MLS: Will Orlando tournament be worth it?

MLS are ploughing ahead with plans for a tournament in Orlando. But given the damage that inflicted on the players, the absence of fans at the matches, and the awkward way in which it fits into the season, is it worth it?

Major League Soccer is pressing ahead with its return. After testing negotiations with the MLS Players’ Association regarding a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the plans to restart to the season were eventually completed last week, the league can now make progress in its preparations to return to play.

The return will feature a tournament in Orlando, at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. In a World Cup-style featuring group games and then a knockout round, all 32 teams will stay in the nearby hotels around the Disney World resort while playing behind-closed-doors throughout. This will be aired on television.

The finer details have not yet been ratified, at least not officially and publicly, but MLS is ploughing ahead and competitive play will return this summer. That is something that looked doubtful even two or three weeks ago.

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But on its way to reaching this point, the league has upset the players, put itself into a bind with a tournament that disrupts the normal season, and could be at risk of making it look like a laughing stock on national television with no atmosphere and a poor standard of play. Is it worth it?

Alejandro Moreno believes the tournament, while necessary given the loss of revenue the league faces, which commissioner Don Garber said last week will be $1 billion once everything is said and done, is a ‘glorified preseason’. Speaking to ESPN FC, he said:

"“This is very much a glorified preseason. It is a necessary step, and I understand why the tournament is taking place, and I am a supporter of the tournament and a supporter of MLS being back out on the field. But in terms of what you expect of what these games are gonna look like and what the players are going to look like, it will be closer to preseason than the middle of the season.”"

It is a fair concern, especially considering that teams are only set to return to full-contact training this week and some are still not allowed to train at all given their states’ rules on social distancing, groups gathering outside their households, and broader lockdown laws.

Then there is the viewpoint of the players. Philadelphia Union midfielder, Alejandro Bedoya, described the living situation as a ‘luxurious prison’. Given that the players will not be able to see their families for potential six weeks or longer if they have to train in Orlando, he makes a fair point.

And then consider the negotiations to get to this stage. MLS have amended a previously agreed CBA, using a global pandemic to muscle a better deal. It also threatened a lockout, meaning the players would not be paid and would lose their health insurance. This has left lasting scars.

Nashville SC defender and MLSPA representative Daniel Lovitz was especially critical of the league. Speaking to Ben Wright following the conclusions of the negotiations, he said:

"“Actions speak louder than words. I don’t care what Commissioner Garber said earlier. When the time comes and you have to act, that’s what you’re defined by and we were shown their true colours in that moment.”"

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MLS, then, has alienated its players, created a tournament that very few people care about, is struggling to fit it into the normal season, currently offering a CONCACAF Champions League place to make it vaguely competitive, and will produce a product that will be little more than preseason without the crowds. The league needs the revenue, of course, but at some point you have to ask: is it really worth it?

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