Skip to main content

Major League Soccer Season Set to Begin April 3, 2021

(photo by Matt Kremkau)

Major League Soccer today announced the 2021 MLS season will begin on Saturday, April 3, and feature 34 matches for each of the league’s 27 clubs. MLS’s 26th regular season will conclude on MLS Decision Day, November 7, and the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs will begin November 19. MLS Cup will be played on Saturday, December 11.

Clubs will be permitted to open preseason training on February 22, six weeks prior to MLS is Back opening weekend.  In accordance with MLS health and safety protocols, players will be required to quarantine and conduct individual training upon reporting back to their clubs.

The 2021 season will feature the debut of the league’s 27th club, Austin FC, and their new world-class stadium.  MLS also will see the opening of two new soccer stadiums in Ohio this season for FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew SC. In addition to regular-season matches, the 26th season will include the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, Campeones Cup, and Leagues Cup during the late summer window.  MLS clubs also will participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship, and Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League in 2021. 

The league also anticipates dozens of players competing for their respective national teams in competitions such as FIFA World Cup qualifying, Concacaf Nations League Finals, the Concacaf Gold Cup, Copa América, the European Championship, and the Summer Olympics. 

With Austin FC joining MLS, the 2021 season will feature 27 clubs, 14 in the Eastern Conference and 13 in the Western Conference.

Due to travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, Major League Soccer continues to work with the league’s three Canadian clubs regarding plans for the 2021 regular season. More details on plans for the Canadian teams will be announced in the near future.

Similar to the 2020 MLS season, COVID-19 testing protocols will again play an important role in MLS’ competition framework. MLS continues to work closely with the league and MLSPA’s infectious disease advisors on health and safety protocols, including testing. During the regular season, all players, technical staff, and essential club staff will continue to be tested every other day, including the day before each matchday.  In addition, clubs will take chartered flights for all road trips until further notice.

MLS continues to meet with the Major League Soccer Players Association and players to discuss working together to put MLS on a secure footing given the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. On January 5 MLS presented the MLSPA with a proposal that committed to paying the players 100% of their salaries this year, in return for a two-year extension of the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement. The MLSPA provided a response to the league’s proposal on January 23.  Although no agreement has been reached, MLS is committed to meet as many times as necessary with the MLSPA in the coming days to finalize an agreement.

Major League Soccer will announce the complete 2021 regular-season schedule, including the national broadcast schedule for the league’s media partners in the U.S. and Canada, in the coming weeks.


KEY DATES – MLS 2021 SEASON

Feb. 22: MLS Preseason training begins (6 weeks)
Note: Players will observe a mandatory quarantine upon reporting

Apr. 3-4: MLS is Back - Opening Weekend 2021

Late Aug.: MLS Heineken® Rivalry Week 

Late summer: MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup

Nov. 7: MLS Decision Day  

Nov. 19: Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs begin

Dec. 11: 2021 MLS Cup

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Red Bulls Announce Fan Experience Improvements

by Garry Redman On top of the theme nights announced this season, something new has been added the next time the season ticket holders and supporters step inside The Cathedral... The state-of-the-art LED lighting system at Red Bull Arena will provide higher on-field light levels for enhanced visibility and safety and introduce new entertainment features that heighten the overall experience for spectators.   Built around Musco's Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ technology, the new system is designed to provide exceptional playability and uniformity while minimizing glare. Cleaner, whiter light will elevate the broadcast quality for fans watching around the world.  Color-changing fixtures and Show-Light® Pro entertainment technology will allow the Red Bulls to wash the stadium in different colors and synchronize light shows to music, heightening the fan experience during goal celebrations, player introductions, and other big moments. If you have no idea what this means, click here t
Post a Comment
Read more

Rumor: Dru Yearwood to be Traded to Nashville SC

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced More trade rumors are circulating as Red Bulls midfielder Dru Yearwood is linked to a move to Nashville SC according to Tom Bogert of the Athletic . What Red Bull will receive for such a trade remains to be seen. However expectations are that the move will be finalized by the end of next week. Yearwood joined New York in 2020 from Brentford in England. Along the way he has made 86 appearances for the club, including 55 starts. In 2021 and 2022 he made 18 starts, scoring three goals and three assists, his total output for the club in Major League Soccer.  In 2023 Yearwood found his position in the club to vary greatly. At times he played in a defensive midfield role next to Frankie Amaya and other times higher up the field, almost as a second forward. After the departure of Cristian Casseres Jr. earlier in the year, it appeared as if Yearwood's minutes would increase. However Daniel Edelman stepped into the role, relegating Yearwood to more
Post a Comment
Read more

Rumor: Sandro Schwarz Set to Become Red Bulls Coach

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced Former Hertha Berlin and Mainz head coach Sandro Schwarz is rumored to become the new manager of New York Red Bulls according to the German publication BILD . The news comes after the release of head coach Troy Lesesne and the parting of ways with Sporting Director Denis Hamlett earlier this week. Schwarz has a long history, specifically in the Bundesliga where he managed the Mainz reserve team before becoming their head coach in 2017. He was with the club until 2019 when he took over at Dynamo Moscow where the team finished runner-up in the Russian Cup in 2022. From there he returned to the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin but he was unable to keep the club in the first division as they were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Schwarz is a German-born coach who is only 45 years old despite his significant experience. While most of it has been in Germany, we have seen such coaches transition well into other leagues around the world. Sho
Post a Comment
Read more