Like much of the sports world, Major League Soccer has seen its 2020 schedule in turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league managed to get through just two weeks of its 2020 schedule before being shut down as the world sought to stop the spread of the virus. After several months of inactivity, MLS returned to a “bubble” at Walt Disney World (right next to the NBA bubble) for a one-time tournament where group stage games also counted towards the regular season.
Immediately after the Orlando tournament, the teams returned to action for “Phase 1” of the return to the regular season, with each team playing six games in their own region until September 16. This helped fuel local rivalries, which resulted in rocky business.
FOLLOWING: Sign up for ESPN + to stream MLS live all season
On September 11, the league announced the schedule for the remainder of September, along with qualifying and playoff format.
During this period from September 18-27, as the league continues to finalize travel protocols, Canadian teams will play their three games in the United States, including each club hosting a home game in an American city. The Montreal Impact will host a game at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ, Toronto FC at Rentschler Field in Hartford, Connecticut, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
As for the playoffs, they will consist of knockout games hosted by the top-ranked team and follow a direct support format until the MLS Cup on December 12.
Eighteen clubs will compete in the MLS playoffs. Eight teams from the 12-team Western Conference will qualify directly for Round 1. The top six seeds from the 14-team Eastern Conference will advance directly to Round 1. The 7-10 seeds from the Eastern Conference will qualify directly for Round 1. ‘will each face each other in a play-in match (No. 7 v No. 10 and No. 8 v No. 9) to determine which two additional Eastern Conference teams advance to the first round.
The bottom seeded team will face the No.1 seed of the Eastern Conference in the first round, while the top seeded team will face the No.2 seed of the Eastern Conference. ‘East.
The playoff schedule has yet to be announced.
MLS schedule
Here’s the full schedule for the rest of Major League Soccer games in September, plus how to watch each game live:
(All Eastern hours)
| DATED | TO START UP | LUMINAIRE / RESULT | TV / LIVE BROADCASTING |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire 2, Columbus Crew 2 | Univision / TUDN |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | NYCFC 2, FC Cincinnati 1 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | DC United 0, New York Red Bulls 2 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Orlando City 2, Inter Miami 1 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Philadelphia Union 2, New England Revolution 1 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 8:30 p.m. | Nashville SC 4, Atlanta United 2 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 8:30 p.m. | FC Dallas 2, Houston Dynamo 1 | ESPN + |
| September 12 | 9:30 p.m. | Real Salt Lake 0, Colorado Rapids 5 | ESPN + |
| September 13 | 8:30 p.m. | Sporting KC 1, Minnesota United 0 | ESPN + |
| September 13 | 9:30 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps 2, Montreal Impact 4 | ESPN + |
| September 13 | 11 o’clock in the evening | LAFC 4, Portland Timbers 2 | ESPN + |
| September 13 | 11 o’clock in the evening | Earthquakes in San José 0, LA Galaxy 0 | UniMas / TUDN |
| September 16 | 8:30 p.m. | FC Dallas 4, Colorado Rapids 1 | ESPN + |
| September 16 | 9:30 p.m. | Earthquakes in San José 1, Portland Timbers 1 | FS1 |
| September 16 | 9:30 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps 3, Montreal Impact 1 | ESPN + |
| September 18 | 10:00 p.m. | Seattle Sounders FC 3, LAFC 0 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | To be determined | New England Revolution 0, NYCFC 0 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Sporting KC 2, FC Dallas 3 | Univision / TUDN |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 2 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | New York Red Bulls 0, FC Cincinnati 1 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Columbus Crew 2, Nashville FC 0 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 7:30 p.m. | DC United 2, Toronto FC 2 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Orlando City 4, Chicago Fire 1 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 8 p.m. | Houston Dynamo 2, Minnesota United 2 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 9:30 p.m. | Real Salt Lake 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 2 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 10:30 p.m. | LA Galaxy 0, Colorado Rapids 2 | ESPN + |
| September 19 | 10:30 p.m. | Earthquakes in San José 1, Portland Timbers 6 | ESPN + |
| September 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Montreal Impact 1, Philadelphia Union 1 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Atlanta United 1, FC Dallas 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | NYCFC 0, Toronto FC 1 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire 4, Houston Dynamo 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | FC Cincinnati 0, Philadelphia Union 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Columbus Crew 2, Minnesota United 1 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | New England Revolution 3, Montreal Impact 1 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Sporting KC 1, Orlando City 2 | FS1 |
| September 23 | 8 p.m. | Inter Miami 1, New York Red Bulls 4 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 8:30 p.m. | Nashville SC 1, DC United 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 9 p.m. | Colorado Rapids 5, San José earthquakes 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 9:30 p.m. | Real Salt Lake 2, LA Galaxy 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 10:00 p.m. | Portland Timbers 1, Seattle Sounders 0 | ESPN + |
| September 23 | 10:30 p.m. | LAFC 6, Vancouver Whitecaps 0 | ESPN + |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Nashville FC vs. Houston Dynamo | Univision / TUDN |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | NYCFC vs. FC Cincinnati | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 7:00 p.m. | DC United against the New England Revolution | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 7:00 p.m. | New York Red Bulls vs Montreal Impact | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Philadelphia Union v Inter Miami | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Toronto FC v Columbus Crew | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 8 p.m. | Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 8:30 p.m. | FC Dallas vs. Orlando City | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 9 p.m. | Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting KC | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 10:00 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 10:30 p.m. | LAFC against the San José earthquakes | ESPN + |
| September 27 | 10:30 p.m. | LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC | ESPN + |
How to watch MLS matches
The majority of MLS games can be streamed on ESPN +. Some games are available on Univision, TUDN, or FS1 as shown in the schedule above.
