MLS Preview Advisory

To help with your planning, here is what AP is doing to preview the 2020 MLS season. For questions, please email Assistant Sports Editor Ed Montes (emontes@ap.org). You can also call (212) 621-1630; Sports Photos, ext. 1918; Graphics, ext. 6907. For up-to-the-minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477

This advisory is subject to change. All times Eastern.

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WEDNESDAY

SOC-MLS-Beckham-Miami Launch

NEW YORK - David Beckham says the challenges in launching Miami's Major League Soccer team were bigger than he imagined and there were times he thought the club might not ever take the field. By Sports Writer Ronald Blum. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, video by 6 p.m. With separate on MLS' 25th season (sent).

SOC--MLS-Atlanta United-Pity's Mission

KENNESAW, Ga. - Pity Martinez is off to a brilliant start in his second year with Atlanta United, showing off the tantalizing skills that made him one of the top players in South America. That's a big change from Martinez's first year in Atlanta, when he struggled to fit in and managed just five league goals. By Paul Newberry. SENT: 750 words, photos.

THURSDAY

SOC-MLS-Season Preview

As Major League Soccer prepares for its 25th season with two new expansion teams, it seems worth noting how far the league has come in that quarter century. And what better way to look at the evolution of the league than to ask its first employee. By Anne M. Peterson. Upcoming: 700 words, photos. by 7 p.m.

With:

SOC-MLS Western Conference Preview Capsules. By Anne M. Peterson.

SOC-MLS Eastern Conference Preview Capsules. By Anne M. Peterson.

FRIDAY

SOC-MLS-Nashville Begins

As Nashville SC embarks on its first Major League Soccer season, veteran defender Walker Zimmerman has been surprised by how quickly the team has coalesced. He knows a bit about expansion teams having been on LAFC's original roster. By Anne M. Peterson. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 7 p.m.

SOC--MLS-Sounders Preview

SEATTLE - At some point, the insatiable urge for Brian Schmetzer to raise the expectations for what his MLS franchise can be may eventually wane. For now, that means the Seattle Sounders coach will be trying to lead his club to a second straight league title, something no MLS team has done in nearly a decade. By Tim Booth. 700 words, photo by 7 p.m.

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The AP