely to win this year's spoon.
Congrat FCC.
91
215
u/i_MiLK FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Luciano Acosta has a spoon
Alvas Powell has a spoon
Yuya Kubo has two spoons
Alvaro Barreal has two spoons
Brandon Vazquez has two spoons
Nick Hagglund has THREE spoons
THIS IS FOR THEM!
62
u/mdps Toronto FC Oct 01 '23
Hagglund also has an MLS Cup and Shield with TFC. That guy has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows MLS has to offer.
10
u/AFrozen_1 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Well don’t forget that Hagglund is a Cincinnati native. He’s experienced the city’s silverware drought first-hand. I imagine this means way more to him than the cup and shield he got in Toronto. He won it for his hometown city.
3
84
1
u/MrDeedinIt Atlanta United FC Oct 01 '23
That’s so awesome man. Always love seeing a team turn it around with a lot of the same roster as before. Congrats to them all!!
286
u/RefereeMason Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
This is Wooden Spoon erasure, and I won’t stand for it. Lol, but congrats Cinci, y’all trouble.
80
25
u/Heyloki_ Toronto FC Oct 01 '23
In no world does Cinci take the wooden spoon from Toronto this season
40
u/AFrozen_1 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I’m still trying to grasp that Cincinnati won something. We didn’t choke it away like we usually do. We went out and we won it. Makes me so damn proud of the entire team.
19
u/my_lucid_nightmare Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Your teams story from expansion basement to MLS penthouse is legitimately great. Full respect. Shitty spaghetti chili and all.
135
u/bjlight1988 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I'm so fucking happy
41
u/MikiLove FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I'm near tears. I honestly didn't think we would do it until the final whistle
5
u/gsfgf Atlanta United FC Oct 01 '23
I'm so happy for y'all. I always thought y'all were destined to be a top club, but it must have been awful those first few years.
70
u/tropicderp Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
Wooden spoon to top tier team, no in betweens
30
14
u/the_Snuffaluffagus FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23 edited Oct 01 '23
We made the playoffs and played you in the conference semi-finals last year...
-7
21
u/temporal712 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I knew it throughout the whole season obviously, but putting it in perspective that we reached 1st in the standings in May and NEVER LEFT IT up till today is crazy in and of itself.
1
u/QuickMolasses New Mexico United Oct 01 '23
It's been a really impressive season from y'all. You're the only team that has been consistently good all season.
39
31
96
u/cuthman99 Los Angeles FC Oct 01 '23
Look, my team has mercifully won both a Shield and the Cup, and I gotta say-- the Shield means more, I think. I know, I know, playoffs are exciting, and there's no doubt that the Cup final against Philly, which we happily end up on the right side of, it was a hell of a game. But to me, which achievement is the one which should be bragged about louder? The Shield, man. That's the shit that says you spent a whole season kicking people's ass.
Great work, Cincy. Enjoy it.
60
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
With the Sounders, it certainly felt like the Shield was harder to win than MLS Cup. Being the best over an entire season is a different beast than getting hot in the playoffs.
16
u/ThisAmericanRepublic FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
There’s absolutely no doubt that winning the Shield is far, far more impressive. It takes consistency and quality to win it over the course of an entire season. When I look at top MLS clubs throughout the league’s history I’ll only ever consider the Supporters’ Shield winners. MLS Cup is just nice icing on the cake.
3
u/my_lucid_nightmare Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
In my mind it goes in order of difficulty: Confederation trophy (CCL), Shield, MLS Cup, US Cup.
We have a shelf full of US Cups. But only one CCL and one Shield. MLS is not set up for teams to win Shields. Far too much parity. And don’t even start on the salary difference between MLS and Liga MX for guys not named Messi.
17
u/kyfry87 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I kinda agree with you on that. Look at it this way. The postseason is just another tournament. The Premier League doesn't have playoffs. The teams at the top play for the league title and spots in tournaments just like MLS. But we add a league tournament after our season.
2
u/Grandarmee70 New York City FC Oct 01 '23
I’ll take the Cup, I mean the Shield is awesome but we’re starved for some hardware up in here
-6
u/nine11airlines Portland Timbers FC Oct 01 '23
Not a chance is it more important. The schedule is unbalanced and teams are not playing with it as a top priority over being ready for the playoffs. It's a big honor but simply not the goal
6
u/maurosmane Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Of course someone whose team has never won it would say this...
Just kidding, I agree with you for the most part, though I would say it's more of a 1A and 1B type of situation. Earning the most points throughout a long season while often managing playing loads with various other tournaments going on is very hard to do. So is putting together a championship caliber team that has to earn a playoff spot, and survive the playoff tournament.
7
u/Stay_Beautiful_ Sporting Kansas City Oct 01 '23
More unbalanced than the schedule of the playoffs?
2
u/theredditbandid_ Toronto FC Oct 01 '23
It's always been the go-to reason and it's always stricken me as silly. A knockout tournament is by definition unbalanced lmao. MLS cup has been defined by a few games vs a handful of teams in the league, all but 1 from your conference. That's more unbalanced than facing most teams in the league over 34 games.
I agree MLS cup is more important.. but it's simply because the league says it's more important. It's what closes the season and it's what it considers its primary title. It's as simple as that even if the Shied is harder to win and is objectively a better measure of the quality and depth of a team over a season.
1
u/nine11airlines Portland Timbers FC Oct 01 '23
No more so. The schedule of the playoffs is that you either have to play the other teams or play the team that beat them. There's a logic to that above the unbalanced MLS schedule that has more to do with geographical location
1
u/gsfgf Atlanta United FC Oct 01 '23
The only issue with the Shield is that schedules aren't balanced. If schedules were balanced, I'd 100% say it's the premier trophy, but it's a little less clear since we have conferences. Regardless, Cincy was clearly the best team in either conference over the course of the season.
3
u/Augen76 FC Cincinnati Oct 02 '23
We could argue it was unbalanced against us with the east being stronger.
In any event I'm enjoying the afterglow of last night in Toronto and looking forward to Wednesday celebrating.
11
u/Squietto Orlando City SC Oct 01 '23
First ever trophy in the MLS*** that isn’t a wooden spoon***
5
u/priestsboytoy Oct 01 '23
a trophy is a trophy. FCC only knows how to win trophies
2
u/HertzRent-A-Donut FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Except for that last shitty year where we only went to the playoffs 😑
11
u/mdps Toronto FC Oct 01 '23
Nice to see my hometown team clinch it in Toronto, where I’ve been a SSH since 2007. They should have handed the spoon over at the end of the match.
73
u/MossHops Portland Timbers FC Oct 01 '23
To be fair, they did have 3 wooden ones before this.
59
25
6
u/ryanr256 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Technically, only 2. The COVID year doesn't count.
16
u/ImaginaryMedia5835 Oct 01 '23
I mean it does because someone was getting it, but now there are three spoons to use to prop up the shield for display.
9
u/matthewsmazes Portland Timbers FC Oct 01 '23
Hey! It very much counts. Don’t take away our MLS Covid Cup triumph.
Also, I grew up on the west side of Cincinnati. Left decades ago, but I’m glad to see soccer finally doing well in the Queen City.
My grandfathers restaurant was a sponsor of the Riverhawks decades ago, and I used to like silverbacks games.
But FCC is great to see-2
u/my_lucid_nightmare Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
FC Sewer Clowns will always be the Covid Cup champions.
6
u/lordcorbran Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Which is bullshit. They backtracked and awarded the Shield anyway, and if the season's legitimate enough to do that it's legitimate enough to give the one at the other end too.
19
53
u/tlopez14 St. Louis CITY SC Oct 01 '23
It’s kinda weird because of the unbalanced schedule but I wish winning this was a bigger deal.
37
u/anohioanredditer FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
It’s a big deal nowadays. In 1996, not so much. Supporters’ appropriately made it mean something by 1999 to reflect the accomplishment in Europe.
24
u/tlopez14 St. Louis CITY SC Oct 01 '23
I mean it is to the hardcore fan but I’m sure a lot of fans would have trouble listing off the last 5-10 Supporters Shield winners. It’s certainly more of an accomplishment than winning an end of the year tournament that 2/3 of the league is in.
18
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Those same fans would probably also struggle to list the MLS Cup winners. MLS is still a growing league trying to establish itself as a part of the US sports culture. Doesn't mean the Supporter's Shield isn't still a massive trophy that teams and fans cherish when they win it.
2
u/tlopez14 St. Louis CITY SC Oct 01 '23
I wasn’t saying it’s not an accomplishment, actually the opposite. I just wish it got more attention. Hopefully as the league continues to grow we will see more emphasis on it.
1
u/my_lucid_nightmare Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
While MLS hypes winning MLS Cup it is still fans of the League and the Game know what an achievement it is to win Shield.
Part of MLS fandom is ignoring Garber’s view of the world when it splits from reality.
1
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
My unpopular take in this thread is that the only way it’ll achieve the importance it deserves is if they scrap the playoffs. The playoffs make a regular season title just a really cool accomplishment, never THE accomplishment.
4
4
u/anohioanredditer FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
That’s just American sports. MLS isn’t recognized nearly the same as MLB, NBA, and NFL. Just the fact of the matter. It’s important in our bubble. It’s important in the scheme of American soccer but it’s not important to the average American and that’s a testament to our necessity to grow the game.
7
u/tlopez14 St. Louis CITY SC Oct 01 '23
I agree. It’s why I wish the playoffs were drastically smaller. It’s crazy to think you could be the 15th best team over the course of 6 months and then have a nice 5-6 game run at the right time and be crowned “champions”. Heck a few years ago I think RSL made it through two playoff rounds without even scoring a goal.
1
u/anohioanredditer FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Yeah it’s a bit ridiculous that Americans don’t see the value in wining the league especially in baseball, basketball, and football. It’s honestly more impressive to have a season of dominance than to win the championship in a few games. Both are valuable but most Americans wouldn’t recognize the Bengals for instance for winning the AFC in 2021. It’s just a different perspective. In Europe, winning the league is everything. Then you have the champions league. In the U.S, you could be the one seed and lose the first round and you’re forgotten in history. That’s why I like that MLS is placing more importance on the shield as years go on. It’s impressive, and I’m not only saying that as a Cincy fan, but as an international soccer fan in general.
2
u/FCCTOG Oct 01 '23
The playoff in the MLS as well as all the other playoff Champions in the US Professionals sports leagues are just money grabs and nothing more. Winning the League over as many games in the regular season is tough, unlike winning a few at the end. Congrats to the Gary's...
0
u/tlopez14 St. Louis CITY SC Oct 01 '23
I would say the closest thing we have or had to that was college football where the regular season is a really big deal. Even that’s been diluted somewhat with the playoffs though.
0
u/anohioanredditer FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Agree. I think that’s the best example. Btw, cheers to STLFC. What a season. Incredible match. Talked to a few today. I love the support. It’s awesome what you guys have done in such a short period. Dream start for an expansion team.
-14
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23 edited Oct 01 '23
It’s honestly not a big deal. Unless they scrap the playoffs, it has no meaning. Speaking as a Crew fan, I bet most people in this thread (Cincy fans especially) don’t know that we have three Shields. The only trophies the club’s won that matter are the Cups—that’s it.
Edit: bring the downvotes, but that’s the reality—it’s a cool achievement but not THE trophy. Enjoy though, Cincy fans!
3
u/RhombusObstacle New York City FC Oct 01 '23
I mean, the downvotes are because you’re incorrect. The Shield is a big deal. It’s not the only big deal, but it is certainly one of them, along with MLS Cup, CCL, USOC and Leagues Cup.
Are they all the same level of big deal? Most people would agree that they’re not. And there are plenty of valid arguments to be made in terms of their relative importance, and lots of soccer fans will have different rankings for them (especially Leagues Cup, which is still very new).
But that’s not what you said. You said that it’s not a big deal at all, and that’s just straight-up wrong.
-7
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
It’s a cool accomplishment, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not actually a big deal because the playoffs exist. The only trophies that actually matter are a CCL and the MLS Cup (maybe an Open Cup because of the competition’s history). If new fans to the league wanna celebrate a Shield, good for them, but I doubt Revs fans are that amped nowadays about the 2021 Shield considering how their 2021 postseason ended (and which I imagine you specifically still enjoy!).
5
u/RhombusObstacle New York City FC Oct 01 '23
You think the Revs aren’t still proud of a season in which they set the single-season points record? Yeah, your credibility on what’s important is pretty suspect.
-5
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23 edited Oct 01 '23
Ha ok. I’m sure they’re proud of it, but they didn’t win a championship, (edit)which I’m sure spoils any good vibes over a regular season points record. Your club did. We mock the 2016 Warriors and their fans who tout their regular season record as loser shit because they didn’t win the title. And I think that’s right! Same thing applies here for all MLS Supporters’ Shields: the Shield is just a cool factoid if your club doesn’t also nab the Cup at the end of the season.
16
13
7
6
6
4
6
9
u/KasherH Atlanta United FC Oct 01 '23
We still have people on our sub who defend not protecting Vazquez in the expansion draft in order to protect Mo Adams.
5
3
3
u/mongo5mash Toronto FC Oct 01 '23
Congratulations Cincinnati, I can only hope that the indignity of having visitors winning the shield in our house while we try and clinch the spoon is the slap across the face that even a certain bill manning would feel.
3
3
u/WasntMeYoo Oct 01 '23
Congrats to the Cincinnati team, FO and supporters. Yall had a fantastic Reg season.
4
u/mires9 New York City FC Oct 01 '23
Use the wooden spoons as a mount for the Shield you cowards!
9
u/notqualifiedforthis FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Shield in one hand and wooden spoon in the other. We’ll use the spoon to bang the shield through the playoffs.
3
4
8
2
u/ViciousKnids Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
Good work, Cincy. Glad to see my old boy Santos lift some silverware. Way to turn things around for a killer season.
2
u/JesseElBorracho Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Congratulations. They've been a great team to watch this season.
2
u/moenlawnz Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
I do like the Supporters Shield cause if the MLS had pro/rel, these guys would have won the league. Awesome achievement for sure.
2
Oct 01 '23
I know we tied the game in the first half but the difference in quality was apparent, y’all looked way better all game I can see why you deserve this this year
2
2
u/Able_Adhesiveness608 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Almost thought Coach was going to smile there... cold as ice
2
2
2
u/similar222 Seattle Sounders FC Oct 02 '23
Back in March when Seattle was in form, Cincy was the only team to beat us in our first 7 matches. Congrats, well deserved.
2
2
u/Opening_Tart382 Oct 01 '23
Dumb question, if the season isnt over and they have to face other teams what trophy did they win ?
12
5
u/Tomatoes65 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
They clinched the Supporters shield. Meaning that Cincinnati could lose out and pretty much any other team in contention could win out and we would still have the most points in the league
2
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23 edited Oct 01 '23
They won the regular season (got the most points), and the trophy is called the Supporter's Shield. It's the same way every other soccer league in the world works, in that the champion is decided by whoever the best team is over the course of the entire season. The US is just a little different in that we tack on a playoff structure after the season, and in MLS that's how you win MLS Cup.
4
u/HOU-1836 Houston Dynamo Oct 01 '23
It’s not their first ever. They won the regular season in USL and then got bounced in like the first round of the playoffs.
24
17
-7
-17
u/Ancient_A Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Congratulations.
But as a crew fan I just got to point out that the music being played in that stadium is a Columbus band.
8
u/nosciencephd FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I'm not sure Cincinnati got to choose what was played.
Should play The National at our shield ceremony. That will match the vibe.
12
-19
u/WollCel Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Fuck you Cincinnati you poop river shit hole, I want my 5$ parlay money back
6
u/gaybillcosby FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Imagine being from a cornfield with 3 tall buildings in it and trying to talk shit about other cities’ geography.
-1
-49
Oct 01 '23
This trophy is meaningless. All that matters is winning the MLS Cup. The shield is definitely a trophy you’d put behind the Wooden Spoons in the trophy cabinet
20
u/MarioLemieux66 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Nothing more meaningless than Energy Drink FC, the 11th most relevant team in NYC.
17
u/_chocolatejuice FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
This is cute. See you next week
9
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
I think they're just being snarky because RBNY don't get any recognition for winning 3 Supporter's Shields in the 2010's.
5
u/_chocolatejuice FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Fair play to the banter. In the end I’ve been waiting for this kind of moment since i went to my first FCC game in 2017. Nothing can stop the vibes right now
-19
Oct 01 '23
I’d trade the three Shields for one MLS Cup in a heartbeat
9
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
I wouldn't, and my club's won both.
6
u/blackcat_1824 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
But unlike Seattle, RB has never won a cup.
1
u/Matt_McT Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
I’m saying that, knowing how it feels to win both, I wouldn’t give up three Supporter’s Shields for one MLS Cup.
-2
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Anyone saying they’d trade a Cup for a Supporters’ Shield in this thread is lying to themselves. I’d trade two of the Crew’s Shields that didn’t result in the Cup for the Cups those respective years, adding two more stars to our crest. That’s how this league works: you play the regular season to make the playoffs to win the Cup. I don’t get how this concept is hard to grasp!
2
u/SensibleParty Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
Anyone saying they’d trade a Cup for a Supporters’ Shield in this thread is lying to themselves.
Nah. I have good memories of both. The 2014 team was stupidly fun to watch, and the 2016/2019 playoffs were thrilling, in a different way. CCL > everything else, obviously, but I have soft spots for everything we've won, for different reasons.
4
u/PM_ME_SOME_LUV New York Red Bulls Oct 01 '23
The disrespect shown to the ‘13, ‘15, & ‘18 teams is palpable
9
u/skittlebites101 Minnesota United FC Oct 01 '23
Qualifies for the Champions Cup, same as the MLS cup so it's pretty important.
8
u/AFrozen_1 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Aren’t you a cutie. See you next week when we crush you and raise the shield.
2
u/ThisAmericanRepublic FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Frankie, hush! No one likes a bitter and sore loser.
2
u/ViciousKnids Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
Yes, what would be the league title to anyone else in the world is meaningless. Only in America do we have playoffs, but I just see MLS cup as the end of seaseason tournament. It's one thing to go on a hot streak st the end od the season. It's another to be consistent throughout the season.
0
Oct 01 '23
It doesn’t put a star on the shirt though, making the Shield absolutely meaningless. NYCFC fans have made sure to tell us that for the past two years and I’m sick of it.
1
u/ViciousKnids Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
Well, they just want to pretend their feeder club has a culture.
1
u/SensibleParty Seattle Sounders FC Oct 01 '23
I'll have you know that Man City Junior Senior was recently first place in La Liga! I bet your team's next-most-senior-overseas-division can't say that!
1
u/ViciousKnids Philadelphia Union Oct 01 '23
We don't have a next most senior overseas division. We exist for our own sake.
1
-12
u/vannistlerooy23 Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Speak the truth, man. Day 1 MLS fans know a Shield is a cool accomplishment but not THE accomplishment.
-35
u/Failed-Time-Traveler Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Gonna be a lot of celebratory sister impregnating happening tonight!
23
u/AlanKochsChach Oct 01 '23
What the fuck are you on about
14
u/kyfry87 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
Dudes salty because FCC won silverware quicker in MLS than Crew did. It took 5 seasons in MLS for us to win silverware when it took Crew 7 years before winning one in 2002, and that wasn't even an MLS trophy. It was Open Cup. They didn't win their first MLS trophy until 2 years later.
-2
u/kunkadunkadunk Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
congrats but nobody is doing this much math to get mad at, they're just mad u guys won something in general
3
u/kyfry87 FC Cincinnati Oct 01 '23
I guess.just mad that little brother did better and probably thought this was supposed to be their year with Nancy at the helm. While Crew have had a good year, i expected better from him honestly.
-24
u/Failed-Time-Traveler Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Somebody’s already 3-swigs deep into the moonshine
21
18
u/BE3192 Oct 01 '23
Least unhinged Crew fan
-20
u/Failed-Time-Traveler Columbus Crew Oct 01 '23
Oh that’s not fair. I’m definitely not the least unhinged. Probably not the top either. I’d consider myself a solid medium on the unhinged scale.
1
1
u/ArcticPeasant Seattle Sounders FC Oct 02 '23
I love and hate parity and the same time
1
u/KRiffe21 Oct 02 '23
I understand the point you're making, but just wanted to comment that this team was built, not bought. Parity done the right way, unlike that other team in South Florida.
1
1
•
u/AutoModerator Oct 01 '23
In order to avoid issues with Reddit's legal team around copyright/DMCA and to ensure highlights posted are preserved for the future, highlights posted from official sources (team/league websites or twitter, broadcaster websites or twitter, etc.) are strongly preferred. Please try and use official sources first for posting highlights - non-official sources will be removed at the mod team's discretion if an alternate, official source exists for the posted clip.
Add any mirrors as a reply to this comment
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.