FC Cincinnati can win the 2023 Supporters’ Shield Saturday night at Toronto FC (7:30 p.m. ET | Free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, no subscription required | ESPN 1530).
FC Cincinnati can clinch the 2023 Supporters’ Shield with:
1. FC Cincinnati WIN at Toronto FC OR
2. FC Cincinnati DRAW at Toronto FC AND New England Revolution LOSS/DRAW vs. Charlotte FC AND Orlando City SC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal OR
3. New England Revolution LOSS/DRAW vs. Charlotte FC AND Orlando City SC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal AND Philadelphia Union LOSS/DRAW at Columbus Crew AND St. Louis CITY SC LOSS/DRAW vs. Sporting Kansas City
FC Cincinnati can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with:
1. FC Cincinnati WIN at Toronto FC OR
2. FC Cincinnati DRAW at Toronto FC AND New England Revolution LOSS/DRAW vs. Charlotte FC AND Orlando City SC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal OR
3. New England Revolution LOSS/DRAW vs. Charlotte FC AND Orlando City SC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal AND Philadelphia Union LOSS/DRAW at Columbus Crew
Should FC Cincinnati clinch the Supporters’ Shield, the Orange and Blue would hold home field advantage throughout the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, including hosting the first game and the third game (if necessary) of the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Winning the Supporters' Shield would ensure that so long as the Orange and Blue continue to advance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, TQL Stadium will host FC Cincinnati in the single-elimination Eastern Conference Semifinal and Eastern Conference Final. FC Cincinnati would also host 2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi at TQL Stadium on December 9 should the team advance to the final.
The Supporters’ Shield commemorates regular season dominance, given to the MLS club with the best regular season record as determined by the league’s points system. As indicated by its name, the Supporters’ Shield’s creation started organically through fan campaigning in the early days of MLS, and is now annually given to the league’s top regular season club.
FC Cincinnati would become the 16th different club in the 28th season of MLS to earn the Supporters’ Shield, and only the fifth active club to win it within their first five seasons in MLS.
Saturday’s FC Cincinnati match will stream for free, with no subscription required, exclusively on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Fans can also listen to the match locally on ESPN 1530.
