Los Angeles Football Club secures home-field advantage throughout Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs with Supporters’ Shield

Los Angeles Football Club secures home-field advantage throughout Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs with Supporters’ Shield
Second-year club will receive first-round bye and top seed in postseason;
LAFC clinches spot in 2020 Concacaf Champions League
NEW YORK(Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019) – Second-year Los Angeles Football Club made history by winning its first major trophy, securing the 2019 Supporters’ Shield following a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. The coveted Supporters’ Shield guarantees LAFC a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the entirety of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, a strength of position as they have dominated with a 12-1-3 record at Banc of California Stadium this season.

LAFC has compiled a 20-4-8 record (68 points) this season and could break the 2018 New York Red Bulls record for most points in a regular season (71 points) set last year. With 20 wins this year, LAFC is two victories away from matching the 2018 Red Bulls mark of 22 wins for the most in MLS during the post-shootout era, while its 81 goals scored ranks second in MLS history behind the 1998 Los Angeles Galaxy (85 goals). LAFC has also registered a plus-46 goal differential, which would pass the 1998 Galaxy mark of plus-41 should it stand the rest of the season. No club in MLS history has compiled more points over its first two seasons than LAFC’s 125 points thus far, breaking 2017-2018 Atlanta United’s mark of 124 points with two matches remaining in 2019.

Additionally, LAFC has clinched a berth to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League as the winner of the 2019 Supporters’ Shield, its first time participating in the international competition. Also qualified for next year’s CCL are Atlanta United as winner of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and the Montreal Impact as the winner of the 2019 Canadian Championship.