The Portland Timbers will be among 19 MLS teams competing in Major League Soccer's new eMLS competition.

MLS announced Friday that it was partnering with EA SPORTS to create a new competitive FIFA 18 league called eMLS. Each MLS team will pick a top FIFA 18 player from its region to compete in the league.

Here is the full announcement from MLS:

Today Major League Soccer (MLS) announced the creation of eMLS, a new competitive EA SPORTS FIFA 18 league for competitive play within EA SPORTS FIFA 18. eMLS will pit the best FIFA 18 players from the U.S. and Canada, representing MLS clubs, against each other to determine who will represent the League in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.

"We're honored to partner with MLS within the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series as we continue to help grow competitive gaming and soccer in North America," said Todd Sitrin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Competitive Gaming Division at EA. "We engage millions of soccer fans daily through FIFA and attract many more who view our competitions around the world. With the eMLS we accelerate our growth as players compete on the road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018."

At the outset, 19 MLS clubs will participate in eMLS: Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Each club will pursue its own process to select a player from its region to represent it in eMLS competitive play.

eMLS will feature eMLS Cup, MLS's elite competitive gaming event, where each club's pro will vie for an automatic berth in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs and a chance to be crowned the undisputed FIFA 18 World Champion at the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 taking place in August this year. eMLS Cup will debut this April at PAX East, the enormously popular gaming culture festival in Boston that takes place this year from April 5-8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

"We are excited to unveil eMLS," said Gary Stevenson, President and Managing Director, MLS Business Ventures. "This step forward into competitive gaming is a key component in our partnership with EA SPORTS to promote deeper engagement and connections between MLS supporters and the millions of FIFA players around the world."

Further details on eMLS Cup, including team announcements and tournament structure, will be shared as the competition draws closer. For more information on eMLS, visit MLSsoccer.com.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg