A little after 8 pm on July 8, 2020, Orlando City and Inter Miami kicked off to open the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando. It was a groundbreaking moment.
But history will remember that night not for the 90 minutes of action, but for the moment of stillness that took place just before the opening whistle. That's when more than 170 Black players, coaches and staff from across the league took to the field and silently raised their fists in a powerful demonstration for racial equality and human rights.
Organized by the newly formed Black Players for Change in MLS (BPC), the protest set the tone for the tournament's social message and reinforced MLS's commitment as a league to fostering productive conversations, both internally and externally, and to helping the BPC bring about important changes.