The Old Guard Shield debuted in Harrisburg Saturday night

As the USL season winds down and the top teams scratch and claw for position in the increasingly tight playoff races this year, it’d be easy to forget that there’s a new piece of hardware that’s up for grabs in 2017.

The Old Guard Shield was announced back in February to much fanfare from the USL and the eligible teams. The supporter’s groups for the five most historic squads had come together to sponsor a special competition for the elders of the USL. It’s the first supporter controlled trophy in the USL since the Cascadia Cup moved to MLS after 2008.

Now that the OGS race is almost finished (Rochester has two OGS matches left to play and all the other squads have one), it’s finally time to start showing off the hardware. Each of the supporters groups have chipped in to fund the trophy, and the end result (by Refinerii Studios) is a real beaut.

Harrisburg fans were seen snapping pictures with the trophy throughout the evening. Afterwards the shield made its way to the Sturges Speakeasy for the post-game party with the City Islanders.

Chris Bratton

Unfortunately for Harrisburg, they won’t be able to claim the trophy this year. But Pittsburgh, Rochester, Charleston, and Richmond are all still in the running for 2017.

If you’re looking to stay up to date on the Old Guard Shield standings, you can follow the table here, or you could get the latest news (and upcoming #shieldontour destinations) by following OGS on Twitter.