eMLS Cup 2021 presented by Coca-Cola is almost here, with the finale of the biggest eMLS season scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Some of the top EA SPORTS FIFA players in the country, including Sporting Kansas City's Alekzandur, will face off for eMLS's top honor plus a prize pool of $40,000. Here's all you need to know ahead of the tournament.
Who made it to eMLS Cup?
The top 11 players from the overall standings for 2021, based on regular-season play, automatically qualified for eMLS Cup. The 12th spot then went to AlanAvi, who won the Last Chance Qualifier earlier this week.
- xBleu (Austin FC)
- KingCCJ0 (D.C. United)
- Adamou (New York Red Bulls
- Didychrislito (NYCFC)
- PhilB94 (Toronto FC)
- Kid M3mito (Chicago Fire FC)
- cisseSZN (Philadelphia Union)
- ALEKZANDUR (Sporting Kansas City)
- Fiddle (FC Cincinnati)
- GODFATHER (LA Galaxy)
- DOOLSTA (Nashville SC)
- AlanAvi (FC Dallas)
Check out the full bracket below, with the top four players automatically earning quarterfinal spots.
Adamou, Doolsta and Kid M3mito – three players who have won past eMLS Cups – are looking to claim the trophy once again. Meanwhile, Didychrislito is looking for a treble after winning League Series One and League Series Two earlier this winter. A pair of brothers also made 2021 eMLS Cup in cisseSZN and KingCJ0. If cisseSZN can navigate past GODFATHER, he'll go up against his brother for a spot in the semifinals.
What is eMLS Cup?
eMLS Cup is the final of three eMLS competitions in 2021, following League Series One and League Series Two. Matches will be played on EA SPORTS FIFA 21 exclusively on PlayStation 4, and the winner will receive a cash prize of $20,000. The second-place finisher gets $10,000, while those in third and fourth place both get $5,000.
Twenty-seven teams have participated in 2021, more than any other year since eMLS's inaugural season in 2018. The competition hosts many of North America's best EA SPORTS FIFA players, with 18 of them ranked in the top 100 of their respective regions. eMLS is the only Tier 1 qualifier to the EA NA Global Series Playoffs.
How to watch and follow
The opening rounds of eMLS Cup, including Alekzandur's matchup against Fiddle of FC Cincinnati, will take place Saturday and begin at 2 p.m. CT. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final occur the following day at the same time of 2 p.m. CT. Fans can watch via Twitch, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, as well as MLSsoccer.com and the free MLS App.
League Series One and Two results
NYCFC's Didychrislito has been on a roll in 2021, winning both League Series titles. In January, he won League Series One with a 4-2 win over Adamou in a New York derby. He then followed that up in February by winning League Series Two in a 6-5 aggregate victory over KingCJ0.
