The LAFC schedule for MLS is Back has been announced along with all of the other dates, times and fixtures. Additionally, the details for the broadcasts of all 54 matches is now available.
The MLS is Back Tournament begins on July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.
The LAFC schedule for MLS is Back kicks of on Monday, July 13 at 5pm PST on FS1. LAFC, the top seed in Group F on account of their appearance in last year’s Western Conference Finals, will face off against the Houston Dynamo as the first of their three group stage matches.
Then it gets interesting.
The LAFC schedule for MLS is Back puts them on a collision course with their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Galaxy, in only their second group stage match. The two teams go head-to-head on Saturday, July 18 at 7:30pm PST on ESPN. LAFC and the Galaxy have been involved in a string of consecutive amazing clashes. The most recent meeting took place last year in the Western Conference Semifinals, where LAFC bested their crosstown rivals 5-3 in a positively epic back-and-forth battle.
Here’s hoping Zlatan wasn’t the only force driving the Galaxy.
The final group stage match on the LAFC schedule for MLS is Back takes place on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30pm PST on ESPN 2. LAFC will play the Portland Timbers. As Max Bretos so eloquently states in the video above, LAFC and the Timbers are “two teams who just don’t like each other.” LAFC went into Portland last year for the reopening of their stadium and ruined their big day with a resounding victory that set LAFC on a rampage through the rest of their record-setting 2019 campaign.
LAFC Schedule for MLS is Back Tournament
Vs Houston Dynamo – Monday, July 13 at 5pm PST on FS1
Vs LA Galaxy – Saturday, July 18 at 7:30pm PST on ESPN
Vs Portland Timbers – Thursday, July 23 at 7:30pm PST on ESPN 2
LAFC last played at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday, March 8, against the Philadelphia Union. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. They played in only one other match before the pandemic shutdown the league indefinitely, a 1-0 win over the newest expansion side, Inter Miami CF.
The “Group Stage presented by Heineken” takes place over the course of 16 consecutive days. All of the group stage matches will count toward the regular season records for each club. The qualifying clubs from each group will then move on to the “MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Stage presented by Audi.”
Major League Soccer also announced a slight tweak to the knockout rounds. There are five groups with four teams, but Group A has six teams due to the imbalanced numbers. As a result, the top two from each group will advance, and the top three will advance from Group A. The remaining three spots in the knockout stage will be given to the next three highest ranked teams based on points, goal difference, goals for and fair play points.
MLS teams started to arrive in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, which is three and half miles from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The teams will train and compete at the Complex.
Key Dates & Figures
July 8: MLS is Back Tournament group stage begins
July 25-28: Round-of-16
July 30- Aug. 1: Quarterfinals
August 5-6: Semifinals
August 11: MLS is Back Tournament Final
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Number of Matches: 54 (39 group; 15 knockout)
No. of matchdays: 26
Format: Group Stage, followed by Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals & Championship match
Minimum Matches: 3 (per club)
Maximum Matches: 7 (per club)
The MLS postponement for COVID-19 began on March 12, the morning after the NBA officially suspended its season. All other professional sports leagues swiftly followed suit.
