Four-thousand three-hundred and twenty minutes are in the books in the first ever MLS Is Back tournament. After 48 games of soccer, the field has been narrowed down to the final four teams: Minnesota United FC, Orlando City SC, the Philadelphia Union and the Portland Timbers.

The path to the semifinals for these teams meant facing heavy hitters in both group stage and knockout rounds. The likes of LA Galaxy and LAFC for Portland, a group A that saw both Philadelphia and Orlando make it the true group of death, and a Minnesota ‘how did they get here without Ike Opara’ team that consistently punches above its underdog status.

After covering these games live, at the ESPN World Complex of Sports, I can confirm that what’s going on off the field is truly impressive as well. With the league separating personnel into four separate tiers and ensuring they don’t mix, these players are ensuring that the tournament cannot be called the “Covid Cup” that some people have christened it as. 

My first day arriving, I was worried about the weather affecting the entire tournament. The following day saw me huddled in a tent cowering in fear as heavy rain assaulted the fields and lightning flashed all around. An announcement told all players and staff to return inside immediately, leaving me without direction thinking “where is my inside?!”

As I watched a security guard run out of his tent, before the tent promptly collapsed in on itself, I remembered the rule to count seconds from flash to thunder to determine distance. By the time I reached a count of zero Mississippi a roar of sound shook the tent I was in violently. Would I like to be in this situation again? Not really, but it was almost worth it for everything that occurred in the following month.

Some quick highlights:

• Chris Wondolowski somehow still scores goals as if age doesn’t exist.
• Chicharito Hernandez scored a goal so that live national audiences everywhere don’t have to hear announcers talk about when he’s going to get his first goal.
• Being within meters of Arsenal, FC Barcelona and French national team legend Thierry Henry.
• A Cascadian clash between Seattle and Vancouver, Portland being the only Cascadia team to advance past the round of 16, and Diego Chara playing in his 300th game in a Timbers uniform.
• David Beckham stated that Inter Miami, like Rome, wasn’t built in a day.
• Thomas Hasal tied the amount of most saves in a match for 2020. Despite being a third string keeper in goal after main tender Maxime Crepeau left due to injury and usual backup Bryan Meredith was absent due to family matters. That Vancouver didn’t lose to Sporting Kansas City until it went to penalty kicks was a sight to behold.
• Four penalty shoutouts to decide the tie during the knockout rounds.
• I’ll count being so close to Thierry Henry a second time, as in my head it is a superlative statement. 

Of course with the highs come the lows, which include:

• Atlanta, what in the heck happened to you? Frank de Boer left the team because of one bad tournament. Sure, Atlanta has exacting standards as should befit a high calibre team, but one has to wonder if such a precarious coaching situation will only cause future strife down the line. Something has to be said for stability. 
• Columbus, how do you go perfect in the group stage, become a favorite to win the entire tournament, and then put up such a stinker against Minnesota United? Yes Minnesota is a good team, but any given sunday, 100 times out of ten, Columbus should have won. But this is an unpredictable sport and they came out on the wrong end of it.
• Seattle and LAFC. That neither of you finished first in your group, we could chalk up to rust and getting the kinks worked out. But one or the other of you would have been an easy bet to make it to the final (if not winning it all). The fact that three of the four semi finalists have never won a trophy might make this lowlight a highlight for fanbases hungry for their first title.
• Group C. Let us go back to before the knockout stages started when at least most of us were picking at least one team to advance past the round of 16. Toronto FC anyone?
• The state of Texas. FC Dallas had to pull out of Coronavirus concerns, which cannot be blamed on them. But Houston? In large portions of all their games, one would forget that they should be used to heat and humidity. As rain doesn’t exist in LA, I have to assume neither does humidity. And while it does rain in Portland, if it’s hot then it’s because there is no moisture. So what gives? A potent attack spearheaded by la Panterita (little panther) Alberth Elis betrayed by swiss cheese defense in the back.

What will the semi finals hold for us? Will we get more highlights? Will a team from a city starting with the letter P advance to the final?

Stay tuned,

PDX Derek in Orlando