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  6. article_body => "<p>MLS soccer is coming back this summer.<\/p>\n<p>The league announced a plan to have all 26 MLS clubs resume play on July 8 with a league-wide \u201cMLS is Back Tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The games will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World, without fans in the stands.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it will work:<\/p>\n<p>Clubs can arrive in Orlando to begin training on June 24. Then a group stage will begin July 8 followed by a knockout stage, starting July 25.<\/p>\n<p>There will be six groups, three for each the Western and Eastern Conferences. The group stage draw will occur on June 11 at 2:30 p.m. CT.<\/p>\n<p>Each team will play three group stage matches, and the results from those games will count in the 2020 MLS regular season standings.<\/p>\n<p>Then the top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage. That stage starts with a round-of-16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and then the championship game. The championship game will be played on August 11.<\/p>\n<p>In case of a tie at the end of regulation in the knockout stage, games will proceed directly to a penalty kick shootout.<\/p>\n<p>The winner of the tournament will earn a berth in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>At the conclusion of the tournament, MLS will resume its regular season followed by the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/will-mlb-mlbpa-come-terms-2020-season-goes-back-owners\">Will MLB-MLBPA come to terms on 2020 season? 'This goes back to the owners' <\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-f9718b3d-7fff-149f-9e8f-c379576b4de0\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-uncovered\/id1503357591\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2GzSxcvdJF9WAl7dsAneHp\">Spotify<\/a> |<a href=\"http:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYXJ0MTkuY29tL3Nwb3J0cy11bmNvdmVyZWQ&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj2o8GC8MXpAhVBAM0KHc3SCs0Q4aUDegQIARAC&amp;hl=en\"> Google Podcasts<\/a> |<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/sports-uncovered\"> Stitcher<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/art19.com\/shows\/sports-uncovered\/\">Art19<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/sports-uncovered\/episodes\/bc87e622-e473-44ac-8615-49fcf7936b93\/embed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n"
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Fire

Fire

MLS soccer is coming back this summer.

The league announced a plan to have all 26 MLS clubs resume play on July 8 with a league-wide “MLS is Back Tournament.”

The games will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World, without fans in the stands.

Here’s how it will work:

Clubs can arrive in Orlando to begin training on June 24. Then a group stage will begin July 8 followed by a knockout stage, starting July 25.

There will be six groups, three for each the Western and Eastern Conferences. The group stage draw will occur on June 11 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Each team will play three group stage matches, and the results from those games will count in the 2020 MLS regular season standings.

Then the top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage. That stage starts with a round-of-16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and then the championship game. The championship game will be played on August 11.

In case of a tie at the end of regulation in the knockout stage, games will proceed directly to a penalty kick shootout.

The winner of the tournament will earn a berth in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.

At the conclusion of the tournament, MLS will resume its regular season followed by the MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup.

RELATED: Will MLB-MLBPA come to terms on 2020 season? 'This goes back to the owners'

 

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