With the #MLSisBack Tournament kicking off on July 8, top seed Orlando City SC today discovered their Group A opponents.
Oscar Pareja‘s Lions have been pitted against Inter Miami, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Nashville SC in the one-of-a-kind tournament being hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
These groups though… 👀
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 13, 2020
Which Group A teams will Orlando City SC face?
As tournament hosts, Orlando City SC will be kicking off the tournament with the inaugural Florida Derby against Inter Miami on Wednesday, July 8.
Then Oscar Pareja‘s side will face 2015 expansion rivals New York City FC before facing 2020 new boys Nashville SC.
Which Group A teams will Orlando City SC not face?
Given the number of clubs involved (26), Orlando City SC have been placed in the six-team Group A whereas Groups B to F will comprise four teams each.
Of Orlando City SC‘s five Group A opponents, they won’t be facing Philadelphia Union or Chicago Fire.
Groups A, C and E belong to the Eastern Conference. Groups B, D and F belong to the Western Conference.
How do clubs qualify from the group stage?
The top three teams in Group A will advance to the knockout stage. The top two finishers in Groups B to F will also qualify.
Results of the third-placed teams of Groups B to F, and the fourth-placed team of Group A, will be compared against each other. The top three teams of this ranking will advance to the Round-of-16.
The tiebreakers for determining the three best third-placed finishers are: (1) goal difference, (2) goals scored and (3) fewest disciplinary points.
This will culminate with the #MLSisBack Tournament Final on Tuesday, August 11.
What about scheduling and kick-off times?
Orlando City UK continues to watch this space for more information regarding scheduling and kick-off times.
NEW #OrlandoCityUK blog | @OrlandoCitySC‘s 5️⃣ Group A opponents in the #MLSisBack Tournament have been revealed. 🇺🇸⚽🇨🇦
✅ @InterMiamiCF
✅ @NYCFC
✅ @PhilaUnion*
✅@ChicagoFire*
✅ @NashvilleSC*Orlando won’t face
READ 📕: https://t.co/sz25gPWGUO#OCTwitter #OrlandoCity pic.twitter.com/Sgcln6qgld
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) June 11, 2020