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MLS is Back: 3 problems tournament must overcome

By Andrew Dowdeswell

MLS, Don Garber (Carlsen/Getty Images)
MLS, Don Garber (Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 29: MLS Commissioner Don Garber attends the matchup between the Nashville SC and the Atlanta United at Nissan Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 29: MLS Commissioner Don Garber attends the matchup between the Nashville SC and the Atlanta United at Nissan Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Major League Soccer officially unveiled its plans for the MLS is Back Tournament in July. Here are three problems that the league and competition must face.

The official return of Major League Soccer is here. After all three months of play being postponed due to the coronavirus, on Wednesday, MLS announced its plans to return to action with a World Cup-style tournament this summer named the MLS is Back Tournament. The entire event will be held at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. Players will live in a quarantined hotel in Disney World and the competition will run for a little over five weeks.

This is positive news, of course. But there are issues that the league and competition must face. Here are three.

LEON, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 18: Carlos Vela warms up prior the round of 16 match between Leon and LAFC as part of the CONCACAF Champions League 2020 at Leon Stadium on February 18, 2020 in Leon, Mexico. (Photo by Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)
LEON, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 18: Carlos Vela warms up prior the round of 16 match between Leon and LAFC as part of the CONCACAF Champions League 2020 at Leon Stadium on February 18, 2020 in Leon, Mexico. (Photo by Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images) /

3. Regular season farce

MLS has said that the group-stage games will count towards the regular season, which will then resume in teams’ home states following the conclusion of the tournament in early-August. Quite how this will be done, and quite how it can be made fair, is extremely difficult to see.

From teams giving up their home advantage to a random draw then being crowbarred into a pre-set schedule, there are several issues that arise here. Even without delving into the details, the very attempts to have one set of games for one competition impact the standings in another competition is ludicrous. It makes a farce of the regular season and only adds to the ‘mickey mouse’ character of MLS.

Then there is the six-team group. Every other group features four teams. That is equally as insane. It is made all the more ridiculous by the fact that teams in that group will still only play three of the five opponents and that the standings will be decided on an entirely unbalanced schedule. And then there is Nashville SC switching conferences midway through a season.

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