The Philip F. Anschutz Trophy is a silver
trophy that is awarded to winners of
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...
. Since the inaugural MLS Cup in 1996, three trophies have been used: the
Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 to 1998, a second version of the Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 to 2007, and the
Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008. The trophy appears in the logo of the tournament, and was featured on the now-retired "
scudetto" that was worn by defending champions from 2009 through 2012.
Earlier trophies
The first MLS Cup trophy, introduced for the inaugural season in 1996, was named for league founder
Alan Rothenberg
Alan I. Rothenberg (born April 10, 1939) is an American lawyer and sports executive. He is known for his contributions to and influence on the growth of soccer in the United States. He is the namesake of the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, which was ...
. The trophy was phased out after three seasons, with a new trophy also named for Rothenberg introduced in 1999.
Current trophy
On October 29, 2008, Major League Soccer unveiled a redesigned trophy for the MLS Cup, named after
Philip F. Anschutz, league co-founder and owner of multiple teams. The new trophy stands tall above a base, with two handles that have 11 facets each to represent the 22 players on the field during a match. The gold star represents the championship which typically becomes a permanent fixture of the winning team's crest with a star for each MLS Cup won. On the bottom side of the trophy is a map of North America with a star identifying the location of each MLS Cup-winning market. It weighs and is made of
sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.
'' Fine silver'', which is 99.9% pure silver, i ...
.
The original trophy is kept by the champions for the offseason before returning to Major League Soccer headquarters in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, while a duplicate is awarded to the club.
See also
*
List of MLS Cup Champions
References
Awards established in 1996
Major League Soccer trophies and awards
MLS Cup
Sports trophies and awards
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