MLS is Back Tournament: Inside a Surreal Soccer Bubble

MLS is Back Tournament memories start on March 11, 2020, the night global sport hit pause. Three months later, Major League Soccer found a lifeline in Orlando, packing 550 players, coaches and staff into the Walt Disney World Resort to stage 51 matches that would reboot the league and, for a moment, restore a sense of normality to U.S. sport.

MLS is Back Tournament kicks off amid crisis

MLS commissioner Don Garber green-lit the idea after Orlando City CEO Alex Leitão pitched a “campus-style” solution. With the NBA also setting up shop at Disney, league officials raced to design coronavirus protocols that would withstand Florida’s humid summer and a virus the world barely understood. Daily temperature checks, mandatory masks and “so many swabs” became routine long before kickoff on July 8.

Building the Major League Soccer bubble

Creating the bubble demanded Olympic-level logistics. Charter flights delivered teams to a sealed campus patrolled by security and medical staff. Each club occupied its own hotel floor, video analysts set up in makeshift command centers, and entire dining halls were reorganized to enforce distancing. ESPN’s Wide World of Sports converted training fields into secure zones, while VAR trucks doubled as mobile labs for on-site testing.

Life inside Disney: swabs, screens and cereal

Cabin fever loomed, so players turned to Fortnite tournaments, fishing on man-made lakes and breakfast buffets loaded with Fruit Loops. Portland’s Diego Chara recalled sprint sessions in 38-degree heat “like running through soup,” while Orlando’s Chris Mueller joked that off-brand lasagna became an unlikely pre-match ritual. Isolation forged unexpected friendships; rival goalkeepers swapped scouting tips over socially distanced coffee.

From Fortnite to finals: bonds on and off the pitch

Despite empty stands, storylines flourished. Nani’s last-gasp winner versus Inter Miami set the tone, Philadelphia’s Brenden Aaronson emerged as a star, and Portland Timbers rode Sebastián Blanco’s brilliance to lift a custom-made trophy on August 11. Players spoke of hearing every shout, tackle and whistle—raw, unfiltered football amplified by humid night air and echoing cicadas.

Legacy of the MLS is Back Tournament

The MLS is Back Tournament proved professional sport could survive a pandemic with discipline and innovation. Its success accelerated league-wide tech adoption, from remote coaching to biometric tracking, and inspired later bubbles in the NBA and NWSL. More importantly, it cemented a collective memory: when uncertainty reigned, the game adapted and endured.

Editor’s Take

The bubble was imperfect—Orlando’s heat was brutal and isolation tested mental health—but it showcased MLS ingenuity. Five years on, the tournament stands as a reminder that football’s greatest asset is its ability to unite, even when the world feels hopelessly divided.