PHILADELPHIA – The King of eMLS is here to defend his crown.
This week, Nashville SC eMLS athlete Cormac “Doolsta” Dooley will begin the 2020 eMLS season, Major League Soccer’s EA Sports FIFA competition, at League Series One in his hometown of Philadelphia. Thursday and Friday’s 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 Doolsta’s first eMLS tournament since capturing all three eMLS trophies last season.
We’ve 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 – eMLS held three events last season. Doolsta won them all.
It’s a new year now, and Doolsta is looking to defend his 2019 eMLS treble with a new club and lots of new competition.
“I’ll be going for my fourth title in a row,” he said. “I won the last three, but it’s great to be representing a different club this year doing it. I’m excited to represent Nashville and with it being a new team, it’s 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.”
Keep The Momentum Going – 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. He’s also competed against other eMLS athletes in weekly Futhead tournaments, winning a pair this fall.
“I’ve had a bit of experience already competitively,” Doolsta said. “I played in a tournament in Romania two months ago. It’s not like I’m going into this with it being my first real competitive event. I’ve had some experience, so that’ll obviously settle the nerves. I’ve been happy with my play. I’ve won a few online tournaments as well this year. I’m feeling confident and looking forward to the tournament. I’m pretty sure I can do well.”
Hometown Kid – Doolsta, a freshman at Temple University, won’t have to travel far for this tournament. Even though he’ll feel right at home in Philadelphia, he’ll be competing wearing a new crest for the first time.
He’s prepared for any response under the sun from the passionate fans in Philly.
“It’s great to finally play in an event so close to home,” he said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a bit different. I’m not representing Philadelphia anymore. It’ll be great to represent Nashville here. I’m a bit excited to see how the crowd will treat me. Hopefully they’re not too over-the-top. I know they’re passionate fans in Philly, but it’ll be great to play there and represent Nashville.
Stay tuned to NashvilleSC.com and the club’s social media channels for complete coverage of Doolsta at League Series One.
