2020 Major League Soccer season
The 2020 Major League Soccer season is the 25th season of Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The regular season began on February 29, 2020, and was planned to end on October 4, 2020. The playoffs were planned to begin in October 2020 and would end with MLS Cup 2020 on November 7, 2020.
On March 12, 2020, the season entered a lengthy suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, following the cancellation of several matches. On May 1, the league announced that players will be allowed to resume individual outdoor training at MLS facilities on May 6. The COVID-19 pandemic is the first interruption of regular season play since the 2001 MLS season, in which many late regular season games were canceled due to the September 11 attacks. On June 10, MLS announced that a bracket format dubbed the "MLS is Back Tournament" would begin July 8 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World, and end with the final on August 11. Beyond that tournament, the fate of the remainder of the season is uncertain.
The 2020 season sees the addition of two expansion clubs, Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, which took Major League Soccer to 26 total teams spread evenly across two conferences. This is the first MLS season in which each team does not play every other team at least once.
The Seattle Sounders FC are the defending champions, having defeated Toronto FC in MLS Cup 2019. Los Angeles FC are the defending Supporters' Shield winners.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
Two stadiums were renamed during the 2019–20 offseason:- Avaya Stadium, home to the San Jose Earthquakes, was renamed Earthquakes Stadium on January 11, 2020. The team was unable to find a new naming rights partner after original stadium sponsor Avaya filed for bankruptcy.
- Talen Energy Stadium, home to the Philadelphia Union, was renamed Subaru Park on February 18, 2020. The Union's 2010 naming rights contract with PPL, which was inherited in 2015 by the PPL spinoff Talen Energy, expired after the 2019 season, and Subaru of America, the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese automaker Subaru, was announced as the new partner on February 18, 2020.
Personnel and sponsorship
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor | Sleeve and short sponsor |
| Atlanta United FC |  |  | American Family Insurance | Piedmont Orthopedics, Truist, NAPA |
| Chicago Fire FC |  |  | Motorola | Motorola, CIBC |
| FC Cincinnati |  | | Mercy Health | Cintas, First Financial Bank |
| Colorado Rapids | |  | Transamerica | WFG, Western Union |
| Columbus Crew SC | |  | Nationwide Children's Hospital | Scotts, OhioHealth |
| D.C. United | | | Leidos | Caesars Entertainment, Gainbridge, Events DC |
| FC Dallas | | | AdvoCare | |
| Houston Dynamo | |  | MD Anderson | Kroger, Coushatta Casino Resort |
| Inter Miami CF |  | | Baptist Health, Bang Energy | |
| LA Galaxy |  |  | Herbalife | Herbalife, Dignity Health |
| Los Angeles FC | | | YouTube TV | Target |
| Minnesota United FC | |  | Target | Bell Bank, Allianz |
| Montreal Impact |  |  | Bank of Montreal | Saputo, Frigo Cheese Heads |
| Nashville SC | | | Renasant Bank | Hyundai, Jackson |
| New England Revolution | |  | UnitedHealth | Gillette, Santander |
| New York City FC |  | | Etihad Airways | AT&T, Ford |
| New York Red Bulls | | | Red Bull | Yanmar |
| Orlando City SC |  |  | Orlando Health | Exploria |
| Philadelphia Union | | | Bimbo Bakeries USA | Thomas', Subaru |
| Portland Timbers |  | | Alaska Airlines | KeyBank, AT&T |
| Real Salt Lake | | | LifeVantage | KeyBank, Ford |
| San Jose Earthquakes | | | Intermedia | Clover, Wells Fargo |
| Seattle Sounders FC | | | Zulily | WaFd Bank |
| Sporting Kansas City | | | Ivy Funds | Compass Minerals |
| Toronto FC | | | Bank of Montreal | GE Appliances, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Tire |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC |  | | Bell Canada | GE Appliances, Canadian Tire |
Coaching changes
Regular season
Format
The 2020 regular season began on February 29, 2020, and was originally scheduled to conclude on October 4, 2020. The league was originally divided into two conferences of 13 teams, with each playing a 34-game schedule with 17 each of home & away matches. Each team will play their intra-conference opponents twice – once home and once away for a total of 24 matches – and one match against 10 of the members of the opposite conference. The 2020 season is the first MLS season in which each team does not play every other team at least once.Conference standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Overall table
The leading team in this table wins the Supporters' Shield.Fixtures and results
Attendance
Average home attendances
| Team | ||||||
| 1 | Seattle Sounders FC | 2 | 40,126 | 33,080 | ||
| 2 | Atlanta United FC | 1 | 69,301 | 69,301 | ||
| 3 | Nashville SC | 1 | 59,069 | 59,069 | ||
| 4 | Portland Timbers | 2 | 25,518 | 25,218 | ||
| 5 | Los Angeles FC | 2 | 22,121 | 22,112 | ||
| 6 | D.C. United | 2 | 17,183 | 16,932 | ||
| 7 | FC Dallas | 2 | 16,219 | 15,865 | ||
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 2 | 18,000 | 12,223 | ||
| 9 | LA Galaxy | 1 | 26,382 | 26,382 | ||
| 10 | Toronto FC | 1 | 26,171 | 26,171 | ||
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 1 | 25,527 | 25,527 | ||
| 12 | 1 | 22,120 | 22,120 | |||
| 13 | Houston Dynamo | 1 | 22,039 | 22,039 | ||
| 14 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 21,188 | 21,188 | ||
| 15 | Montreal Impact | 1 | 21,006 | 21,006 | ||
| 16 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | 18,093 | 18,093 | ||
| 17 | Columbus Crew SC | 1 | 17,473 | 17,473 | ||
| 18 | New York Red Bulls | 1 | 15,703 | 15,703 | ||
| 19 | New England Revolution | 1 | 15,289 | 15,289 | ||
| 20 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 13,062 | 13,062 | ||
| 21 | Chicago Fire FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | FC Cincinnati | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Inter Miami CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Minnesota United FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | New York City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Philadelphia Union | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| – | Total | 26 | 637,020 | 69,301 | 13,062 | 24,501 |
Highest attendances
Regular season| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Stadium |
| 1 | Atlanta United FC | 2–1 | FC Cincinnati | 69,301 | 2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | |
| 2 | Nashville SC | 1–2 | Atlanta United FC | 59,069 | 1 | Nissan Stadium | |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders FC | 2–1 | Chicago Fire FC | 40,126 | 1 | CenturyLink Field | |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 1–1 | Columbus Crew SC | 33,080 | 1 | CenturyLink Field | |
| 5 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 0–1 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 26,382 | 2 | Dignity Health Sports Park | |
| 6 | Toronto FC | 1–0 | New York City FC | 26,171 | 2 | BMO Field | |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 0–0 | Real Salt Lake | 25,527 | 1 | Exploria Stadium | |
| 8 | Portland Timbers | 1–0 | Nashville SC | 25,518 | 2 | Providence Park | |
| 9 | Portland Timbers | 0–0 | Minnesota United FC | 25,218 | 1 | Providence Park | |
| 10 | Los Angeles FC | 1–0 | Inter Miami CF | 22,121 | 1 | Banc of California Stadium |
Player statistics
Goals
Assists
Shutouts
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Score | Date |
| Ayo Akinola | Toronto FC | Montreal Impact | 4−3 | July 16 |
| Diego Rossi4 | Los Angeles FC | Los Angeles Galaxy | 6−2 | July 18 |
4 Scored 4 goals
Awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club | Stats | Ref |
| February/March |
Player / Team of the Week
- Bold denotes League Player of the Week.
Goal of the Week
Player movement
Collective bargaining agreement
On February 6, 2020, MLS and the MLS Players Association agreed to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement which will last through the 2024 season. The primary issues negotiated were increased player spending, expanded free agency, and more charter travel.The new collective bargaining agreement will see the league increase player spending to around $11.6 million per club by 2024, with both senior and reserve minimum salaries receiving increases throughout the deal as well as player bonuses for winning games and tournaments. The league will also reduce Targeted Allocation Money by redistributing it into General Allocation Money. In addition, the players will earn a share in any increases in the league's new media deal in 2023.
The Players Association also negotiated a significantly lower threshold for free agency, which was previously set at 28 years of age with eight years of service time in the league. Under the new agreement, the free agency requirement for players is set at 24 years of age, with five years of service time. The number of charter flights allowed for each team was increased from four legs to eight one-way trips in 2020, with future allowances up to 16 one-way trips by 2024. Each MLS team will also be required to charter flights for all MLS Cup Playoffs matches and CONCACAF Champions League matches.
| Year | Salary budget | Standard minimum salary | Reserve minimum | DP threshold | General Allocation Money per team | Targeted Allocation Money per team | Total spending bar per team |
| 2020 | $4,900,000 | $81,375 | $63,547 | $612,500 | $1,525,000 | $2,800,000 | $9,225,000 |
| 2021 | $5,210,000 | $85,444 | $67,360 | $651,250 | $1,900,000 | $2,720,000 | $9,830,000 |
| 2022 | $5,470,000 | $89,716 | $71,401 | $683,750 | $2,585,000 | $2,400,000 | $10,455,000 |
| 2023 | $5,950,000 | $104,000 | $80,622 | $743,750 | $2,830,000 | $2,225,000 | $11,055,000 |
| 2024 | $6,425,000 | $109,200 | $85,502 | $803,125 | $3,093,000 | $2,125,000 | $11,643,000 |
SuperDraft
At the MLS SuperDraft in January every year, Major League Soccer teams select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The first two rounds of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 9, 2020, and, unlike previous drafts, was held without a major event ceremony and was instead streamed on Twitter via ESPN. The third and fourth rounds were held via conference call on January 13.Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, as expansion clubs, held the first two spots in the SuperDraft. Clemson Tigers forward Robbie Robinson was selected with the first-overall pick by Inter Miami.
Allocation ranking
The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a player who is in the MLS allocation list. The MLS allocation list contains select U.S. National Team players and players transferred outside of MLS garnering a transfer fee of at least $500,000. The allocations are ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2019 season, taking playoff performance into account.Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS season.
| Original ranking | Current ranking | Club | Date allocation used | Player signed | Previous club | Ref |
| 24 | 1 | Los Angeles FC | ||||
| 2 | 2 | Inter Miami CF | ||||
| 3 | 3 | FC Cincinnati | ||||
| 4 | 4 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||||
| 5 | 5 | Orlando City SC | ||||
| 6 | 6 | Sporting Kansas City | ||||
| 7 | 7 | Columbus Crew SC | ||||
| 8 | 8 | Houston Dynamo | ||||
| 9 | 9 | Montreal Impact | ||||
| 10 | 10 | Chicago Fire FC | ||||
| 11 | 11 | Colorado Rapids | ||||
| 12 | 12 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||||
| 13 | 13 | New England Revolution | ||||
| 14 | 14 | FC Dallas | ||||
| 15 | 15 | New York Red Bulls | ||||
| 16 | 16 | Portland Timbers | ||||
| 17 | 17 | D.C. United | ||||
| 18 | 18 | Minnesota United FC | ||||
| 19 | 19 | LA Galaxy | ||||
| 20 | 20 | Real Salt Lake | ||||
| 21 | 21 | Philadelphia Union | ||||
| 22 | 22 | New York City FC | ||||
| 23 | 23 | Atlanta United FC | ||||
| 1 | 24 | Nashville SC | ||||
| 25 | 25 | Toronto FC | ||||
| 26 | 26 | Seattle Sounders FC |
MLS is Back Tournament
To prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 occurring during the season, a bracket tournament, dubbed the "MLS is Back Tournament", was announced on June 10. The tournament is scheduled to take place behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, with the regular season slated to begin following the tournament. The group stage of the tournament will count towards the regular season. MLS announced on Wednesday its plan to restart the 2020 season with all 26 MLS clubs competing in the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida beginning July 8. The tournament, which will be played without fans in attendance, provides a compelling way for MLS to resume its 25th season. On July 6, 2020, FC Dallas withdrew from the tournament due to ten players and one staff member of the club testing positive for COVID-19, after their opening match was initially postponed. On July 9, 2020, Nashville SC were also withdrawn from the tournament after nine players of the club tested positive for the virus, after their opening match was initially postponed.Each team will play three group stage matches, and those results will count in the 2020 MLS regular season standings. After 16 consecutive days of group stage matches, the top two teams from each group along with the four best third-place finishers will move on to the knockout stage. The knockout stage will include a Round-of-16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Championship match will take place on August 11. Matches tied at the end of regulation in the knockout phase will proceed directly to a penalty kick shootout.
The MLS is Back Tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, regardless of whether it is a U.S. or Canadian club. The winner would replace the berth previously awarded to the MLS regular season points leader in the conference opposite of the 2020 Supporters’ Shield winner.
In addition to matches that count in the regular season standings and the Champions League berth, players will have the opportunity to earn additional bonuses as part of a $1.1 million prize pool.