ORLANDO, Fla. – Before the MLS Is Back Tournament started, the competition looked closer to something we’d see in international soccer than what we’re used to in league play. Eventually, there would be six groups of four teams, each playing three games, destined to be funneled into the tournament’s knockout round. For a club-soccer world that tends to be composed of younger coaches, MLS Is Back would give some a glimpse of their futures, the thinking holds. When their resumes are full and the grind of weekly soccer loses its charm, the lure of the world’s most popular competitions, of guiding a nation’s soccer hopes, would lead to these types of tournaments.
Unique twist of MLS is Back Tournament has Timbers focusing on regular-season points
