The Los Angeles Football Club and Los Angeles Galaxy were drawn into the same group Thursday for the MLS is Back Tournament, guaranteeing they will meet in a group stage match.
As a semifinalist in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, LAFC was among six seeded teams and drawn into Group F, one of the three four-team groups for Western Conference teams.
The Galaxy was the second team drawn into the group, followed by the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers.
Each team will play three group stage matches, which will count in the MLS regular season standings. The top two teams from each of the six groups along with the four best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage.
Group stage matches will be played daily from July 8-23. The knockout stage will consist of round-of-16, quarterfinal and semifinal play, with the championship match set for Aug. 11. The complete tournament schedule has not been announced.
All 26 Major League Soccer teams will play in the World Cup-style tournament which will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida without fans in attendance.
The tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Players will have the opportunity to earn additional bonuses as part of a $1.1 million prize pool.
Clubs will begin arriving in Orlando as early as June 24 for preseason training. Clubs that can conduct full team training in their markets pursuant to the league’s medical and testing protocols must arrive no later than seven days before their first match.
The MLS medical department and the league’s infectious disease experts have developed a comprehensive COVID-19 testing plan which will be implemented for the tournament.