In the wake of the restart of Major League Soccer in the form of its inaugural “MLS is Back” tournament, Orlando City SC announced early Monday morning it will begin full-team training on Monday at the club’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park.
Prior to restarting full training, the Lions must have sent a club-specific plan to MLS to restart full-team training that was first approved by local health officials and the team’s medical staff.
The Lions will play Inter Miami CF in the inaugural “MLS is Back” tournament opener on July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. That’s followed up by two more group-stage matches against New York City FC and Nashville SC, who will move into the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the season after starting its first MLS season in the West.
Orlando City last played competitively on March 7 in a 2-1 road loss to the Colorado Rapids. The Lions opened the season with a 0-0 home draw with Real Salt Lake on Feb. 29.
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Key dates
- June 24: Teams begin to arrive in Florida
- July 8: “MLS is Back” tournament group stage begins
- July 25 to July 28: Round of 16
- July 30 to Aug. 1: Quarterfinals
- Aug. 5 to Aug. 6: Semifinals
- Aug. 11: “MLS is Back” tournament final
Quick facts
- Number of matches: 54 (39 group-stage; 15 knockout)
- Number of matchdays: 26
- Format: Group stage–>Round of 16–>Quarterfinals–>Semifinals–>Final
- Minimum matches: 3 per club
- Maximum matches: 7 per club
For more on the Lions and the rest of MLS, as the league readies its return to play, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor for tips and/or memes (happy to send or receive), you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
