America passes the 1 Million Milestone of Confirmed Cases: American soccer suspended now for 7 weeks due to the Coronavirus pandemic — US Club Extends Moratorium on Soccer Training Until May 18
US Club Statement on April 28: “As a number of states and local jurisdictions begin planning for a phased return to normalcy, US Club Soccer has targeted May 18th as the date we hope to return decision-making authority to our local leagues. This is subject to change, of course, but it is our hope that our members can begin to sensibly return to the fields after that, subject to some requirements and recommendations.”
“The return-to-play decision is a complicated one,” said US Club CEO Kevin Payne in his letter to US Club members.
US Youth Soccer Canceled all Regional Championships, National and Presidents Cup
As of March 31, 2020, US Youth Soccer (USYS) is canceling the 2020 Presidents Cup, our 2020 National Championships and all of the regional competitions leading up to those two events.
“If it were possible, however unlikely, that we could return to play in May, many families will still be hesitant to travel on an airplane or stay in a hotel. Again, we do not want to place that additional burden on our USYS families.”
In addition, USYS had decided to push back their return to activity date for our US Youth Soccer Conferences to May 1st, 2020. This will allow all 55 State Associations to review the impact of COVID-19 on their members and make their own informed decisions on a return-to-play date. US Youth Futsal (USYF) has also extended its suspension of Futsal ID events now through May 1st, but expected to be extended.
MLS, NWSL, US Club Extends Training Moratorium To May 15
The MLS suspended soccer on March 12 and is now considering kicking off the remainder of the MLS Season — playing games in empty stadiums without fans cheering. On April 16, The United Soccer League (USL) announced that it was extending its moratorium on training for USL Championship and League One clubs through, and including, Sunday, May 3rd. USL also said it will use the time to reassess its current temporary suspension timeline. As this has been the topic of sports altogether for around the world. Some teams are starting to train, but with social distancing while many leagues are aiming to resume by the summer.
If games will be played without fans, how will the TV distribution work?
Interesting question right? U.S. Soccer, Concacaf, the English Premier League as well as the German Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and so many other organizations have suspended competitions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here in the USA, the MLS, NWSL, USL, and NISA have all suspend games as well as UPSL, NPSL, UWS, WPSL, and the MASL ended its the season, and the USL LEAGUE ONE delayed its start.
It’s expected that games will be played without fans. I am sure you all are wondering how we can support our teams, whether it’s your local or cross country team. Youth soccer clubs continue to charge the parents in which there’s a lot of mixed emotions on this topic, but how about to watch your team? Would everyone need to pay membership fees to catch 90 minutes once or twice a week?
