PHILADELPHIA ā The King of eMLS is here to defend his crown.
This week, Nashville SC eMLS athlete Cormac āDoolstaā Dooley will begin the 2020 eMLS season, Major League Soccerās EA Sports FIFA competition, at League Series One in his hometown of Philadelphia. Thursday and Fridayās competition will mark a number of firsts, including the first time Nashville SC will participate in an eMLS event, the first time a Nashville SC athlete plays competitively in 2020, as well as Doolstaās first eMLS tournament since capturing all three eMLS trophies last season.
Weāve got everything you need to know about League Series One, how you can watch, and what to expect from Doolsta.
The Basics
Dates: Thursday, Jan. 9 (All Day) and Friday, Jan. 10 (6 p.m. CT)
Where: Philadelphia, PA
How to Follow:
Click here for Live Standings
Click here for Live Schedule
Click here for Live Stream (Friday Only)
How It Works (Via MLSSoccer.com)
League Series One is the first of three eMLS tournaments that will take place in 2020, followed by League Series Two in February and eMLS Cup in March. Players from 25 MLS teams (including 2021 expansion side Austin FC) will compete to be crowned League Series One champion as well as for points in the 2020 eMLS standings. The League Series One winner will also receive a $7,500 cash prize.
All 25 players will play 12 games during the regular-season portion of the event, which will take place throughout the day on Thursday and will not be streamed. The top eight overall players (regardless of conference) will qualify for the live-stream portion of the event on Friday, with the host club (in this case the Philadelphia Union) guaranteed a place on the live stream no matter their player's result.
What To Watch For
The Champ Is Here ā eMLS held three events last season. Doolsta won them all.
Itās a new year now, and Doolsta is looking to defend his 2019 eMLS treble with a new club and lots of new competition.
āIāll be going for my fourth title in a row,ā he said. āI won the last three, but itās great to be representing a different club this year doing it. Iām excited to represent Nashville and with it being a new team, itās just exciting to step into a new environment and hopefully I can keep the form from Philadelphia and bring to Nashville and win more titles.ā
Keep The Momentum Going ā While this is the first eMLS event of the year, Doolsta has already been making waves in early season competitions across the globe. He competed at the first EA Sports FUT Champions Cup in November, coming up short of the knockout rounds on penalties. Heās also competed against other eMLS athletes in weekly Futhead tournaments, winning a pair this fall.
āIāve had a bit of experience already competitively,ā Doolsta said. āI played in a tournament in Romania two months ago. Itās not like Iām going into this with it being my first real competitive event. Iāve had some experience, so thatāll obviously settle the nerves. Iāve been happy with my play. Iāve won a few online tournaments as well this year. Iām feeling confident and looking forward to the tournament. Iām pretty sure I can do well.ā
Hometown Kid ā Doolsta, a freshman at Temple University, wonāt have to travel far for this tournament. Even though heāll feel right at home in Philadelphia, heāll be competing wearing a new crest for the first time.
Heās prepared for any response under the sun from the passionate fans in Philly.
āItās great to finally play in an event so close to home,ā he said. āObviously, itās going to be a bit different. Iām not representing Philadelphia anymore. Itāll be great to represent Nashville here. Iām a bit excited to see how the crowd will treat me. Hopefully theyāre not too over-the-top. I know theyāre passionate fans in Philly, but itāll be great to play there and represent Nashville.
Stay tuned to NashvilleSC.com and the clubās social media channels for complete coverage of Doolsta at League Series One.