Slowly but surely, we’re getting more real, actual live sports back, instead of just sports like substances. Major League Soccer has officially said that their MLS is Back 2020 tournament in Orlando will not replace their season.
Once the MLS is Back Tournament is completed, the master plan calls for picking up the regular season where we left off, but now with a revised schedule in home markets, followed by the MLS Cup Playoffs and 25th MLS Cup. The schedule and number of matches for the regular season will be announced in the coming weeks.
The MLS is Back Tournament will be staged at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida beginning July 8. Obviously, the tournament will be staged behind closed doors due to public safety and health concerns.
Media access will be limited, and given how the credential deadline is just six days from now, and many journalists would have to make air travel plans in that time, yes, absolutely the number of journos applying/intending to cover this will be reduced. TV broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
Here’s more details on the tournament format via the press release
For the MLS is Back Tournament, the 26 MLS teams will be drawn into one of six groups during a live draw that will take place tomorrow, Thursday, June 11 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. For the remainder of the 2020 MLS season, Nashville SC will be moved to the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference will have three groups, one consisting of six teams and two consisting of four teams each. The Western Conference will have three groups, each consisting of four teams.
As the host club, Orlando City SC will be given the top seed in Group A, which will be the six-team group, and will play in the first match on July 8. The five remaining seeds will consist of the four semifinalists from the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs – Atlanta United, Los Angeles Football Club, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC – and Real Salt Lake (the team with the next highest points total in the Western Conference from the 2019 season). The seeded teams will be drawn into their respective groups first and then the remaining 20 clubs will be drawn and distributed across the conference-based groups.
And now more FYIs and dates:
KEY DATES
June 24: Teams begin arriving in Florida
July 8: MLS is Back Tournament group stage begins
July 25-28: Round-of-16
July 30- Aug. 1: Quarterfinals
August 5-6: Semifinals
August 11: MLS is Back Tournament Final
MLS IS BACK TOURNAMENT – July 8 – August 11
Number of Matches: 54 (39 group; 15 knockout)
No. of matchdays: 26
Format: Group Stage, followed by Round-of-16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals & Championship match
Minimum Matches: 3 (per club)
Maximum Matches: 7 (per club)
Click HERE for the MLS is Back Tournament Competition Guidelines
Commissioner Don Garber will do a conference call with media in about 90 minutes from now. If there’s anything good from the session, we’ll post and add it here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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