The stage is set for Major League Soccer to return to competitive play. On June 11, the league announced that Orlando City SC will play 2020 expansion side Inter Miami CF for the first time ever in the inaugural match of the “MLS is Back” tournament, signaling the restart of competitive play for both professional soccer and professional sports, in general, in the United States.
Furthermore, at around 3:30 p.m. on June 11, a live draw determined group assignments for each of the 26 teams. In the Eastern Conference, there are three groups: one six-team group and two four-team groups; in the Western Conference, there are three groups of four teams. Here are the results:
| Seed | Club | Opponents | ||
| A1 | Orlando City SC | Inter Miami CF | New York City FC | Nashville SC |
| A2 | Inter Miami CF | Orlando City SC | Philadelphia Union | Chicago Fire |
| A3 | New York City FC | Orlando City SC | Philadelphia Union | Chicago Fire |
| A4 | Philadelphia Union | Inter Miami CF | New York City FC | Nashville SC |
| A5 | Chicago Fire | Inter Miami CF | New York City FC | Nashville SC |
| A6 | Nashville SC | Orlando City SC | Philadelphia Union | Chicago Fire |
| Seed | Club |
| B1 | Seattle Sounders FC |
| B2 | FC Dallas |
| B3 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| B4 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Seed | Club |
| C1 | Toronto FC |
| C2 | New England Revolution |
| C3 | Montreal Impact |
| C4 | D.C. United |
| Seed | Club |
| D1 | Real Salt Lake |
| D2 | Sporting Kansas City |
| D3 | Colorado Rapids |
| D4 | Minnesota United FC |
| Seed | Club |
| E1 | Atlanta United FC |
| E2 | FC Cincinnati |
| E3 | New York Red Bulls |
| E4 | Columbus Crew SC |
| Seed | Club |
| F1 | Los Angeles Football Club |
| F2 | LA Galaxy |
| F3 | Houston Dynamo |
| F4 | Portland Timbers |
The full “MLS is Back” competition guidelines can be found here.
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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.
