2021 MLS season preview
The 26th MLS season will kick off April 3, with multiple teams starting the preseason the final weekend of February. This season presents many interesting challenges, including the precautions implemented due to COVID.
One of those precautions is the zero or limited fan attendance in the stadiums. Eli Lesser, host of the “This Week in MLS” podcast, believes fans mean more to soccer than any other sport. “I feel that out of all the major sports, soccer needs them [fans] the most,” said Lesser. Most teams across the league will play home games without the much-valued home fans. This practically eliminates the concept of home field advantage, something that often acts as the deciding factor in many games.
Christian Valdez, right-back for the San Joaquin Memorial Panthers, believes the absence of fans is just one of the challenges the COVID precautions presents. Lesser also sees socially-distanced training as an impactful part of the upcoming season. “I think it [socially-distanced training] will come into effect just because you practice how you play…if you don’t play how the game is played it will reflect on the field,” said Lesser. The goal of the social distance training is to limit the cases transmitted during the MLS season.
Last season, MLS saw three teams experience outbreaks of COVID prior to or following the MLS is Back Tournament. This changed how the playoff teams were selected, using the points per game formula instead of the orthodox overall points system. Commissioner Don Garber is hoping to avoid using the points-per-game style this season.
Another challenge will be the introduction of Matthew McConaughey’s Austin FC, the league’s twenty-seventh expansion club. Originally intended to be the result of Columbus Crew’s relocation, Austin FC was granted expansion team status when it was decided the Crew would remain in Ohio.
In June, Austin FC was planning to open its new 20,500 seat home, Q2 Stadium. This is still the goal for the team’s first home game, regardless of the fans presence in the stands.
A challenge that looms soon is the CONCACAF Champions League. With this season’s campaign kicking off weeks before the first MLS matchday, fans are wondering how much rust the four MLS teams in the competition can risk having.
Last season saw LAFC become only the fifth MLS team to make it to the competition’s final. Still no MLS team has raised the coveted trophy, or taken the journey to the FIFA Club World Cup that comes with the victory. But Lesser feels that may change this season. “Atlanta United is a team that had done great against teams from Liga MX. They won the Champions Cup over Club America, and I think with a healthy Josef Martinez they can certainly push it,” said Lesser.
The biggest challenge this season for every team in the league will be to win the MLS Cup. With a rather slow offseason that saw a player market hit heavy by the pandemic, there was little to no Europe-to-MLS trade action. This resulted in the teams trading among each other or looking to clubs in South America to bolster their squads in an attempt at MLS glory. Johnathan Rivera, central-midfielder for Madera Scorpions, sees three teams he really thinks can take home the precious hardware. “On the West it’ll be between LAFC and Seattle…on the East, I saw Philadelphia looks pretty good,” said Rivera.