Champions League, Gold Cup, and a series of international breaks are already complicating the Portland Timbers' 2021 calendar, and the dates for more tournaments are still to come. U.S. Open Cup and a debuting Leagues Cup are the biggest of the competitions with dates yet to be finalized, but there's an MLS All-Star Game on the horizon, too. Under normal circumstances, remembering every break and tournament is a challenge, but with a major competition on the horizon this summer, the coming year is more complicated than most.
Here's our attempt to help. From February's start of preseason to December's MLS Cup, here are all dates to know across the Timbers' 2021 calendar:
- THORNS CALENDAR:Dates to know for the NWSL in 2021
(This page was last updated on March 10, 2021.)
| Date | Why |
|---|---|
| February 10 | Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League draw Each team in this year's tournament will find out their Round of 16 matchup as well as their place in the SCCL bracket. |
| February 24 | Official date for players on SCCL teams to report for preseason Official MLS report date to begin quarantine for players on teams involved in Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Players may voluntarily begin quarantine prior to February 24. |
| March 1 | Players report for MLS preseason For clubs not in Scotabank Concacaf Champions League (who will have an earlier report date), players will report for a seven-day quarantine period, medical exams, and testing ahead of the start of team training. Players may begin quarantine earlier on a voluntary basis |
| March 3 | Official preseason training start date for teams in SCCL Player for Atlanta, Columbus, Philadelphia and Portland begin group training for Champions League. Players who voluntarily reported prior to Feb. 24 may begin training before March 3, provided they have cleared appropriate protocols. |
| March 8 | MLS preseason training begins Players reporting early or teams involved in SCCL may begin earlier. |
| March 15-24 | Timbers preseason shifts to Tucson, Arizona Team will face the Colorado Rapids, Phoenix Rising FC (twice) and Sporting Kansas City in the Visit Tucson Sun Cup. |
| March 18 | Concacaf Olympic qualifying begins United States to face Costa Rica on March 18, the Dominican Republic on March 21 and Mexico on March 24 in group stage. |
| March 22-30 | International break |
| April 6-8 | SCCL Round of 16 - Leg one Champions League participants play the first leg of their Round of 16 ties, with the return legs to take place two weeks later. Timbers leg one date: April 6, at CD Marathón (in Honduras) LINKS:Schedule announcement | Full SCCL Round of 16 schedule |
| April 13-15 | SCCL Round of 16 - Leg two Champions League field goes from 16 to eight as the Round of 16 concludes. Timbers leg two date: April 6, vs. CD Marathón (at Providence Park) |
| April 17 | MLS is Back opening weekend Teams will play the first games of their 34-match regular seasons. |
| April 18 | Timbers begin MLS regular season Portland travels to Sandy, Utah, to face the Vancouver Whitecaps in round one of the 2021 Major League Soccer season. |
| April 24 | Timbers' MLS home opener Houston Dynamo FC visits Portland for the first MLS game of the season at Providence Park. |
| April 27-29 | SCCL Quarterfinals - Leg one The third of four spring SCCL days sees the tournament's eight surviving teams play log one of their quarterfinal rounds. |
| May 4-7 | SCCL Quarterfinals - Leg two Four teams advance to the Champions League semifinals after leg two of this year's quarterfinals. |
| May 4-5 | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins Five-round, 24-team competition marks the return of Open Cup after a one-year hiatus. |
| May 18-19 | U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 begins Eight Major League Soccer teams enter the competition, each facing a winner from the competition's opening round. |
| May 25-26 | U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal round |
| May 31 - June 15 | International break The UEFA and CONMEBOL confederations break for international play through June 8, while FIFA's other confederations break until June 15. |
| June 15-16 | U.S. Open Cup semifinals |
| June 29 or 30 | U.S. Open Cup final Shortened 2021 tournament finishes after two months and five rounds. |
| July 2 - August 1 | Concacaf Gold Cup Full competition begins on July 10, with a qualification tournament to determine Gold Cup's last three teams scheduled to for July 2-6. |
| August 10 - August 12 | SCCL Semifinals - Leg one Champions League returns from its three-month break with the first leg of this year's semifinals. |
| August 24 - August 26 | SCCL Semifinals - Leg two Finalists for this year's Champions League are determined after leg two of the semifinals. |
| August 30 - September 7 | International break |
| Late August | MLS Heineken® Rivalry Week Another iteration of MLS's annual tradition is being planned for the month after Gold Cup. |
| Late summer | MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup Three other prime events on MLS's annual calendar will get precise dates at a later time. |
| October 4-8 | International break |
| October 26-28 | SCCL final One-leg final to take place before MLS turns toward the final part of its season. |
| November 7 | Decision day The final weekend of the regular season will help determine the league's playoff field. |
| November 8-16 | International break |
| November 19 | Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs begin |
| December 11 | 2021 MLS Cup |
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