Professional soccer teams across North America have unveiled plans for a return to play amid the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
The return to play push mimics what has already transpired in youth soccer, though the pros expect to take it a step further with actual shin-to-shin and elbow-to-elbow competition rather than just day camp practice scenarios.
The USL Championship, to which the San Diego Loyal SC belongs, has unveiled a July 11 restart date.
The National Independent Soccer Association, to which the San Diego 1904 FC belongs, plans to kick off its fall season on Sept. 5.
The United Premier Soccer League got the jump on the two aforementioned leagues by restarting the weekend of June 20-21 in a condensed spring/summer format incorporating only the states, counties, and municipalities where soccer is permitted under restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $10,000 prize money will be shared among the regional champions following the conclusion of finals on Labor Day weekend.
The Rebels Soccer Club belongs to the UPSL’s Western Conference SoCal South Division I tier.
The National Women’s Soccer League kicked off its Challenge Cup tournament last weekend with eight teams sequestered in Utah. Players will be subject to rigorous testing protocols and games will be played without fans.
Major League Soccer teams, meanwhile, have gathered in Orlando, Fla., to participate in the MLS is Back tournament. All 26 teams are participating in group stage play, starting July 8, with three group stage matches counting toward the 2020 MLS regular season standings.
The group stage will be followed by Round of 16 matches (July 25-28), quarterfinals (July 30 to Aug. 1), semifinals (Aug. 5-6) and the championship final (Aug. 11).
The tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
Additionally, players will have the opportunity to earn additional bonuses as part of a $1.1 million prize pool.
The L.A. Galaxy, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo are placed in Group F.
The Loyal, which made its USL Championship debut in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,100 on March 7 at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium, had its season suspended after playing just two games — a 2-1 win at the Tacoma Defiance on March 11 following a scoreless draw against the visiting Las Vegas Lights FC the prior weekend.
The Loyal, which had initially slated Chula Vista Celebration Night on March 14 but later moved it to July 29, will play a revised 16-game schedule against teams in their geographical region.
Teams will be divided into eight groups to minimize travel. Regular season play will extend 13 weeks through Oct. 2-4, followed by single-elimination playoffs.
Games completed prior to the schedule pause will count in the group standings. The Loyal, which leads the Group B standings with four points, will have 14 games remaining on its regular season schedule.
The Loyal will play all of its Group B rivals three times to finish out the regular season for a total of 12 games. Group matches will be played against L.A. Galaxy II, Las Vegas Lights FC, Orange County SC and Phoenix Rising FC.
The Loyal will play four games against teams from a neighboring geographic group.
Revised schedules are expected to be released soon.
The top two teams in each regional group will qualify for the playoffs.
With three of the teams in Group B reaching the playoffs last season, the Loyal, which trains at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, finds itself placed in one of the tougher restructured groups. Both the Orange County and Phoenix clubs have placed among the league’s elite over the past two seasons while the Galaxy II, led by 17-year-old U.S. youth international Cameron Dunbar, kicked off this season with an emphatic 5-1 road win over Rio Valley Grande FC.
Phoenix, last season’s regular season title-holder, kicked off this season with a 6-2 drubbing of the Portland Timbers II, so it will be a challenge for the Loyal to maintain its position on top of the standings by the time October rolls around.
The league made its announcement on its intent to return to play on June 4, followed by issuing several sets of training guidelines and protocols.
“I’m ecstatic for our club, coaches, players and fans,” San Diego Loyal President Warren Smith said. “We’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I look forward to days like our sold-out March 7 inaugural match.”
“We are excited to bring soccer back to our amazing fans in San Diego,” EVP of Soccer Operations and first team manager Landon Donovan added. “Our players are eager to get back on the field and continue putting smiles on peoples’ faces.”
It’s unclear if or when the USL Championship plans to play matches in front of fans.
Corner kicks
- The USL Championship is permitting five substitutions to be used in matches for the duration of the 2020 season.
- The Loyal, despite being inactive on the pitch, helped raise $75,000 for The Conrad Prebys Foundation COVID-19 Response Challenge with support from fans and the community. The foundation matched the funds raised to $150,000 in support of Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego COVID-19 efforts.
“We are proud to see the outpouring of support from our fans and the community who along with our team, stepped up during this unprecedented time to raise funds for Rady Children’s as they continue to be a leader on the forefront of childhood healthcare,”Smith said. “The fact that we doubled our goal of $30,000 shows the true dedication of all parties involved to improving our community.
Donations from the multi-week virtual fundraising effort will help fund the health system’s ability to create critically needed 3D-printed nasal swabs, protective face shields and other in-demand materials, and bolster its investment in protecting frontline care providers, patients and families while fighting the effects of COVID-19.
“San Diego is such a special community,” explained Stephen Jennings, senior vice president and executive director of the Hospital’s foundation. “Our community’s generosity is especially touching given all that each of us is managing during the pandemic. I want to extend my thanks to Warren and the entire Loyal family for its commitment to supporting childhood health.”
Several challenge teams, each led by an SD Loyal captain, embarked on social media-fueled challenges—while staying safe at home—to raise money in lieu of the Dream Big Walk, which was put on hold by the COVID-19 outbreak. Challenge winners were awarded prizes, including Landon Donovan game-worn cleats and unique training day and game day experiences with the team. Please find the team’s thank you video here.
To learn more about how to support Rady Children’s during the pandemic, visit: www.radyfoundation.org/heroes
- San Diego 1904 FC, which lists Lincoln High School as its home field, had played to a pair of ties in its two games to kick off the spring season. The NISA has since cancelled its spring season and is now focusing on a restart this fall.
Teams in the NISA fall season will play each team in its division twice — once at home and once on the road. A tournament is scheduled in late October to determine a league champion.
Loyal to kick off play at defending league champions on July 11
The San Diego Loyal and head coach Landon Donovan will take part in the USL Championship Opening Weekend July 11-13 as the league resumes the 2020 season.
The Group B-leading Loyal will travel to play defending USL Championship title-holder Real Monarchs SLC at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah on Saturday, July 11. The match will air on ESPN Deportes and The CW San Diego at 1 p.m. PST.
“We couldn’t be more excited to finally step on the field again and play,” Donovan said. “Our players have worked incredibly hard for this moment and we couldn’t ask for a better first opponent than the defending USL champs. It will be a great day for San Diego and all SD Loyal fans.”
This match is slated to be the first sporting event in the United States with fans attendance. Approximately 5,300 fans will be allowed to attend in the stadium that holds more than 20,000.
During the stoppage, SD Loyal players and staff communicated via online and set up training protocols through video calls that included workouts from home. This continued until the league allowed small group training, then lifted restrictions to allow larger groups and eventually full squad training in late June.
Players have since then been preparing for the restart under Donovan and his staff with training sessions at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center.
A complete schedule for the resumption of the 2020 USL Championship season will be released soon.
2020 USL Championship Opening Weekend Schedule
Saturday, July 11
Real Monarchs SLC vs. San Diego Loyal SC, 1 p.m. PT (ESPN Deportes)
Indy Eleven vs. Saint Louis FC, 4 p.m. PT
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Atlanta United 2, 4:::30 p.m. PT
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. New Mexico United, 5 p.m. PT
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. Rio Grande Valley FC, 6:30 p.m. PT
Phoenix Rising FC vs. LA Galaxy II, 7 p.m. PT (ESPN Deportes)
Sunday, July 12
Louisville City FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
Monday, July 13
OKC Energy FC vs. FC Tulsa, 4 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Tacoma Defiance, 7 p.m. PT (ESPN Deportes)
For more information and to view the revised 2020 schedule, visit sdloyal.com and #SDLoyal.
REVISED SAN DIEGO LOYAL RETURN TO PLAY SCHEDULE
Click on hyper link
FC Dallas withdrawn from MLS is Back Tournament |
| Major League Soccer announced on Monday (July 6) that FC Dallas has been withdrawn from the MLS is Back Tournament due to 10 players and one member of the technical staff confirmed positive for COVID-19. Each of these positive tests either occurred upon the club’s arrival or within a few days of arrival.
The decision was made in the best interest of the health of all players and staff participating in the tournament, and in line with protocols created in conjunction with local and national health authorities and infectious disease experts. “Given the impact of the number of positive tests on the club’s ability to train and play competitive matches, we have made the decision to withdraw FC Dallas from the MLS is Back Tournament,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. “The health of everyone involved in our return to play has always been our top priority, and we will continue to make decisions consistent with that priority.” Of the 557 players currently in Orlando, Fla. 13 total players have been confirmed positive for COVID-19, 10 of those being FC Dallas players and the remaining three from two other clubs. |
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MLS is Back Tournament Schedule Update
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| Major League Soccer today announced that the MLS is Back Tournament Group A match between Nashville SC and Chicago Fire FC on July 8 has been postponed. Also, the Toronto FC vs. D.C. United match that was originally scheduled for July 10 will now take place July 12 at 6 a.m. PT (ESPN2, TSN, TVA Sports) due to Toronto’s delayed arrival into Orlando. The San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders FC match on July 10 will now be played at 6 p.m. PT (ESPN, TSN, TVA).Since arriving in Orlando on July 3, five Nashville players have had confirmed positive tests for COVID-19. Two of the players received the confirmed positive results during the weekend and three players received confirmed positive results last night. In addition, four other players have received inconclusive test results, and require further testing.
In conjunction with the club, MLS will continue to evaluate Nashville SC’s participation in the MLS is Back Tournament following the results of additional testing. All 26 teams have now arrived in Orlando and all MLS players have been tested at the host hotel for COVID-19. Besides the five Nashville players, as announced yesterday, 10 FC Dallas players and one player from a third club have also received confirmed positive tests. Testing results from the five clubs that arrived on July 6 will be available later today. Further details regarding when this match will be played will be announced at a later date. For more information about the MLS is Back Tournament, please CLICK HERE. |
Nashville SC withdrawn from MLS is Back Tournament
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| Major League Soccer announced on Thursdat (July 9) an updated format and schedule for the MLS is Back Tournament and that Nashville SC have been withdrawn from the competition.Since arriving in Orlando, nine players on Nashville have had confirmed positive test results for COVID-19. The decision was made in the best interest of the health of all players and staff participating in the tournament, and in line with protocols created in conjunction with local and national health authorities and infectious disease experts.
“We have withdrawn Nashville SC from the MLS is Back Tournament,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. “Due to the number of positive tests, the club has been unable to train since arriving in Orlando and would not be able to play matches. For every decision we make in our return to play, the well-being of our players, staff, officials and all participants is our top priority.” As a result of the withdrawal of Dallas and Nashville, MLS has reconfigured the groups into six groups, each consisting of four teams, as well as an update to the qualification for the knockout stage. Group Alignment Chicago Fire FC hasmoved from Group A to Group B to join San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Chicago and Nashville will remain in the Eastern Conference for the rest of the 2020 regular season. The new match schedule for Chicago Fire FC in Group B is as follows: July 14 Chicago Fire FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 9:00 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/TSN) Additionally, the schedule for one other Group B match has been updated: July 19 Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10:30 p.m. (FS1/TUDN/TSN) The revised Group A schedule has been created to replace those Group A matches which previously included Nashville SC and Chicago Fire FC: July 14 Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami CF, 10:30 p.m. (TUDN/TSN) All matches of the MLS is Back Tournament will be will be televised nationally in the United States across ESPN, FOX Sports, and Univision’s UniMás and TUDN networks; in Canada on TSN and TVA Sports networks, as well as globally through the league’s international broadcast partners. All matches not aired by an English-language network will be streamed live in English on Twitter. For the complete MLS is Back Tournament schedule CLICK HERE. Qualification for the Knockout Stage: CLICK HERE for the MLS is Back Tournament competition guidelines. For more information about the MLS is Back Tournament CLICK HERE. |
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MLS Postpones D.C. United vs. Toronto FC Match
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| Major League Soccer announced that Sunday’s D.C. United vs. Toronto FC match has been postponed and will be rescheduled. MLS announced the will be rescheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. ET.
Under the league’s health and safety protocols, clubs are tested the day before each match. The results of yesterday’s tests for D.C. United and Toronto FC produced an initial unconfirmed positive COVID-19 case for one player and an inconclusive test for another player. Because of the arrival time of the clubs in Orlando, the league’s protocol called for retesting both teams this morning and to await the results of those tests prior to playing the match. In light of the rescheduled match, MLS also announced the following MLS is Back Tournament schedule updates:
**Note: The Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting Kansas City game on Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET will air on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and TSN Additionally, due to the date change for the Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact match, the time of the San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC game has been moved from 10:30 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET (TUDN/Twitter/TSN/TVA Sports). Major League Soccer will continue to prioritize the health and safety of all participants of the MLS is Back Tournament in making these decisions. For more information about the MLS is Back Tournament, please CLICK HERE. |
