Major League Soccer Is All Set To Hit Its Come Back Post COVID-19 Break With A World Cup Style Tournament
Major League Soccer made sure that they turn some heads with their recent announcement that hinted the team’s plan to resume their normal professional sports. MLS Announces Its Return With World Cup-Style Tournament scheduled to take place on July 8. The game shall be played in a World-Cup style tournament, scheduled to run through August 11th in Orlando, Florida.
Being labeled as the MLS is Back Tournament, the event will feature all the other twenty-six teams that would compete at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. This announcement surfaces after MLS had been completely shut down for nearly about three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Group stage matches will count towards the MLS standings and the winner of the tournament shall earn a position in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.
Post the finish of the tournament, the league is hoping to carry on with its regular season along with a revised schedule in the home markets. The season will thereby be followed by the playoffs and the 25th MLS Cup.
MLS had put a stop to their play early into the 2020 campaign. However, now as they stand all ready to enter the tournament, Atlanta United FC is at 2-0 and atop the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference currently comprises of three undefeated teams with Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United FC and Colorado Rapids all 2-0.
Every game played in Orlando shall be telecasted nationally in the U.S on ESPN, Fox, or Univision. However, it is still unclear whether or not the fans will be allowed to watch the games live, as that remains in the hands of the local authorities.
The games are scheduled to start early in the morning and shall be played till late in the evening in an attempt to avoid the Florida heat. The games shall begin as early as 9 am ET and finish as late as 10.30 pm ET.
There will be a draw for the tournament on Thursday to determine the six groups. In another hand, Nashville SC will be moved to the Eastern Conference. The East will consist of three groups with one group consisting of six teams and the other two groups consisting of four teams. Added to this, in the Western Conference, they will have three groups where each would consist of four teams.
Orlando City will be handed the top seed in Group A and shall play its first game on 8th July. The other five remaining seeds will be contestants of the semifinals from the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs named Atlanta United, LAFC, Seattle Sounders, Toronto FC, and Real Salt Lake.
Glenda Bozeman – Business and Services
Glenda Bozeman writes Business articles for industries that want to see their Google search rankings surge. Her articles have appeared in a number of sites. Her articles focus on enlightening with informative Services sector needs. She holds the degree of Masters in Business and Marketing. Before she started writing, she experimented with various professions: computer programming, assistant marker, and others. But her favorite job is writing that she is now doing full-time.
