Sporting KC learns its three group-stage match times for MLS is Back Tournament
Major League Soccer has pulled back the curtain on its 54-match schedule for the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, revealing Sporting KC’s lineup of games in group play.
The league has been on hiatus since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first three matches for Sporting KC (2-0) are against Minnesota United FC on July 12 at 7 p.m. Central Time; the Colorado Rapids on July 17 at 7 p.m. Central; and Real Salt Lake on July 22 at 8 a.m. Central. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The MLS is Back tournament represents what league and team officials hope can be a lasting restart even as coronavirus cases in Florida have continued to swell. With precautions in place and all games slated for a common location — ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Disney World — the tourney is set to kick off July 8 and culminate with a championship game on Aug. 11.
Players and other team personnel will be confined to a quarantined “bubble” at the ESPN complex. The league is working through and implementing health and safety and testing protocols that will remain in place during the course of the month-long event.
Fans will not be permitted to attend any of the matches, but the tournament’s entirety will be heavily televised.
The group-play stage kicks off on ESPN and ESPN Deportes with a Group A doubleheader on Wednesday, July 8. Orlando City plays Inter Miami at 7 p.m. Central and the Chicago Fire meets Nashville SC, at 9:30 p.m.
The tournament’s ensuing 52 matches will be televised via a combination of ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1 and TDUN (formerly Univision Deportes Network), and streamed on those networks’ digital platforms.
Seven matches during the tournament will start at 8 a.m. Central on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The first morning match features New York City FC vs. the Philadelphia Union on July 9, day two of the tourney.
The group stage runs 16 consecutive days, with each of those matches counting toward the 2020 MLS regular-season standings. All clubs will have at least four full days off between matches.
Knockout-round schedule
Round of 16: Four straight days of doubleheaders (July 25-July 28)
Quarterfinals: Doubleheaders on July 30 and Aug. 1
Semifinals: Aug. 5-6
Final: Aug. 11 (7 p.m. Central Time)
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Sporting KC learns its three group-stage match times for MLS is Back Tournament."