The Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A seasons have resumed and soccer in the U.S. is set to return soon with a new approach. We've got all of the details about the teams involved, schedules, and how to watch the MLS restart from anywhere in the world below.
Major League Soccer kicked off in late February, though the season was curtailed by the second week in March due to the global pandemic. Given the original MLS season was set to run until October, it was unclear how, when, or even if the season would be completed. We now know that games will continue in a tournament fashion with the one-off MLS is Back Tournament and it kicks off on July 8.
Keep reading for all of the details you need to know about MLS is Back as well as advice on how to stream the games online.
What is the MLS is Back Tournament?
MLS is Back is basically a way to condense much of the 2020 MLS season into a one-month tournament. The cup-style competition is being held in Orlando, Florida, with strict health and safety precautions in place.
All 26 MLS teams will compete in the tournament. The teams have been divided into three Eastern Conference groups and three Western Conference groups with the top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-placed teams, progressing to the knockout rounds.
Group matches will contribute to regular season standings and the overall winner of MLS is Back will gain a CONCACAF Champions League berth as well as over $1 million in prize money.
After the 54-match tournament is wrapped up, the regular MLS season will continue with a full schedule set to be devised later, followed by the playoffs and the 25th MLS Cup.
How to watch the MLS is Back Tournament from outside your country
We have details of all the US, UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of this tournament further down in this guide. If you're intent on watching MLS games, but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it's likely to be geo-blocked.
That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the ISP of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.
VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of giving you a further layer of security when surfing the web. There are lots of options, but we recommend ExpressVPN for a number of reasons. It offers fast connection speeds, a wide variety of server locations, it's very reliable and the customer service is top-notch as well. Looking for other options? Here are some alternatives that are on sale right now.
How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in the U.S.
If you live in the U.S. and want to watch MLS is Back, you have plenty of options with ESPN, TUDN, Fox, and FS1 each broadcasting several games. Twitter is even offering live streams for select games with English commentary that are otherwise only broadcast on Spanish-language TUDN. We've listed the broadcasts for each game of the group stage at the bottom of the page.
You can live stream MLS online by signing up for fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV, or ESPN+. However, each of these streaming services gives you access to different channels and not all of them will allow you to watch every game this season. To make things easier for you, we've broken down which channels each service offers below.
ESPN+
ESPN+ is just $4.99 per month, making it the cheapest streaming option to watch MLS this season and the service has the exclusive rights to MLS Live which was the league's former subscription service to watch out-of-market games. In addition to being able to watch out-of-market regular-season games live, ESPN+ also includes exclusive MLS originals and studio shows such as We Are LAFC and MLS Rewind. You won't be able to watch every MLS game using this service but its extras help make up for this.
ESPN+
This is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to watch MLS 2020. You can sign up now with no long-term commitment.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu With Live TV is $54.99 per month and gives you access to 67 channels including Fox in most areas as well as ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and ABC. You won't be able to watch MLS games on TUDN but you will be able to watch two streams simultaneously and the service also includes a free 50-hour cloud DVR in case you want to record some games to watch later.
Hulu
Hulu's Live TV package is a great option for a wide variety of purposes, including streaming the MLS 2020 season.
Fubo TV
FuboTV starts at $54.99 per month and gives you access to Fox in most areas of the U.S. as well as FS1. However, the service does not carry ESPN or ESPN2 so you won't be able to watch the games broadcast on the network. The standard plan will even let you watch Spanish language games on TUDN. FuboTV also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test out the service for yourself.
Sling TV
SlingTV starts at $20 per month and gives you three packages to choose from and while the service's Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans are cheaper at $20 for the first month and then $30 after, you'll need its Orange & Blue plan which starts at $35 and then increases to $45 per month to get access to all the channels you'll need to watch MLS is Back except for TUDN. SlingTV also includes 10 hours of Cloud DVR storage for free as well as its own on-demand library.
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now has plans starting at $65 per month and is one of the more expensive streaming services and this is because all of its plans include HBO. With the service's Plus plan, you get access to over 45 channels including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and Univision depending on where you live. AT&T TV Now also allows you to stream on three devices at once and record up to 20 hours of content with its DVR service.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV costs $49.99 per month and gives you access to over 70 channels including ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and Fox depending on where you live. If you are a Los Angeles FC fan, then the service just might be for you as it gives you exclusive coverage of the team's games. YouTube TV lets you stream on three devices simultaneously and it even includes a 9-month unlimited cloud DVR.
How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in Canada
Canadian MLS fans also have several options to watch this season's games on TV or online.
TSN will show games from all three Canadian teams including every Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps match. While you can watch these games on TV if you're already a cable subscriber, you can also sign up for the network's own streaming service, TSN Direct, for either $19.99 per month or you can buy a Day Pass for $4.99 if there is a particular game you want to watch.
Additionally, TVA Sports will show every Montreal Impact game in the MLS is Back Tournament.
How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in the UK
If you live in the UK and want to keep up with MLS is Back, you have a couple of wasy to do so. Sky Sports is broadcasting select games including the tournament opener between Orlando City and Inter Miami for its TV customers. A NOW TV Sports Pass gets you access to just its spors channels via its apps for streaming if you don't want to sign up for a settelite TV plan.
Many other games are available FreeSports either via its TV channels or streaming app.
How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in Australia
In Australia, beIN SPORTS is the main provider of the MLS. You can access its content online via beIN Sports Connect or other services such as Kayo Sports, Foxtel iQ, Foxtel Now, and Fetch TV. ESPN also has access to some MLS content in Australia.
MLS is Back Tournament schedule
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Group Stage | July 8 - 23 |
| Round of 16 | July 25 - 28 |
| Quarter-Finals | July 30 - August 1 |
| Semi-Finals | August 5 - 6 |
| Final | August 11 |
MLS is Back Group Stage Fixtures
| Date | Teams | Kick-Off Time (ET) | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 8 | Orlando City vs Inter Miami | 8pm | ESPN |
| July 8 | Nashville vs Chicago Fire | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 9 | New York City vs Philadelphia Union | 9am | ESPN |
| July 9 | Montreal Impact vs New England Revolution | 8pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 9 | FC Dallas vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 10:30pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 10 | Toronto vs DC United | 8pm | ESPN |
| July 10 | Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 11 | Atlanta United vs New York Red Bulls | 8pm | FOX / TUDN |
| July 11 | FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew | 10:30pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 12 | Sporting Kansas City vs Minnesota United | 8pm | ESPN |
| July 12 | Real Salt Lake vs Colorado Rapids | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 13 | Los Angeles FC vs Houston Dynamo | 8pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 13 | LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers | 10:30pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 14 | Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire | 9am | ESPN |
| July 14 | Philadelphia Union vs Nashville SC | 8pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 14 | Orlando City vs New York City | 10:30pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 15 | Seattle Sounders vs FC Dallas | 9am | ESPN |
| July 15 | Montreal Impact vs Toronto | 8pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 15 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes | 10:30pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 16 | Atlanta United vs FC Cincinnati | 9am | ESPN |
| July 16 | DC United vs New England Revolution | 8pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 16 | Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls | 10:30pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 17 | Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids | 8pm | ESPN |
| July 17 | Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota United | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 18 | Portland Timbers vs Houston Dynamo | 8pm | ESPN 2 |
| July 18 | Los Angeles FC vs LA Galaxy | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 19 | New York City vs Chicago Fire | 8pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 19 | Philadelphia Union vs Inter Miami | 10:30pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 20 | Orlando City vs Nashville | 9am | ESPN |
| July 20 | FC Dallas vs San Jose Earthquakes | 8pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 20 | Seattle Sounders vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 10:30pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 21 | Toronto vs New England Revolution | 9am | ESPN |
| July 21 | Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew | 8pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 21 | Montreal Impact vs DC United | 10:30pm | TUDN / Twitter |
| July 22 | Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas City | 9am | ESPN |
| July 22 | FC Cincinnati vs New York Red Bulls | 8pm | ESPN |
| July 22 | Colorado Rapids vs Minnesota United | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| July 23 | LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo | 8pm | FS1 / TUDN |
| July 23 | Los Angeles FC vs Portland Timbers | 8pm | ESPN 2 |
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