The highly-anticipated eMLS Cup is nearly here and this year’s tournament promises to be one of the best ever, as some of the finest EA SPORTS FC players compete to be crowned the champion and take home the prestigious trophy.
With the group stages taking place on March 9 and the final kicking off on March 10 in Austin, Texas, the eMLS Cup carries huge stakes for those competing. Not only is there $35,000 in prize money to be won, but both finalists will also gain entry into the 2024 FC Pro World Championship.
To make sure you’re up-to-date on everything happening, we’ve put together a preview so you know which players to look out for, how to watch the eMLS Cup, plus a whole lot more.
Players to watch
The eMLS Cup features 22 of the best players representing clubs in the MLS. We’ve pointed out the six that have already locked up spots in the eMLS Cup without needing to play in the eMLS Cup Group Stage.
Paulo Neto
Team: Atlanta United
Paulo Neto has already seen plenty of success in the eMLS Cup, having lifted the trophy back in 2022. The Brazilian has been on a crazy run of form already this year, having won a record-setting fourth eMLS League Series title with a dominant 5-1 victory over Austin FC’s Diogo Mendes in the final.
Due to his LS1 victory, he was the first to clinch his spot in eMLS Cup and has the #1 seed. After an LS2 disappointment, he’ll be desperate to reclaim his title and add another trophy to his already stacked cabinet.
Ollelito
Team: New York City FC
After finding plenty of success on the European scene, Olle Arbin, otherwise known as Ollelito, has taken his talents over to New York City FC for the 2024 eMLS season. As the leader in the round robin qualifiers, he earned the 3rd seed in eMLS Cup.
Despite only being 22-years-old, the 2023 ePremier League champion has proven time and time again that he’s a devastating threat if given even the smallest opportunity. Fans should expect him to be a dark horse in this tournament, especially after getting so close to making it to the final of the eMLS League Series 1.
JAFONSO
Team: New England Revolution
If the New England Revolution want to make an impact on the 2024 eMLS season, then they’ve made a huge step in doing so by bringing Portuguese FC 24 star, JAFONSO, into the fold.
At the incredibly young age of 19, JAFONSO, just won eMLS League Series 2 and has the potential to be the breakout star of this year’s eMLS Cup. He’s been dominant throughout the season, with his LS1 loss to eventual champion Paulo Neto. With his LS2 victory, he earned the 2nd seed in eMLS Cup.
Diogo Mendes
Team: Austin FC
With his run straight to the eMLS League Series 1 final in his first eMLS tournament, Diogo Mendes has made a firm statement that he is no pushover. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if he took home the trophy as he had a great run to the finals before losing to the eventual champion.
Diogo topped Group B in League Series 1 in impressive fashion, before defeating Gustavo in the semi-finals. He took the 4th spot in eMLS Cup due to his round robin qualifier success. He’ll be expecting nothing less than a trophy in this year’s eMLS Cup, so keep an eye out for him.
Gustavo
Team: Charlotte FC
No stranger to the tops of North American leaderboards over the years, Gustavo is putting it all together this year for his new club Charlotte FC. He has proven to be a great signing, as he’s already locked up the 5th spot in eMLS Cup with his round robin qualifier prowess. He’s made runs in both League Series broadcasts, and is looking to utilize that experience to make a run when it matters most.
Lamps
Team: Minnesota United
No stranger to the global scene, perennial North American leader Lamps is back again at eMLS Cup having secured the 6th and final guaranteed spot with his round robin qualifier success.
While he’s made it to multiple eMLS event finals in the past, we haven’t seen him in a bracket format yet this year. He’ll be looking to channel that frustration into an eMLS Cup victory and a chance at yet another global scene appearance.
How to Watch
eMLS Cup is a fan-facing event with free tickets, hosted in the iconic ACL Live at the Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas. Interested fans can RSVP for tickets via this link. The FC Pro community will also get full coverage of the eMLS Cup as the event will be broadcasted live starting at 2pm (Austin time) from SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Fans can catch this year’s action across both MLS and EASPORTSFC Twitch and YouTube channels so there’s no need to worry about missing any of the drama that is set to unfold. Viewers will also be able to earn Viewership Rewards for watching the stream. For more information, check out the Season 6 Rewards article.
The event also features an elite commentary team, with Faizal Khamisa hosting the event, current Esports Awards Caster of the Year Dan Gaskin on play-by-play, and Mike Labelle providing the colour.
With these three handling things behind the desk, fans won’t miss a single moment from this year’s eMLS Cup.
