Major League Soccer suspends its season due to coronavirus
Major League Soccer is suspending its season for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced Thursday.
The 26-team league said in the announcement that matches will be suspended “as the league continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 with its medical task force and public health officials.”
“Our clubs were united today in the decision to temporarily suspend our season — based on the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and other public health authorities, and in the best interest of our fans, players, officials and employees,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in the news statement. “We’d like to thank our fans for their continued support during this challenging time.”
On Wednesday, the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes announced they were postponing their respective home matches on March 21 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement also follows a day after the National Basketball Association suspended its season due to the spread of the disease, with other professional sports leagues, such as the NHL, expected to make an announcement regarding its schedule on Thursday.
Professional athletes in the United States and abroad have tested positive for the virus. The NBA’s Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are among the athletes whose positive test results led to the NBA’s decision.
Italian soccer club Juventus is also being quarantined after defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for the virus, while Spanish soccer league La Liga has also suspended matches for at least two weeks following Real Madrid’s decision to go under quarantine. A member of the Real Madrid basketball team tested positive for the virus, and the soccer and the basketball teams share a training facility.
MLS said it will provide updates on plans for the resumption of the 2020 season at the appropriate time.
This story is developing and will be updated.
For more on how coronavirus is impacting sports leagues and teams, read:
- The ACC basketball tournament has been canceled due to concerns of coronavirus outbreak
- NCAA tournament is keeping fans out because of coronavirus. ACC needs to do the same
- Biyombo on NBA decision: ‘If one guy has it, God knows how fast that can spread.’
- Conference USA, Atlantic 10 cancel remainders of their tournaments
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Major League Soccer suspends its season due to coronavirus."
