In a way, this Shield feels somewhat similar to 2004. It’s just that the team is much more beloved. Like 2004, the Black & Gold got off to a horrible start. They were winless (0-2-5) after seven tie-intensive games, and only had one win in their first nine matches (1-2-6.) They were even similar to the 2004 Crew in scoring 41 goals and conceding 31, compared to 40 and 32 just five years earlier. And then there was the 49-point regular season followed by another agonizing playoff flameout.
But anyway, by the end of the regular season, just like in 2004, they were a late-season juggernaut going 9-2-3 down the stretch, coming back to clip Los Angeles and Houston by one point each to claim the Shield.
The most monumental thing about this Shield is that Columbus made history by winning it. The 2008 Crew became the fifth team in MLS history to win the Supporters’ Shield / MLS Cup double. Of the previous four winners, none had claimed either of those trophies while defending their titles the following year. To this day, the 2009 Crew is the only team to successfully defend the Supporters’ Shield the year after winning the MLS double. Since then, the 2012 LA Galaxy successfully defended MLS Cup, but not the Shield, one year after winning the MLS double in 2011.
