MLS Is Back, North London Derby, UFC 251, TBT and More to Watch This Week

Busy soccer week: MLS is Back, North London Derby

Soccer is on every day this week. MLS is set to return, joining several other leagues already giving us a daily dose of the beautiful game. Here's a quick trip around the world with what to watch.

MLS is Back

Major League Soccer comes back this week in the form of its MLS is Back Tournament, a World Cup-style group and knockout event with the winner receiving a bid to next year's Concacaf Champions League. Every team will be in a "bubble" at Disney World in Orlando, but the bubble has been unable to keep the coronavirus out.

Everything in this section is what we know as of Monday morning, as things are changing quickly. Thursday's FC Dallas vs. Vancouver match has already been postponed after six Dallas players tested positive for COVID-19. Five Nashville players have also reportedly tested positive since their arrival in Orlando, and Nashville is scheduled to play Chicago on Wednesday night.

If things go according to plan, Orlando City and Inter Miami FC will kick off the event at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN. On Saturday, Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls will square off at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

LAFC is the tournament favorite at +450 (bet $100 to win $450), according to Caesars Palace. See the full schedule and latest news here.

NWSL Challenge Cup

Two of the remaining three matchdays of the qualification round in the National Women Soccer League's return are this week, with games on at 12:30 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. on both Wednesday and Sunday on CBS All Access. Everyone is chasing the North Carolina Courage, the only team without a draw or loss in the competition so far.

Sunday night, the Washington Spirit earned a 1-1 draw against the Portland Thorns thanks to this incredible assist from Ashley Sanchez to Sam Staab:

Check out the full schedule here and the standings here.

Bundesliga Playoff

There's one more spot in next season's German Bundesliga still up for grabs.

Werder Bremen, which finished 16th out of 18 this season, has to play off against Heidenheim, which finished third in the Bundesliga second division. The bottom two finishers in the Bundesliga and the top two finishers in the 2. Bundesliga were relegated and promoted automatically, respectively.

Last week, the two sides played to a 0-0 draw in Leg 1 in Bremen, with American Josh Sargent coming off the bench for Werder. On Monday, Leg 2 is on FS2 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Premier League: North London Derby

Liverpool has already captured the title, but there's still plenty to play for in the Premier League. Six points separate third and sixth place in the race for other three UEFA Champions League spots, and the chase for Europa League spots is more crowded. See the full table here.

There's a lot to watch this week, including two more looks at an in-form Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, but the one fixture that jumps out is a crucial north London derby.

Arsenal, which lost twice at the restart but has outscored opponents 10-1 in four consecutive wins since, sits seventh on 49 points but plays third-place Leicester on Tuesday. Tottenham is four points and four spots behind Arsenal in the table, but Spurs have a match in hand and plays twice this week before hosting the Gunners.

The archrivals play at 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday on NBCSN. Whichever side you fall on, you can watch full match replays and extra content on B/R Live with Arsenal TV and Spurs TV.

Serie A: Big week for Juve

Juventus has started to pull away at the top of the Italian table, with a seven-point lead over Lazio with eight matches remaining.

This could be a pivotal week in that title race, with Juve playing AC Milan on Tuesday and Atalanta on Saturday. Both games are at 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Milan has been in good form with wins against Roma and Lazio in the restart. Atalanta hasn't lost since Jan. 20 (11 wins, two draws) and has won all five of its matches since the restart.

More to watch: UFC, TBT

1. UFC 251

A late change of plans brings more intrigue as UFC heads to Fight Island in Dubai. Kamaru Usman was scheduled to defend his welterweight belt against Gilbert Burns, but Burns reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.

In steps Jorge Masvidal on short notice to compete for the title, setting up a matchup fans have been wanting to see for a while as the sides struggled to come to a deal.

Also on the Fight Island card: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 for the featherweight title and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the bantamweight title. The prelims start at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the main card starts at 10 p.m., available for PPV to ESPN+ subscribers for $64.99.

2. The Basketball Tournament

The NBA may not be back quite yet, but basketball returned this past weekend. TBT, the single-elimination winner-take-all basketball event, is in its seventh year. The scaled-down 2020 edition started with 24 teams competing for a $1 million prize, all taking place in Columbus, Ohio.

The two favorites are defending champion Carmen's Crew, which features former Ohio State stars Aaron Craft and Jared Sullinger, and Overseas Elite, which won each year from 2015-18. Other top alumni teams to watch include Boeheim's Army (Syracuse) and Golden Eagles (Marquette).

The Basketball Tournament employs the Elam Ending, the target score format used in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. The round of 16 begins Monday with games at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET. Then games are at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. the rest of the week, with the semifinals set for 4 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Every game will be on ESPN. See the full bracket and schedule here.

3. The Inside the NBA guys are back

For more basketball, with the NBA's return around the corner, TNT's NBA studio shows are back this week. NBA on TNT Tuesday Night returns at 8 p.m. Tuesday with Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, Shaquille O'Neal and Adam Lefkoe. Then on Thursday, also at 8, the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaq are back at it.

Both shows have important conversations related to racial equality and justice for the Black community, in addition to discussing the stories to watch as the NBA resumes.

The news, fast

1. Bucks shut down practice facility

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Milwaukee Bucks, owners of the best record in the NBA, closed their practice facility after receiving results of Friday's coronavirus testing. The Bucks are scheduled to travel to Orlando for the resumption of the NBA season on Thursday.

2. MLB Stadiums hosting workouts

Players are back on the diamond, with images of "summer camp" hitting social media.

In other baseball news, Mike Trout, whose wife Jessica is pregnant, is one among many to be considering sitting out the season (David Price announced on Saturday he will sit out), Masahiro Tanaka is out of the hospital after being hit in the head by a Giancarlo Stanton liner in a practice game, and the schedule of 60 games is expected to be released Monday.

3. Change coming in Washington (and Cleveland)?

Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network reported that a name change for Washington's NFL team is "likely" following pressure from stadium sponsor FedEx, Nike and more companies. The team is conducting a "thorough review," per owner Dan Snyder.

In MLB, the Cleveland Indians also released a statement indicating they are prepared to consider a change, which was then endorsed by manager Terry Francona.

Best of the week

1. Always listen to mom. Especially Mike Trout's mom.

2. Bryson DeChambeau's driving was so good in his win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he broke the PGA Tour's ShotLink system.

3. After a nearly two-season wait and 42 attempts, Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored his first free kick since joining Juventus.

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