Major League Soccer has revealed the details for the upcoming 2020 postseason. According to the official announcement made on Friday, the playoffs will kick off on November 20th, while the MLS Cup Finals are set to take place on December 12th.

The 2020 postseason will see 18 teams get in compared to the previous 14 playoff tickets. The expansion took place due to a coronavirus pandemic that forced MLS to make several changes to the regular season and saw the inaugural MLS is Back Tournament.

There has been a change in the way playoffs are played in 2020, as all matchups will be decided by a single-elimination game. The game will be hosted by a team that finished the regular season as a higher seed.

The playoff participants are already set in the Western Conference, where Portland Timbers are currently sitting at the top. However, the final seeding is still not set, and several teams have a chance to improve their position.

Eastern Conference, on the other hand, still has two spots left for grabs. New York Red Bulls, Nashville, Montreal Impact, and Chicago are currently set to face off in the play-in tournament for those spots but Atlanta United, D.C. United and Inter Miami can all get in the mix.

The post MLS Reveals Details for 2020 Postseason appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer officially returned to action on Wednesday night. Orlando City and Inter Miami met in the opening match in Group A of MLS is Back Tournament, with Orlando claiming a 2-1 win.

After the first 45’ minutes didn’t produce plenty of action, the second half was eventful from the very start. Just a couple of minutes in the second period, striker Juan Agudelo gave Inter a lead by converting Victor Ulloa’s cross in the penalty box.

Orlando responded with a heavy pressure that gave results in the 70’s minute. Captain Nani provided a beautiful flank cross to Chris Mueller, who had no trouble tapping the ball into the goal.

Nani then completed Orlando’s comeback deep in stoppage time, taking advantage of a deflection in the 18-yard box and ensuring his team gets the win and three points.

“Both teams were very generous with their effort. We saw a lot of soccer there,” said Orlando’s head coach Oscar Pareja after the game. “We are proud with the victory. Congratulations to the players and the fans.”

Orlando City will return to the pitch on July 14th, when they are scheduled to meet NYCFC. Inter Miami, on the other hand, will play against Chicago Fire on the same date.

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Major League Soccer is set to return next month. According to an announcement made by the league on Wednesday, the 2020 season will resume with an “MLS is Back Tournament“ that will kick off on July 8 at Disney World in Orlando.

The MLS plan includes inviting all 26 teams to Orlando and hosting a tournament format competition. Teams will be divided into six groups, with each team being scheduled to play three games during the group stage. The top two teams from each group alongside the four best third-place finishers will then advance to the knockout stage.

The teams are expected to make way to Orlando starting June 24th and are required to arrive at Dinsey World at least seven days before their first game.

The “MLS is Back Tournament“ final is set to take place on August 11, with the winner earning a spot in CONCACAF Champions League.

“We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches, and staff as we return to play.”

It is important to note that the tournament won’t dub as a replacement for the regular season. The league still intends to have regular-season games later this year, although the results from Orlando will count towards the teams’ position on the standings. The exact number of regular-season games and the schedule for MLS playoffs and MLS Cup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The post MLS 2020 Season to Resume in July with “MLS is Back Tournament” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

MLS Players’ Association and the league managed to reach a deal that addresses economic issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic and might also save the 2020 MLS season.

MLS and MLSPA were engaged in negotiations over the past several weeks but saw significant difficulties in getting on the same page. At one point, the league reportedly even threatened to impose a lockout if players don’t accept its terms.

After further talks, however, MLSPA ended up voting to approve the league’s proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement. The new CBA will impose several measures in an attempt to minimize the unexpected economic difficulties like 7.5% pay cuts across the leagues and several caps including having individual and performance bonuses limited to $5 million in 2020.

The majority of the terms from old CBA, which was agreed upon back in February but was never ratified, are still expected to be in effect starting with a one year delay. The length of the CBA is also extended until 2026.

The positive outcome of the MLS Players’ Association voting simultaneously paved the way for the 2020 season resume. The first step will be a tournament that will take place at Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The teams are expected to make the trip in three weeks, although the exact start date is still to be announced.

“MLS Players today ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which will run through the 2025 season,” said the MLSPA in a statement. “Today’s vote also finalizes a plan to resume the 2020 season and provides players with certainty for the months ahead. It allows our members to move forward and continue to compete in the game they love.”

The post MLS and Players Association Agree to a New CBA and Plan for the 2020 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer won’t return at least until May 10^th. This was the decision made by the league on Thursday as part of the measures to cope with the current coronavirus outbreak.

MLS was forced to suspend the season after just two games due to coronavirus. The plan was initially to pause all activities until March 30^th, but it became obvious in recent days that this was an unrealistic deadline. The league determined that a prolonged suspension is necessary and made the decision at a recent video conference.

The league reiterated that the plan is to play the 2020 season in full, even if that means prolonging the MLS Cup towards the end of the year.

“MLS remains focused on playing the entire 2020 season and is evaluating all options, including pushing back the end of the season and playing MLS Cup in December, as the league did prior to the 2019 season. The league is also identifying other available dates,” said the league in a statement.

Most soccer leagues around the world suspended their activities due to coronavirus as well. Currently, the only prominent soccer competition still underway is Turkey, where matches are being played without an audience.   

The post MLS Extends Season Suspension to May 10th appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer has revealed the details for the upcoming 2020 postseason. According to the official announcement made on Friday, the playoffs will kick off on November 20th, while the MLS Cup Finals are set to take place on December 12th.

The 2020 postseason will see 18 teams get in compared to the previous 14 playoff tickets. The expansion took place due to a coronavirus pandemic that forced MLS to make several changes to the regular season and saw the inaugural MLS is Back Tournament.

There has been a change in the way playoffs are played in 2020, as all matchups will be decided by a single-elimination game. The game will be hosted by a team that finished the regular season as a higher seed.

The playoff participants are already set in the Western Conference, where Portland Timbers are currently sitting at the top. However, the final seeding is still not set, and several teams have a chance to improve their position.

Eastern Conference, on the other hand, still has two spots left for grabs. New York Red Bulls, Nashville, Montreal Impact, and Chicago are currently set to face off in the play-in tournament for those spots but Atlanta United, D.C. United and Inter Miami can all get in the mix.

The post MLS Reveals Details for 2020 Postseason appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer officially returned to action on Wednesday night. Orlando City and Inter Miami met in the opening match in Group A of MLS is Back Tournament, with Orlando claiming a 2-1 win.

After the first 45’ minutes didn’t produce plenty of action, the second half was eventful from the very start. Just a couple of minutes in the second period, striker Juan Agudelo gave Inter a lead by converting Victor Ulloa’s cross in the penalty box.

Orlando responded with a heavy pressure that gave results in the 70’s minute. Captain Nani provided a beautiful flank cross to Chris Mueller, who had no trouble tapping the ball into the goal.

Nani then completed Orlando’s comeback deep in stoppage time, taking advantage of a deflection in the 18-yard box and ensuring his team gets the win and three points.

“Both teams were very generous with their effort. We saw a lot of soccer there,” said Orlando’s head coach Oscar Pareja after the game. “We are proud with the victory. Congratulations to the players and the fans.”

Orlando City will return to the pitch on July 14th, when they are scheduled to meet NYCFC. Inter Miami, on the other hand, will play against Chicago Fire on the same date.

The post Orlando City Beats Inter Miami as MLS Returns to Action appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer is set to return next month. According to an announcement made by the league on Wednesday, the 2020 season will resume with an “MLS is Back Tournament“ that will kick off on July 8 at Disney World in Orlando.

The MLS plan includes inviting all 26 teams to Orlando and hosting a tournament format competition. Teams will be divided into six groups, with each team being scheduled to play three games during the group stage. The top two teams from each group alongside the four best third-place finishers will then advance to the knockout stage.

The teams are expected to make way to Orlando starting June 24th and are required to arrive at Dinsey World at least seven days before their first game.

The “MLS is Back Tournament“ final is set to take place on August 11, with the winner earning a spot in CONCACAF Champions League.

“We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches, and staff as we return to play.”

It is important to note that the tournament won’t dub as a replacement for the regular season. The league still intends to have regular-season games later this year, although the results from Orlando will count towards the teams’ position on the standings. The exact number of regular-season games and the schedule for MLS playoffs and MLS Cup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The post MLS 2020 Season to Resume in July with “MLS is Back Tournament” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

MLS Players’ Association and the league managed to reach a deal that addresses economic issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic and might also save the 2020 MLS season.

MLS and MLSPA were engaged in negotiations over the past several weeks but saw significant difficulties in getting on the same page. At one point, the league reportedly even threatened to impose a lockout if players don’t accept its terms.

After further talks, however, MLSPA ended up voting to approve the league’s proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement. The new CBA will impose several measures in an attempt to minimize the unexpected economic difficulties like 7.5% pay cuts across the leagues and several caps including having individual and performance bonuses limited to $5 million in 2020.

The majority of the terms from old CBA, which was agreed upon back in February but was never ratified, are still expected to be in effect starting with a one year delay. The length of the CBA is also extended until 2026.

The positive outcome of the MLS Players’ Association voting simultaneously paved the way for the 2020 season resume. The first step will be a tournament that will take place at Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The teams are expected to make the trip in three weeks, although the exact start date is still to be announced.

“MLS Players today ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which will run through the 2025 season,” said the MLSPA in a statement. “Today’s vote also finalizes a plan to resume the 2020 season and provides players with certainty for the months ahead. It allows our members to move forward and continue to compete in the game they love.”

The post MLS and Players Association Agree to a New CBA and Plan for the 2020 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Soccer won’t return at least until May 10^th. This was the decision made by the league on Thursday as part of the measures to cope with the current coronavirus outbreak.

MLS was forced to suspend the season after just two games due to coronavirus. The plan was initially to pause all activities until March 30^th, but it became obvious in recent days that this was an unrealistic deadline. The league determined that a prolonged suspension is necessary and made the decision at a recent video conference.

The league reiterated that the plan is to play the 2020 season in full, even if that means prolonging the MLS Cup towards the end of the year.

“MLS remains focused on playing the entire 2020 season and is evaluating all options, including pushing back the end of the season and playing MLS Cup in December, as the league did prior to the 2019 season. The league is also identifying other available dates,” said the league in a statement.

Most soccer leagues around the world suspended their activities due to coronavirus as well. Currently, the only prominent soccer competition still underway is Turkey, where matches are being played without an audience.   

The post MLS Extends Season Suspension to May 10th appeared first on SportzBonanza.