MLS is Back Tournament Draw: Where does Seattle land as the league gets set for July return
As announced on Wednesday, MLS is back later on this summer and to get back into the wrong of things, a tournament will be held in Orlando and it’s gonna be called the well…”MLS is Back” Tournament. Clearly, naming is not the forefront. Either way, starting July 8 MLS will crown a champion with a group style tournament.
Before the groups are revealed, here’s a look at the upcoming tournament schedule and format.
Tournament Schedule
July 8: Group Stage begins
July 25-28: Round of 16
July 30-August 1: Quarterfinals
August 5-6: Semifinals
August 11: Final
Tournament Format
All 26 teams participate in the tournament
The teams will be placed into six groups
Seattle, Toronto, Atlanta, LAFC, Orlando, and Real Salt Lake are the top seeds in each of the six groups.
Each team will play three group matches before the knockout stages
The top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best teams sitting in third place of their groups will reach the knockout round.
Groups
GROUP A
Eastern Conference
Orlando City SC
Miami
NYCFC
Philadelphia Union
Chicago Fire FC
Nashville SC
GROUP B
Western Conference
Seattle Sounders
FC Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps
San Jose Earthquakes
GROUP C
Eastern Conference
Toronto FC
New England Revolution
Montreal Impact
DC United
GROUP D
Western Conference
Real Salt Lake
Sporting KC
Colorado Rapids
Minnesota United
GROUP E
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United FC
FC Cincinnati
New York Red Bulls
Columbus Crew SC
GROUP F
Western Conference
LAFC
LA Galaxy
Houston Dynamo
Portland Timbers
What does this draw mean for Seattle?
Well, you get one rival (Vancouver) instead of the other (Portland). You don’t have a too heavy draw like Group A or F. So you could say Seattle did luck out a bit. One thing I was pleasantly surprised to see was Seattle get FC Dallas which played Seattle in a thrilling playoff showdown last fall. If you don’t remember, here’s a look at the highlights.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 3:08 PM.
