MLS is coming into its homestretch for the 2025 season, and the race to be the best is heating up while the summer winds down. There are NINE teams that all have a shot to be the best team in the league when all is said and done. Who will claim the Supporters’ Shield? Here’s a look at where the top five sit, and how the rest of the pack are pushing to get to the top.
MLS Supporters’ Shield Watch After Matchday 28
1st Place: San Diego FC – 52 points from 27 games played
For the first time in this season’s final stretch, expansion side San Diego is atop the league. 52 points from 27 matches played and two wins in a row have catapulted this team to the top. It looked like San Diego was going to fall last week, going down 1-0 in the 72nd minute, but two goals in five minutes helped them get all three points at San Jose.
This team has what it takes to stay at the top: high-end attacking talent, solid team defense, developing rising stars, and using their depth. Could an expansion side win the Supporters’ Shield in a field full of great teams? We’ll have to keep watching to see, and that starts tonight when they go on the road to the Portland Timbers.
- Next MLS Match: @ Portland Timbers | Saturday, August 23 | 10:30 pm EST
2nd Place: FC Cincinnati – 52 points from 27 games played
Before the 2025 MLS season started, many thought that FC Cincinnati would challenge for the Shield, and they’re proving all of those people right. While they haven’t broken the doors off of many opponents, they are equal on points and wins with San Diego FC. FCC is top of the East and has made significant roster moves in the summer window to push for the Shield.
Last week, they went to Portland and won a thriller 3-2. Their stars, Evander and Denkey, both scored. Now, they are bringing former DP striker Brenner to complete their attack. This team looks like a championship-winning side in the attack, but they will have to hope their defense can hold strong. They’ll look to do that tonight as they host NYCFC.
- Next MLS Match: vs NYCFC | Saturday, August 23 | 7:30 pm EST
3rd Place: Philadelphia Union – 51 points from 27 games played
Coming into last weekend, the Philadelphia Union were leading the tight race for the MLS lead, even after losing points late at home to Toronto FC. They faced the New York Red Bulls twice in a week: once in the US Open Cup, where they won 3-2 after a late winner, and then they had to go to New York on the weekend for league play and came up short. Philly lost their first match since the beginning of July and fell two spots.
Philadelphia is punching above its weight to compete with the other teams in the Shield race. They can still make a run for it, but will have to avoid these close games to do so. Four of their six losses this year were 1-0 ones on the road, which could be the difference between finishing near the top and claiming the Shield. They will look to get things back on track at home as they take on the Chicago Fire tonight.
- Next MLS Match: vs Chicago Fire | Saturday, August 23 | 7:30 pm EST
4th Place: Nashville SC – 47 points from 27 games played
Another team that has defied expectations this season to be in the Shield race is Nashville SC. They have exploded this year, scoring 44 goals in 27 games. While they are in the thick of things for this race for the Shield, their current form has struggled. Two losses after the Leagues Cup break have them sitting in fourth, five points off the top.
Nashville will be featured in the marquee matchup of the weekend as they host high-flying Orlando City SC. Both teams are tied on points, and a win could go a long way in the hopes of either side’s ability to hoist the Shield. Can Surridge and Mukhtar carry this team to a much-needed win, or will they not be enough to stop what is maybe the hottest team in MLS? Tune in tonight to find out.
- Next MLS Match: vs Orlando City SC | Saturday, August 23 | 8:30 pm EST
5th Place: Orlando City SC – 47 points from 27 games played
In what has been a crazy last month, Orlando City has risen from a mid-table playoff side in the east to a true Shield contender. They have not lost since mid-July, winning four straight MLS matches, while making it through the Leagues Cup all the way to the Semifinals. Now the hottest team in the league will try to keep it going and possibly come within two points of the Shield.
Orlando isn’t just on a great run; they are dominant. Twelve goals scored and four conceded in their last four MLS games, and nine goals scored and three conceded in four League Cup games have this team flying in all phases. Their attack is high-flying, their defense is stout, and their goalkeeping is winning them matches in knockout games. Can we see a late-season push from Orlando to make a run at the Shield?
- Next MLS Match: @ Nashville SC | Saturday, August 23 | 8:30 pm EST
Rounding out the top 10
The rest of the top 10 in the Shield standings are all still in contention to make a late-season run. These are the cream of the crop in MLS; only eight points separate San Diego and Charlotte. The margins are razor-thin, and with less than two months from Decision Day, we are seeing history in the number of teams still in this race.
- 6th Place: Minnesota United – 47 points from 27 games played
- 7th Place: Vancouver Whitecaps – 46 points from 26 games played
- 8th Place: Inter Miami CF – 45 points from 24 games played
- 9th Place: Columbus Crew SC – 45 points from 26 games played
- 10th Place: Charlotte FC – 44 points from 27 games played
All teams in this race for the Shield will play this weekend, with the majority playing tonight between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Eastern time. It’ll be about a six-hour window during which we will learn a lot about how teams respond to the pressure of competing at the top. The transfer window is now closed, and teams have been reinforced in the ways they saw fit. Now, it’s time for the turn of the season from summer to fall, when champions are made.
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Featured Image Credit: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
