MLS is Back Tournament

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MLS is Back Tournament
File:MLS is Back Tournament Logo.png
Country United States
Dates July 8 – August 11, 2020
Teams 24
Champions Portland Timbers
Runners-up Orlando City SC
Champions League Portland Timbers
Matches played 51
Goals scored 146 (2.86 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Diego Rossi
(7 goals)

The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tournament; FC Dallas and Nashville SC withdrew after several of their players tested positive for COVID-19 just before their first matches. The tournament was held behind closed doors from July 8 to August 11, 2020, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The tournament featured a group stage, which was counted toward the 2020 MLS regular season standings, followed by knockout rounds. The tournament champion, Portland Timbers, qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League,[1] and the 2020 season resumed upon completion of the tournament.[2]

Background

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See also: COVID-19 pandemic in North America, COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football

The 2020 Major League Soccer season, the 25th season of the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, began on February 29, 2020. On March 12, the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, following the cancellation of several matches.[3] At the time of the cancellation, all 26 teams had played two league matches. On March 19, the suspension was extended until May 10,[4] and on April 17, was again extended to June 8.[5] On May 1, the league announced that players were allowed to resume individual outdoor training at MLS facilities on May 6.[6] The COVID-19 pandemic is the first interruption of regular season play since the 2001 season, in which many late regular season games were cancelled due to the September 11 attacks.

Format

The tournament was announced by Major League Soccer on June 10, 2020.[7] Teams could begin traveling to Florida on June 24, though they could arrive no later than seven days prior to their first match.[8] The tournament was planned to feature 54 matches (later reduced to 51 following the withdrawal of FC Dallas) played on 26 days, all taking place behind closed doors without spectators at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida.

The 26 teams were originally split into six groups based on their conference, with one group containing six teams and five containing four teams. Each team will play three group stage matches, and the results will count toward the 2020 MLS regular season standings. However, following the withdrawal of FC Dallas and Nashville SC from the tournament, a revised structure for the group stage was announced on July 9, 2020. The tournament was split into six groups of four, with Chicago Fire moving from Group A to B.[9]

Following the group stage, sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage: the top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams.[note 1] The knockout stage culminated in the tournament final on August 11. If a knockout match was tied at the end of regulation, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (no extra time was played).[11]

During the tournament, teams were allowed to name a maximum of twelve substitutes, an increase from the MLS rule of seven. Additionally, teams were allowed to make up to five substitutions in a match, following a temporary amendment to the Laws of the Game by IFAB in order to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the pandemic.[12] However, each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding those made at halftime.

The MLS is Back Tournament champions qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. As a one-time change, this berth replaced the one normally awarded to the regular season conference champion that did not win the Supporters' Shield. The berth was awarded regardless of whether the champion was from the United States or Canada. Were the winners from Canada, they would still have participated in the 2020 Canadian Championship.[13] The tournament also featured a $1.1 million prize pool for players to earn additional bonuses.

Following the tournament, the MLS regular season resumed with a revised schedule, which will conclude with the playoffs and MLS Cup 2020.[2]

Medical protocol

Major League Soccer announced a medical protocol, in consultation with experts, to be used for the tournament to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches, officials, and staff. This included testing for COVID-19 prior to and throughout the tournament, wearing a face covering or mask, and social distancing to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 from occurring. Players and staff who were deemed "high-risk individuals" were not permitted to attend the tournament unless medically cleared. Had anyone tested positive for COVID-19, they were required to isolate under a strict and detailed protocol to prevent transmission.[14]

Prior to travelling to Orlando, all players, coaches, referees, club personnel and league staff were required to complete two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests 24 hours apart and 72 hours before travelling to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Upon arrival, all individuals were required to take another PCR test and are quarantined until the results of the tests arrive. All individuals who tested positive underwent a clinical assessment by a healthcare provider and moved to an isolation area of the hotel until they were medically cleared.[15]

Major League Soccer started producing updates on the testing results of the PCR tests performed in Orlando on June 28. Up to that point, 329 individuals were tested for COVID-19, and two players tested positive, both of whom had just arrived at the facility. Within the next two days, 392 more individuals were tested, of which four of them tested positive. FC Dallas then provided an update on July 1 confirming that six of their players had tested positive for COVID-19, and the rest of their delegation had been quarantined in their hotel rooms pending the results of additional testing. From July 1 to 2, 855 individuals were tested, six of whom were tested positive for COVID-19, four of which were players. From July 3 to 4, two more players tested positive for COVID-19. Between July 7 and 8, Major League Soccer reported that four individuals tested positive for COVID-19, out of 1888 individuals tested.[15]

On July 6, 2020, FC Dallas withdrew from the tournament due to ten players and one staff member of the club testing positive for COVID-19,[16] after their opening match was initially postponed.[17] On July 9, 2020, Nashville SC were also withdrawn from the tournament after nine players of the club tested positive for the virus,[9] after their opening match was initially postponed.[18]

On July 12, the match between Toronto FC and D.C. United was postponed just minutes prior to kickoff after at least one player was tested positive for COVID-19. The game was rescheduled for the following day on July 13, while the two players who received the positive and inconclusive test were both medically cleared to resume activities.[19] Meanwhile, on July 14, Major League Soccer announced that there were no individuals who were tested positive out of the teams still participating in the tournament, while there was a single positive case out of the two teams that had withdrawn from the tournament.[20] From July 16 onward, the MLS did not record a single positive test of COVID-19 within the delegation staying at the complex.[21]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[22] Up to three matches took place each day during the group stage, with kick-off times at 9 a.m., 8 p.m., and 10:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−4) due to the Florida climate.[23] No matches overlapped during the tournament.[24] The full match schedule for the tournament was announced on June 24, 2020.[25]

Phase Round Match dates
Group stage Matchday 1 July 8 – July 13, 2020
Matchday 2 July 14 – July 18, 2020
Matchday 3 July 19 – July 23, 2020
Knockout stage Round of 16 July 25 – July 28, 2020
Quarter-finals July 30 – August 1, 2020
Semi-finals August 5 – August 6, 2020
Final August 11, 2020

Draw

The draw for the group stage took place on June 11, 2020, at 3:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−4), hosted by Charlie Davies and Susannah Collins. The 26 teams were drawn into six groups based on their conference. To allow for an even number of teams in each group for the tournament, Nashville SC was moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the 2020 season.[26] The fourteen teams of the Eastern Conference were drawn into one group of six teams (Group A) and two groups of four teams (Groups C and E). The twelve teams of the Western Conference were drawn into three groups of four teams (Group B, D, and F).

Three teams from each conference were seeded and drawn into separate groups. Orlando City SC was considered the "host" of the tournament and was therefore seeded and automatically assigned to Group A. The remaining five seeds were determined based on results from the 2019 season.[27] Inter Miami CF was automatically assigned to Group A in order to face rival Florida club Orlando City SC in the opening match of the competition.[28]

Pot Eastern Conference Western Conference
Seeded
Unseeded
  1. ↑ Orlando City SC, designated as the tournament hosts, was seeded and automatically assigned to position A1.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Seeded as a semi-finalist in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
  3. ↑ Seeded as the next highest-ranked team in the 2019 season Western Conference.
  4. ↑ Inter Miami CF was automatically assigned to position A2 in order to face fellow Florida club Orlando City SC in the opening match of the tournament.
  5. ↑ Nashville SC was moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the 2020 season.

The seeded teams were drawn first and allocated to position 1 of the first available group. The unseeded teams were subsequently drawn, with the representatives of the six seeded teams, in rotation, choosing a numbered ball to occupy the next available position in their group until all the groups were completed. The draw resulted in the following groups:[29]

Group A (East)
Pos Team
A1 Orlando City SC
A2 Inter Miami CF
A3 New York City FC
A4 Philadelphia Union
A5 Chicago Fire[lower-alpha 1]
A6 Nashville SC[lower-alpha 2]
Group B (West)
Pos Team
B1 Seattle Sounders FC
B2 FC Dallas[lower-alpha 2]
B3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
B4 San Jose Earthquakes
Group C (East)
Pos Team
C1 Toronto FC
C2 New England Revolution
C3 Montreal Impact
C4 D.C. United
Group D (West)
Pos Team
D1 Real Salt Lake
D2 Sporting Kansas City
D3 Colorado Rapids
D4 Minnesota United FC
Group E (East)
Pos Team
E1 Atlanta United
E2 FC Cincinnati
E3 New York Red Bulls
E4 Columbus Crew SC
Group F (West)
Pos Team
F1 Los Angeles FC
F2 LA Galaxy
F3 Houston Dynamo
F4 Portland Timbers
  1. ↑ Chicago Fire was later moved to Group B following the withdrawal of FC Dallas and Nashville SC.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Withdrawn from the tournament

Originally, the teams in Group A were scheduled to only face three out of the five teams within their group. However, after the group stage format was revised, all teams will face each other. The following were the initial pairings set prior to the draw:[27]

Original Group A fixtures
Team Opponents
A1 (Orlando City SC) A2, A3, A6
A2 (Inter Miami CF) A1, A4, A5
A3 (New York City FC) A1, A4, A5
A4 (Philadelphia Union) A2, A3, A6
A5 (Chicago Fire) A2, A3, A6
A6 (Nashville SC) A1, A4, A5

On July 9, 2020, following the withdrawal of FC Dallas and Nashville SC, Major League Soccer announced that Chicago Fire would move from Group A to B, with Group A therefore becoming a four-team group.[9] As a result, Chicago Fire was the only Eastern Conference team in an otherwise Western Conference group.

Group stage

The results of all the games in this stage were counted for points toward the 2020 regular season standings.[2]

Tiebreakers

The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:[2][30]

  1. Higher number of points obtained in all group matches;
  2. Higher number of wins in all group matches;
  3. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
  4. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
  5. Lower disciplinary points total in all group matches:
    • Foul: 1 point;
    • Yellow card: 3 points;
    • Indirect red card (second yellow card): 7 points;
    • Direct red card: 7 points;
    • Coach dismissal: 7 points;
    • Any supplemental discipline: 8 points;
  6. Coin toss (tie of two teams) or drawing of lots (tie of three or more teams).

Group A

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 8, 2020 (2020-07-08)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Orlando City SC 2–1 Inter Miami CF
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-08-orlando-city-sc-vs-inter-miami-cf/boxscore

Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
9:00 a.m. EDT
New York City FC 0–1 Philadelphia Union
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-09-new-york-city-fc-vs-philadelphia-union/boxscore

Referee: Armando Villarreal

July 14, 2020 (2020-07-14)
8:00 p.m. EDT
New York City FC 1–3 Orlando City SC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-14-new-york-city-fc-vs-orlando-city-sc/boxscore

Referee: Robert Sibiga

July 14, 2020 (2020-07-14)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia Union 2–1 Inter Miami CF
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-14-philadelphia-union-vs-inter-miami-cf/boxscore

Referee: Silviu Petrescu

July 20, 2020 (2020-07-20)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Inter Miami CF 0–1 New York City FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-20-inter-miami-cf-vs-new-york-city-fc/boxscore

Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

July 20, 2020 (2020-07-20)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia Union 1–1 Orlando City SC
Ilsinho Goal 68' https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-20-philadelphia-union-vs-orlando-city-sc/boxscore Pereyra Goal 70'

Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

Group B

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 10, 2020 (2020-07-10)
9:00 p.m. EDT[note 2]
Seattle Sounders FC 0–0 San Jose Earthquakes
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-10-seattle-sounders-fc-vs-san-jose-earthquakes/boxscore

Referee: Drew Fischer

July 14, 2020 (2020-07-14)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Chicago Fire 2–1 Seattle Sounders FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-14-chicago-fire-fc-vs-seattle-sounders-fc/boxscore

Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

July 15, 2020 (2020-07-15)
9:00 p.m. EDT[note 3]
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–4 San Jose Earthquakes
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-15-vancouver-whitecaps-fc-vs-san-jose-earthquakes/boxscore

Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Chicago Fire 0–2 San Jose Earthquakes
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-19-chicago-fire-fc-vs-san-jose-earthquakes/boxscore

Referee: Ramy Touchan

July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19)[note 4]
10:30 p.m. EDT
Seattle Sounders FC 3–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-19-seattle-sounders-fc-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-fc/boxscore

Referee: Robert Sibiga

July 23, 2020 (2020-07-23)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Chicago Fire 0–2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-23-chicago-fire-fc-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-fc/boxscore

Referee: Armando Villarreal

Group C

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Montreal Impact 0–1 New England Revolution
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-09-montreal-impact-vs-new-england-revolution/boxscore

Referee: Guido Gonzales, Jr.

July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13)[note 3]
9:00 a.m. EDT
Toronto FC 2–2 D.C. United
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-13-toronto-fc-vs-dc-united/boxscore

Referee: Fotis Bazakos

July 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)[note 3]
8:00 p.m. EDT
Montreal Impact 3–4 Toronto FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-16-montreal-impact-vs-toronto-fc/boxscore

Referee: Jair Marrufo

July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)[note 3]
8:00 p.m. EDT
D.C. United 1–1 New England Revolution
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-17-dc-united-vs-new-england-revolution/boxscore

Referee: Joseph Dickerson

July 21, 2020 (2020-07-21)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Toronto FC 0–0 New England Revolution
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-21-toronto-fc-vs-new-england-revolution/boxscore

Referee: Jair Marrufo

July 21, 2020 (2020-07-21)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Montreal Impact 1–0 D.C. United
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-21-montreal-impact-vs-dc-united/boxscore

Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Group D

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Sporting Kansas City 1–2 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-12-sporting-kansas-city-vs-minnesota-united-fc/boxscore

Referee: Joseph Dickerson

July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Real Salt Lake 2–0 Colorado Rapids
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-12-real-salt-lake-vs-colorado-rapids/boxscore

Referee: Jair Marrufo

July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Sporting Kansas City 3–2 Colorado Rapids
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-17-sporting-kansas-city-vs-colorado-rapids/boxscore

Referee: David Gantar

July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Real Salt Lake 0–0 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-17-real-salt-lake-vs-minnesota-united-fc/boxscore

Referee: Alex Chilowicz

July 22, 2020 (2020-07-22)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Real Salt Lake 0–2 Sporting Kansas City
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-22-real-salt-lake-vs-sporting-kansas-city/boxscore

Referee: Fotis Bazakos

July 22, 2020 (2020-07-22)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Colorado Rapids 2–2 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-22-colorado-rapids-vs-minnesota-united-fc/boxscore

Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Group E

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 11, 2020 (2020-07-11)
8:45 p.m. EDT[note 5]
Atlanta United 0–1 New York Red Bulls
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-11-atlanta-united-fc-vs-new-york-red-bulls/boxscore

Referee: Allen Chapman

July 11, 2020 (2020-07-11)
11:20 p.m. EDT[note 5]
FC Cincinnati 0–4 Columbus Crew SC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-11-fc-cincinnati-vs-columbus-crew-sc/boxscore

Referee: Ismail Elfath

July 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
9:00 a.m. EDT
Atlanta United 0–1 FC Cincinnati
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-16-atlanta-united-fc-vs-fc-cincinnati/boxscore Amaya Goal 76'

Referee: Victor Rivas

July 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Columbus Crew SC 2–0 New York Red Bulls
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-16-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls/boxscore

Referee: Ramy Touchan

July 21, 2020 (2020-07-21)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Atlanta United 0–1 Columbus Crew SC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-21-atlanta-united-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/boxscore

Referee: Timothy Ford

July 22, 2020 (2020-07-22)
8:00 p.m. EDT
FC Cincinnati 2–0 New York Red Bulls
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-22-fc-cincinnati-vs-new-york-red-bulls/boxscore

Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

Group F

Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Los Angeles FC 3–3 Houston Dynamo
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-13-los-angeles-football-club-vs-houston-dynamo/boxscore

Referee: Timothy Ford

July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13)
10:30 p.m. EDT
LA Galaxy 1–2 Portland Timbers
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-13-la-galaxy-vs-portland-timbers/boxscore

Referee: Ramy Touchan

July 18, 2020 (2020-07-18)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Portland Timbers 2–1 Houston Dynamo
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-18-portland-timbers-vs-houston-dynamo/boxscore

Referee: Ismail Elfath

July 18, 2020 (2020-07-18)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Los Angeles FC 6–2 LA Galaxy
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-18-los-angeles-football-club-vs-la-galaxy/boxscore

Referee: Allen Chapman

July 23, 2020 (2020-07-23)
8:00 p.m. EDT
LA Galaxy 1–1 Houston Dynamo
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-23-la-galaxy-vs-houston-dynamo/boxscore

Referee: Victor Rivas

July 23, 2020 (2020-07-23)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Los Angeles FC 2–2 Portland Timbers
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-23-los-angeles-football-club-vs-portland-timbers/boxscore

Referee: Drew Fischer

Ranking of third-placed teams

The results of the third-placed teams from the six groups were compared against each other. The top four teams of this ranking advanced to the round of 16. Template:MLS is Back Tournament group tables

Knockout stage

In this stage, if a match was tied at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winners.[2]

Bracket

 
 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 
                            
 
 July 25
 
 
 Philadelphia Union 1
 
 July 30
 
 New England Revolution 0
 
 Philadelphia Union 3
 
 July 26
 
 Sporting Kansas City 1
 
 Sporting Kansas City 0 (3)
 
 August 5
 
 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 (1)
 
 Philadelphia Union 1
 
 July 26
 
 Portland Timbers 2
 
 Toronto FC 1
 
 August 1
 
 New York City FC 3
 
 New York City FC 1
 
 July 28
 
 Portland Timbers 3
 
 Portland Timbers 1 (4)
 
 August 11
 
 FC Cincinnati 1 (2)
 
 Portland Timbers 2
 
 July 25
 
 Orlando City SC 1
 
 Orlando City SC 1
 
 July 31
 
 Montreal Impact 0
 
 Orlando City SC 1 (5)
 
 July 27
 
 Los Angeles FC 1 (4)
 
 Seattle Sounders FC 1
 
 August 6
 
 Los Angeles FC 4
 
 Orlando City SC 3
 
 July 27
 
 Minnesota United FC 1
 
 San Jose Earthquakes 5
 
 August 1
 
 Real Salt Lake 2
 
 San Jose Earthquakes 1
 
 July 28
 
 Minnesota United FC 4
 
 Columbus Crew SC 1 (3)
 
 
 Minnesota United FC 1 (5)
 

Round of 16

July 25, 2020 (2020-07-25)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Orlando City SC 1–0 Montreal Impact
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-25-orlando-city-sc-vs-montreal-impact/boxscore

Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

July 25, 2020 (2020-07-25)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia Union 1–0 New England Revolution
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-25-philadelphia-union-vs-new-england-revolution/boxscore

Referee: Ismail Elfath

July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26)[note 6]
8:30 p.m. EDT
Toronto FC 1–3 New York City FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-26-toronto-fc-vs-new-york-city-fc/boxscore

Referee: Alex Chilowicz

July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26)
11:00 p.m. EDT
Sporting Kansas City 0–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-26-sporting-kansas-city-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-fc/boxscore
  Penalties  
*Pulido Penalty scored 3–1 *Penalty missed Dájome

Referee: Victor Rivas

July 27, 2020 (2020-07-27)[note 7]
8:30 p.m. EDT
San Jose Earthquakes 5–2 Real Salt Lake
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-27-san-jose-earthquakes-vs-real-salt-lake/boxscore

Referee: Drew Fischer

July 27, 2020 (2020-07-27)
11:00 p.m. EDT
Seattle Sounders FC 1–4 Los Angeles FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-27-seattle-sounders-fc-vs-los-angeles-football-club/boxscore

Referee: Jair Marrufo

July 28, 2020 (2020-07-28)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Columbus Crew SC 1–1 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-28-columbus-crew-sc-vs-minnesota-united-fc/boxscore
  Penalties  
*Adi Penalty scored 3–5 *Penalty scored Alonso

Referee: Allen Chapman

July 28, 2020 (2020-07-28)
10:30 p.m. EDT
Portland Timbers 1–1 FC Cincinnati
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-28-portland-timbers-vs-fc-cincinnati/boxscore
  Penalties  
*Valeri Penalty scored 4–2 *Penalty scored De Jong

Referee: Armando Villarreal

Quarter-finals

July 30, 2020 (2020-07-30)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia Union 3–1 Sporting Kansas City
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-30-philadelphia-union-vs-sporting-kansas-city/boxscore

Referee: Ramy Touchan

July 31, 2020 (2020-07-31)
7:30 p.m. EDT
Orlando City SC 1–1 Los Angeles FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-07-31-orlando-city-sc-vs-los-angeles-football-club/boxscore
  Penalties  
*Pereyra Penalty scored 5–4 *Penalty scored Ginella

Referee: Joseph Dickerson

August 1, 2020 (2020-08-01)
8:00 p.m. EDT
San Jose Earthquakes 1–4 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-08-01-san-jose-earthquakes-vs-minnesota-united-fc/preview

Referee: Jair Marrufo

August 1, 2020 (2020-08-01)
10:30 p.m. EDT
New York City FC 1–3 Portland Timbers
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-08-01-new-york-city-fc-vs-portland-timbers/boxscore

Referee: Allen Chapman

Semi-finals

August 5, 2020 (2020-08-05)
8:00 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia Union 1–2 Portland Timbers
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-08-05-philadelphia-union-vs-portland-timbers/boxscore

Referee: Allen Chapman

August 6, 2020 (2020-08-06)
9:14 p.m. EDT
Orlando City SC 3–1 Minnesota United FC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-08-06-orlando-city-sc-vs-minnesota-united-fc/boxscore

Referee: Drew Fischer

Final

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Main article: MLS is Back Tournament Final

August 11, 2020 (2020-08-11)
8:30 p.m. EDT
Portland Timbers 2–1 Orlando City SC
https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2020-08-11-portland-timbers-vs-orlando-city-sc/boxscore

Statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Uruguay Diego Rossi Los Angeles FC 7
2 Canada Ayo Akinola Toronto FC 5
3 United States Jeremy Ebobisse Portland Timbers 4
England Bradley Wright-Phillips Los Angeles FC
United States Gyasi Zardes Columbus Crew SC
6 Argentina Sebastián Blanco Portland Timbers 3
Sweden Magnus Eriksson San Jose Earthquakes
Paraguay Jesús Medina New York City FC
United States Chris Mueller Orlando City SC
Portugal Nani Orlando City SC
Brazil Sergio Santos Philadelphia Union
Algeria Saphir Taïder Montreal Impact
United States Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes

Top assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 Argentina Sebastián Blanco Portland Timbers 5
Spain Alejandro Pozuelo Toronto FC
3 Portugal Nani Orlando City SC 3
Mexico Alan Pulido Sporting Kansas City
Uruguay Brian Rodríguez Los Angeles FC
Argentina Diego Valeri Portland Timbers
7 United States Brenden Aaronson Philadelphia Union 2
Uruguay José Aja Minnesota United FC
United States Corey Baird Real Salt Lake
United States Alejandro Bedoya Philadelphia Union
Brazil Felipe D.C. United
Uruguay Francisco Ginella Los Angeles FC
Brazil Héber New York City FC
Madagascar Romain Métanire Minnesota United FC
United States Jordan Morris Seattle Sounders FC
Argentina Matías Pellegrini Inter Miami CF
Argentina Lucas Zelarayán Columbus Crew SC

Shutouts

Rank Player Club Shutouts
1 Jamaica Andre Blake Philadelphia Union 2
Switzerland Stefan Frei Seattle Sounders FC
Canada Thomas Hasal Vancouver Whitecaps FC
United States Zac MacMath Real Salt Lake
United States Tim Melia Sporting Kansas City
Curaçao Eloy Room Columbus Crew SC
United States Matt Turner New England Revolution
Poland Przemysław Tytoń FC Cincinnati
Argentina Daniel Vega San Jose Earthquakes
10 United States Alex Bono Toronto FC 1
Senegal Clément Diop Montreal Impact
Peru Pedro Gallese Orlando City
Denmark David Jensen New York Red Bulls
United States Sean Johnson New York City FC
United States Tyler Miller Minnesota United FC
United States Andrew Tarbell Columbus Crew SC

Awards

Individual awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

The Golden Boot was given to the top scorer of the tournament. If multiple players had been level on goals scored, the first tiebreaker for the award would have been assists. Audi donated $10,000 to the academy of the winning player's club.[39] The Player of the Tournament, Golden Glove, and Young Player of the Tournament were given out based on voting from the media (75%) and fans (25%). The Goal and Save of the Tournament were determined by the editorial team of MLSsoccer.com shortlisting eight candidates, with the final result chosen by online fan voting.[39]

MLS is Back Tournament Best XI

The media chose the best eleven players of the tournament in a 4–3–3 formation.[39]

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards Ref.
[40]

Man of the Match

The Man of the Match was named after each match by the editorial team of MLSsoccer.com.[39]

Team of the Week

The Team of the Week included the top players and coach during each week of the tournament, as chosen by the editorial team of MLSsoccer.com.[39]

Goal of the Week

The Goal of the Week determines the best goal during each week of the tournament. The editorial team of MLSsoccer.com shortlists goals for fans to vote for on Twitter.[39]

Media and broadcasting

All games in the tournament were produced by ESPN as host broadcaster, and were televised by Major League Soccer's media partners in the United States, Canada, and worldwide. Per health protocols, few ESPN staff members had on-field access, on-site production staff were divided into smaller groups, and all games were called remotely (with ESPN's games being called from the network's headquarters in Bristol). ESPN decided against using simulated crowd noise for its broadcasts, instead placing a focus on "enhanced" in-game audio via microphones embedded in the field (Fox Sports and Univision/TUDN stated that, by contrast, they would use artificial crowd noise, with Fox offering options for crowd audio on the online streams of its matches).[100] ESPN employed 33 cameras each on the three fields, and also used drone cameras for aerial shots. A large chroma key wall was erected at each field in place of grandstands, which was used for displaying in-game sponsor logos.[101][102] Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman served as ESPN's lead broadcast team for the tournament, while Adrian Healey and Alejandro Moreno and Steve Cangialosi and Shep Messing called select games, with Stefano Fusaro served as the on-site reporter for all the matches. Fox Sports had John Strong and Stuart Holden commentate on all of their matches, while Rob Stone, Alexi Lalas, and Maurice Edu hosted the pregame and postgame shows for select matches.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ This was the format initially announced by Major League Soccer. However, on June 24, 2020, it was announced that the third-placed team of the larger Group A would also advance directly, and only three teams would advance (with the fourth-placed team of Group A also eligible to advance).[10] However, the original knockout qualification format was restored on July 9, after the group stage format was revised following the withdrawal of FC Dallas and Nashville SC.[9]
  2. ↑ Following the initial delay of the Toronto FC and D.C. United match, the group stage match between San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC, originally scheduled for July 10, 2020, 10:30 p.m. EDT, was moved to 9:00 p.m. EDT.[18]
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The group stage match between Toronto FC and D.C. United, originally scheduled for July 10, 2020, 8:00 p.m. EDT, was rescheduled to July 12, 9:00 a.m. EDT, due to Toronto FC's delayed arrival in Florida.[18] The match was later rescheduled to the July 13, 2020, after an unconfirmed positive COVID-19 test for one player and an inconclusive test for another player among the teams. As a result, three other group stage fixtures were rescheduled. The match between Montreal Impact and Toronto FC, originally scheduled for July 15, 2020, 8:00 p.m. EDT, was rescheduled to July 16. The match between D.C. United and New England Revolution, originally scheduled for July 16, 2020, 8:00 p.m. EDT, was rescheduled to July 17. The match between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and San Jose Earthquakes, originally scheduled for July 15, 2020, 10:30 p.m. EDT, was moved to 9:00 p.m. EDT.[19]
  4. ↑ The group stage match between Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, originally scheduled for July 20, 2020, 10:30 p.m. EDT, was rescheduled to July 19.[9]
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The group stage match between Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls, originally scheduled for July 11, 2020, 8:00 p.m. EDT, was delayed to 8:45 p.m. EDT due to inclement weather.[31] As a result, the match between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew SC later that same day, originally scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EDT, was delayed to 11:20 p.m. EDT to prevent the matches from overlapping.[32]
  6. ↑ The match was moved from July 27 to 26.
  7. ↑ The match was moved from July 26 to 27.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  79. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  82. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  83. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  86. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  87. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  88. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  89. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  93. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  94. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  102. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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