MLS suspend season due to coronavirus

Major League Soccer announced on Thursday they would suspend the current 2020 season due to the spread of coronavirus. The move comes a day after the NBA suspended their season after a player tested positive for the disease.

The league will suspend play for 30 days.

The news was first reported by SI’s Grant Wahl, quickly corroborated by The Athletic staff. MLS themselves did not wait long to definitively confirm the news.

LA’s upcoming game is Saturday against Inter Miami, the expansion team’s inaugural game in Ft. Lauderdale. Inter Miami’s co-owner said before the announcement was made by the league during a stadium tour for local media that the league will aim to make up all the games at a later date.

The timing of this announcement is crucial, as teams like LA would have started traveling to their road games today — teams in MLS that go from one coast to another typically travel two days before games. So even though the league announced just yesterday that teams would be required to travel on charter flights for the time being to mitigate the spread and exposure to coronavirus, this move means the Galaxy should be grounded and should not have to make a pointless trip to South Florida, forced to return or be left indefinitely in Florida.

This announcement impacts four games at present for the Galaxy: In addition to Saturday’s game at Inter Miami, March 22 at home against Orlando City, April 4 at home against Sporting Kansas City, and April 11 at Minnesota United will not be played as originally scheduled.

We will provide updates as we receive them. For the time being, the league will attempt to mitigate the spread and exposure of coronavirus, so please practice good hygiene and proper mitigation techniques — wash your hands regularly, don’t get into unnecessary close contact, and if you feel sick, stay home.

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