The year that was 2020 disrupted a lot of the financial models for Major League Soccer and resulted in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified back in February, but the 26th season of MLS is now underway while looking largely similar to previous editions, particularly with regards to the MLS Designated Players list 2021.
It’s a situation we’ve all seen countless times: The visiting team, playing the role of underdog, takes an early lead in front of a charged crowd and spends the remainder of the match attempting to disrupt the rhythm of the game to secure the three points; the end justifies the means, no matter how it’s achieved.
But you’ve never seen it play out quite like last night’s MLS meeting between Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field in Saint Paul.
Last year, Darlington Nagbe flicked the ball up to himself and smashed a gorgeous volleyed goal that easily won 2020 MLS Goal of the Year honors. On the first day of the 2021 MLS season, João Paulo one-upped Nagbe with an even better version of the move, a stunning strike that will take some doing to prevent from being the 2021 MLS Goal of the Year.
The Seattle Sounders thrashed Minnesota United 4-0 on opening night in Seattle. The result was surprising given the intensity of the Sounders’ 3-2 stoppage-time win over United in the Western Conference Finals just a few months ago.
The 2021 Major League Soccer season begins on April 17, which is just over 50 days away. It’s been a hellish winter for Texas, the Plains and New York, but there are better times ahead — heralded by the 2021 MLS jerseys that are now being released.
Este 16 de abril retorna la MLS y el sabor latino será uno de sus principales condimentos. Uno dato revelador es que dentro de los 10 futbolistas más valiosos o mejor tasados de la liga, según Transfermarkt, nueve son latinos. Quien rompe ese dominio es el español Alejandro Pozuelo.
El Top 10 latino está conformado mayormente por jugadores que ya llevan al menos seis meses en la competencia. La única excepción es el brasileño Brenner, quien es uno de los refuerzos del FC Cincinnati para la campaña 2021.
The 26th season of Major League Soccer begins on Friday, April 16, with a nationally televised match between the Seattle Sounders and Minnesota United on FS1 (a rematch of last year’s unbelievable Western Conference final). The MLS national TV schedule 2021 grows from there with FOX Sports, ABC/ESPN and TUDN all broadcasting a historic amount of games.
The 2021 MLS season marks the return of fans to stadiums across the league and, God willing, the death of fake crowd noise. Beginning with the start of the regular season on Friday, April 16, teams across the country will welcome back supporters at grounds with capacity generally limited to somewhere between 10 and 50 percent.