With the sporting world slowly coming out of lockdown, Major League Soccer’s return to the field can’t come soon enough for many fans. The MLS is Back Tournament in getting closer, with all 26 teams of the top flight of US soccer travelling to Disneyland to pick up the MLS action where it stopped.
Since March 12th,2020, MLS play has been discontinued due to the risk of the COVID-19 virus. However, on July 8th, Major League soccer will step onto the field again and play the beautiful game at MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Florida.
In an interview to the press about the MLS is Back Tournament, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said: “We’ll be playing games before many other leagues will in this country, albeit not by as much as we had previously hoped, and very importantly, we wanted to continue the momentum that we have and continue our relationship with our fans who translate into viewers.”
He added: “We had, frankly, had hoped to be able to start at the latter part of June, and we are just not able to do that,” Garber said. “So getting out early is important, and it’s not necessarily getting out first, because you’ve got to get it right. But getting out there and ensuring that we have the certainty to play games is crucial to the future success of the league.”
The news comes after the National Women’s Soccer League (the NWSL) announced their return in the NWSL Challenge Cup due to take place in Utah on June 27th.
So, when, where and how with the MLS is Back Tournament kick off? Here’s all there is to know about the MLS return.
Important Things to Know
Dubbed as the MLS is Back Tournament, it is due to take place from July 8th until August 11th at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located near the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
The tournament will adopt a similar format to a FIFA World Cup. All 26 Major League Soccer franchises will be taking part, giving a total of 54 games to be played- 39 of which are to be group stage games, and 15 are knockout rounds. There are to be 26 gamedays, and matches will kick off at 9am, 8pm and 10:30pm EST, with most of the games scheduled for the evenings.
Starting with a group stage, those sucessful will advance to a round of 16; then to quarterfinals, semi-finals and inevitably a championship final. The minimum matches that could be played if knocked out first is 3 per team, and the maximum (if advancing to finals) would be 7 games per team.
Timeline
- June 24th– the arrival of MLS teams in Florida begins.
- July 8th – the first group stage games are played.
- July 25th until July 28th– teams from group stages advance and round of 16 begins.
- July 30th until August 1st -round of 16 winners play in the quarterfinals.
- August 5th until August 8th – tournament semi-finals to take place.
- August 11th– championship final match.
Tournament Format
Group Stage
With the Group Stage Tournament Draw having already taken place on Thursday, the 26 MLS teams have been split into 6 groups. The Eastern Conference has 3 groups; 2 with four teams and 1 with 6 teams. The Western Conference has 3 groups, compiled of 4 teams each.
What matchup are you looking forward to most? 🤔
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 11, 2020
Each of the groups had a seeded team drawn, and as “hosts”, Orlando City SC were given the top seed of GROUP A by default. The other seeded teams were the 4 2019 MLS Cup semi-finalists: Atlanta United, Toronto FC, LAFC and Seattle Sounders. The last seeded team was Real Salt Lake, who gathered the next highest total of points in the Western Conference in the 2019 season.
From July 8th until July 24th, every team will play 3 group stage games. The top 2 teams from all 6 groups along with 4 of the 3rd place finishers with the highest points will advance to the round of 16. If any teams are drawing on points, the standard MLS tie breaking rules will be referred to.
Best of 16 (Knockout) Stage
After the group stage’s top teams have been established, the successful teams will move onto the knockout games, starting with a round of 16 then moving onto quarterfinals, semi-finals and inevitably the championship game. Any knockout games that finish tied will be directed straight to a penalty shootout.
Only one can lift it. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yz1eZR4h9N
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 15, 2020
The Prize at Stake
Normal season League standings- all of the 39 games played in the group stages will be an opportunity for teams to gather points to go towards the regular MLS league standings, and could be a crucial aspect for some teams come the start of the league.
A CONCACAF Champions League position– as a unique change to MLS tradition, the MLS is Back tournament winner will receive an automatic spot in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League in 2021.
Money- the MLS is Back tournament has a prize-money total of $1.1 million, giving the players an opportunity to earn bonuses, as well as a spotlight for sponsorships and other possible endorsement deals.
What Happens After?
Come the end of the MLS is Back tournament, Major League Soccer has plans in place to resume its standard season, with the completion of the he Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and the 25th MLS Cup also in sight. The schedule is yet to be completed, and will be released at an unknown later date.
