The Coronavirus is at it again.
Yesterday, the MLS announced that the opening match of the “MLS is Back” tournament between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps scheduled for July 9th has been postponed. Six players tested positive for the virus from the FC Dallas squad. There were also two inconclusive tests that came back negative from the Whitecaps players.
The tournament will now start on July 15th when the Seattle Sounders face the San Jose Earthquakes.
In my honest opinion, I think the MLS return is not going to happen as soon as everyone thinks it is. In order to effectively return to action with little to no negative side effects/positive tests, there needs to be much more strict protocols put into place.
Modeling from the EPL’s plan of action, there has been much success in controlling the spread since they are taking this much more seriously than the United States is. The Premier League confirmed today that between Monday 22 June and Sunday 28 June, 2,250 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19. Of these, one person has tested positive. Unfortunately, you won’t see those kind of results in the US anytime soon.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 