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MLS is Back: The three best days to look forward to

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Carlos Vela #10 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal with Diego Rossi #9, to take a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Galaxy, during the first half of the Western Conference Semifinals at Banc of California Stadium on October 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Carlos Vela #10 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal with Diego Rossi #9, to take a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Galaxy, during the first half of the Western Conference Semifinals at Banc of California Stadium on October 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 24: Carlos Vela #10 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal with Diego Rossi #9, to take a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Galaxy, during the first half of the Western Conference Semifinals at Banc of California Stadium on October 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 24: Carlos Vela #10 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal with Diego Rossi #9, to take a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Galaxy, during the first half of the Western Conference Semifinals at Banc of California Stadium on October 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The full MLS is Back schedule was released this week. With all the times of every match now known, here are the top three days to look forward to.

The full group-stage schedule for the MLS is Back Tournament has now been released. Major League Soccer delayed releasing the schedule for several weeks, likely linked to the difficulties hashing out the television deals with ESPN and FOX, but eventually, we were given the full rundown of what to except during the group stages. Inevitably, seeing the timeline raises excitement.

And so, as the build-up for the competition rises, here are the top three days to look forward to throughout the group stages.

MLS, Sporting KC
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 29: Alan Pulido #9 of Sporting Kansas City celebrates with teammates Ilie Sanchez #6 and Khiry Shelton #11 after scoring a goal on the Vancouver Whitecaps during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

3. Wednesday, July 22nd

The most balanced group in the entire competition is Group D. The three 2-0 Western Conference teams — Sporting Kansas City, the Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United — are all included, while Real Salt Lake, who started the season 0-2 but enjoyed an excellent 2019 and figure to be much more competitive than their current record, are also a part of the four-team group.

On Wednesday, July 22nd, this group will reach its climax. The day starts with a 9 AM match between Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC. RSL are perhaps SKC’s biggest rivalry, although that is debatable. The two should be vying for one of the top two positions in the group, as well as one of three third-place slots.

In the evening, Group D concludes with the Rapids against Minnesota. These were two of the best-performing teams in the first two weeks of the season and could also be competing for the top spot in the group. And if that wasn’t enough, the matches are split by the New York Red Bulls against a new-look FC Cincinnati, which could be a surprisingly spritely affair given the 3-2 Red Bulls win earlier in the season.

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