NWSL Shield
| NWSL Shield | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | National Women's Soccer League team with the best record in the regular season |
| Presented by | National Women's Soccer League |
| First awarded | 2013 |
| Currently held by |
Seattle Reign FC (second shield) |
| Most awards |
Seattle Reign FC (two shields) |
The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record, as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been annually awarded since 2013, and is recognized as a major trophy by the league.
Seattle Reign FC having earned two NWSL Shields since the league's inception in 2013, have won the most shields of any NWSL team as of 2015. The club is the current holder of the award.[1]
History
When the NWSL was launched in 2013, the league's format was set up similar to other contemporary North American leagues. After the regular season, the NWSL Playoffs were held with the top four teams vying for a spot in the postseason championship match. The club with the best regular season record earned the top seed in the playoffs.[2]
Shield awarding and tiebreakers
Since the 2013 inaugural season, the system of awarding points in the NWSL is the same as the international standard: three points for a win, one for a draw, and no points for a loss.[3] In the event of an end-of-season tie in total accumulated points, the following tie-breakers are used:
- Head-to-head records: Which team has earned more points against all other teams with the same amount of points
- Goal difference (GD)
- Goals for (GF): Total goals scored throughout the season
- Head-to-head records: Which team has earned more points against the other team while on the road
- Road goal difference
- Total road goals
- Coin toss
Winners
| Season | Winner | Record | Points[B] / Pts per game |
NWSL Championship result | Win # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Tied[A] | |||||
| 2013 | Western New York Flash | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 38 / 1.73 | Lost Championship Final (Portland Thorns FC) | 1 |
| 2014 | Seattle Reign FC | 24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 54 / 2.25 | Lost Championship Final (FC Kansas City) | 1 |
| 2015 | Seattle Reign FC | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 43 / 2.15 | Lost Championship Final (FC Kansas City) | 2 |
Records
Shield winners
| Team | Wins | Runners up | Years won | Years Runners up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Reign FC | 2 | 0 | 2014, 2015 | |
| Western New York Flash | 1 | 0 | 2013 | |
| FC Kansas City | 0 | 2 | 2013, 2014 | |
| Chicago Red Stars | 0 | 1 | 2015 |
See also
- NWSL awards
- NWSL playoffs
- NWSL records and statistics
- List of American and Canadian soccer champions
References
- ↑ "Seattle Reign win NWSL Shield for 2nd straight season". ESPN. August 27, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ↑ Lauletta, Dan (February 26, 2013). "The Lowdown: A look at NWSL rules and tiebreakers". The Equalizer. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ↑ "2016 Competition Rules and Regulations". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
External links
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