As the MLS is Back tournament has reached the semifinals stage, with the final set for Aug. 11, the league is now preparing a resumption of its regular season. The Washington Post reports that it could come as early as Aug. 12 for Nashville SC and FC Dallas—the two team that withdrew from the tournament after suffering coronavirus outbreaks—and the weekend of Aug. 21-23 for the rest of MLS. All remaining games will take place outside of the bubble environment.
The three early round-robin matches of MLS is Back that clubs played count toward the regular season standings, so Nashville and Dallas will face each other three times to make up for that deficit. The report notes they are likely to play twice between Aug 12 and 15, in Texas, and a third meeting at a later date, almost assuredly in Nashville.
Another logistical headache remains: MLS has three Canadian-based franchises in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The Canadian government prohibited MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays from traveling back and forth to the U.S. for games, so those MLS teams will have to find a workaround solution.
