Thursday, June 11
The MLS is Back Tournament Draw will take place this afternoon at 3:30 PM EDT. You can watch the draw live on mlssoccer.com or on the MLS Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube pages.
The tournament is a World Cup style tournament that will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney Resort July 8- August 11. All 26 teams will be involved.
The winner of the MLS is Back tournament will get 2 things: 1) a 2021 CONCACAF Champions automatic birth and 2) a $1.1 million prize.
For the tournament draw, and for the remainder of the 2020 season, Nashville SC will be moved to the Eastern Conference. The East will have three groups, one with 6 teams and two with fours teams. The first seed for each group has already been selected. They are Orlando City SC (host) and the top two teams from last years MLS Postseason Tournament- Atlanta United and Toronto FC. The Eastern Conference will have Groups A, C, and E. Orlando City has automatically been placed in Group A so they can be featured in the opening match.
Over on the Western Conference side the top seeds in each group have been awarded to the top two teams from last years MLS Postseason Tournament- Defending Champion Seattle Sounders and LAFC. Real Salt Lake gets the third top spot based off of last years regular season points performance. The Western Conference will have Groups B, D, and F.
The exact schedule and tv information will be announced after the draw takes place, though not necessarily on the same day. What has been revealed is every match will be televised on an ESPN, Fox, or Univision Network at the set times of 9 AM, 8 PM, and 10:30 PM EDT. Orlando City SC will play in the first match July 8 at 9 AM.
The top two teams from each group as well as the 4 best 3rd Place teams will advance to the Knockout stages. The Round of 16 will take place July 25-28 with the quarterfinals following July 30- Aug. 1, the semifinals Aug 5-6, and the Championship Aug. 11.
For more information please visit mlssoccer.com.
