MLS is Back Tournament
Group B, Matchday 3
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando FL.
Friday, July 10 – 10:30 PM ET
Major League Soccer is bringing back top-flight soccer to American with the MLS is Back Tournament in ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.
With the league going into moratorium in March only two weeks after the MLS 2020 Regular Season begun, the MLS is now heading to Orlando to the Disney-owned sports complex for a World-Cup style tournament where all 26 MLS teams are travelling to Florida and entering “the bubble”, where players, coaches and staff will remain in nearby hotels on the Disney resort for the entire duration of the tournament.
The MLS is Back tournament will take place with no fans, and will begin on July 8 with the group stages. The winning teams will move to a Round of 16 which will then be followed by the final series. The MLS is also looking to continue the 2020 Regular Season following the MLS is Back Tournament, with 18 to 20 game days expected in local markets.
The second game on Matchday 3 will see two teams from the MLS Western Conference, Major League Soccer reigning champions Seattle Sounders FC who will be playing against San Jose Earthquakes.
Seattle Sounders are considered by many favorites for winning this MLS is Back Tournament. The defending champions now have back in the game star playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro who missed Seattle’s Conccacaf Champions League Series and just came back from injury for the first two came of the season before the COVID-19 shutdown.
One of Seattle’s biggest purchases this offseason were Brazilian Designated Player Joao Paulo. Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has already been working on new forms of attack for the Sounders, integrating Paulo with another newcomer, Colombian center Yeimar Gomez Andrade, and the duo are already making an impact in midfield, playing only two games this season so far but looking promising.
Jordan Morris vs Judson; Photo: Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders opened the season it what seems to be a continuation of their MLS dominance, hosting on Week 1 Chicago Fire at home with two goals curtesy of club icon Jordan Morris. Things didn’t look as good on the second week of the season. Still hosting at ConturyLink Field the Columbus Crew for the second game of the season, the Sounders were trailing behind for most of the match, until a late penalty kick converted by Raul Ruidiaz ended the game in a 1-1 draw.
San Jose Earthquakes was the last team in the MLS that got back to training after the coronavirus lockdown, and probably for that reason was the first team to arrive to Orlando and enter “the bubble” and start training.
The quakes had a relatively quiet offseason after finishing eighth on the MLS Western Conference in 2019 and missing on the playoffs. Probably the biggest moves were for Head Coach Matias Alameyda to sign Oswaldo Alanis, the Mexican center back that played for him in Liga MX.
And the quakes also signed Christian Espinoza that was on loan until now at San Jose, and looked like a promising addition to the team. And of course there’s San Jose and MLS legend Chris Wondolowski who’s expected to turn on his Wondo magic at the MLS is Back Tournament and get the Earthquakes some traction on the field.
Alanis already showed his force in his short debut with the Earthquakes in early March, where he was responsible for a goal and assist in the MLS 2020 Season opener against Toronto FC at home, which ended for San Jose in a 2-2 draw. Alanis didn’t succeed to make a great impact in the second game of the season that went terribly wrong for San Jose, with a 2-5 defeat at home to Minnesota United FC.
The past 5 previous meetings between the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes ended in one draw and four wins for Seattle. Will this be the first time San Jose wins the reigning MLS champions? It will be a huge upset but anything is possible during these crazy times.