A year that was supposed to be a sustained celebration of MLS’s 25th season quickly turned into one of trauma—commissioner Don Garber used the word “traumatic” around a half-dozen times during Tuesday’s State of the League address and press conference—economic hardship and historic resilience.
Like most businesses, MLS suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic. But it also persisted, staging the innovative MLS is Back Tournament inside an Orlando bubble before returning to home markets in August and finishing out most of the rest of the regular season. The MLS Cup playoffs have progressed relatively smoothly by comparison, and they’ll conclude Saturday night when the Columbus Crew host the reigning champion Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup final at Mapfre Stadium.