MLS to allow players to train individually beginning May 6

MLS announced on Friday players could individually train outdoors at team facilities beginning May 6, although there are a lot of conditions for that.

Workouts are to be strictly limited to individual players, and they may not go inside team facilities at all, even to use the restroom. Only players who were already approved to be entering the indoor facilities, such as players rehabilitating from surgery or injury, may continue to do so.

These individual sessions are voluntary, and must be pre-approved and planned ahead of time with the club, the permission of local health authorities, and with enhanced hygiene measures put in place. Players will have to be medically screened prior to each session before being allowed to train.

The measure was adopted to help players get better training in, with most unable to do extensive ball work on a large field and with goals at home, and is a first step to reopening MLS from the coronavirus pandemic when deemed safe enough. The hope is it will lead to small groups training, then full squad training, and when players are match fit and the green light is given to begin play again, the games will restart.

However, we don’t know how it will go, and that linear path may or may not take place. Time will tell.

It’s worth noting as well it remains unclear if the LA Galaxy will be able to begin individual workouts next Wednesday. LA County remains on a stay at home order, but these procedures may be restrictive enough to be permitted by the local authorities?

LAG Confidential asked a Galaxy spokesperson for comment, and was told, “The LA Galaxy are working with both MLS and local officials to return to training in the coming weeks. Once we have been approved and our dates are set, we will communicate accordingly.”

So it sounds as though the timeline is more flexible for the Galaxy, that Wednesday may not necessarily be the first game of this new training plan, but we’ll see how that goes.

For now, we wait and see how this unfolds, but it’s a promising sign that soccer could come back at some point in the nearish future. Stay tuned.

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