SANDY — Major League Soccer will officially be back in action on July 8.
The league on Wednesday announced the details of the tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida that has been in the works for quite some time.
Called the “MLS is Back Tournament,” all 26 teams will play three group stage matches each over the course of 16 days, and then the tournament will move to a knockout stage with 16 teams.
A draw will be held Thursday afternoon to place each team into one of six groups. That group play will count in some fashion toward the regular season standings, and the league said the regular season will continue after the tournament “with a revised schedule in home markets” that will be “developed at a later date,” followed by the playoffs.
Games will be played at 9 a.m., 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. EST, and the top two teams from each group plus the four best third-place teams will comprise the Round of 16. The tournament will conclude on Aug. 11, with the winner earning a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.
All 54 games of the tournament will be televised “across MLS partner networks,” and none of them will overlap.
One significant rule alteration is that teams will be allowed to make five substitutions during the course of a game as opposed to the usual three. There has been support for that, although there’s been some concern it will ruin the flow of games.
All clubs will arrive in Orlando at least seven days before their first match (they can start arriving June 24), and each person in a club’s traveling party must have two negative coronavirus tests 24 hours apart before leaving. If anyone tests positive, he or she will not travel to Orlando. Players will also undergo an antibody test.
Upon arrival, each person will be tested again for the coronavirus, and players cannot start training until a negative result comes back. All players and other team personnel at the tournament will be tested every other day for the first two weeks. If an individual tests positive at any point, he or she will be isolated in a designated area.
After the first 14 days, players, coaches and referee staff will be tested regularly, including the day before each matchday. Individuals not part of teams’ traveling parties who will be working at the tournament will have their temperature taken daily and have a standardized screening questionnaire.
A “positive” response to the questionnaire or a temperature above 100.3 degrees must be reported and that person will be isolated and tested for the coronavirus.
During games, players, coaches and officials on the bench or technical area will be required to wear masks and “practice social distancing to the extent possible.” Players will be asked to not exchange jerseys or kiss the ball, and masks or face shields “should be used” during press conferences or flash interviews.
The NBA’s tournament at the same complex in Orlando is slated to start July 31.