March 12, 2020
The Philadelphia Union were expected to take the field on Saturday evening for their home opener, but it appears that will have to wait.
According to multiple reports, Major League Soccer will suspend its season until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.
MLS is suspending its season immediately until further notice due to coronavirus, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Sports Illustrated.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 12, 2020
Breaking: Multiple sources at MLS teams have been told the league is is suspending games immediately in order to fully assess the situation.
— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) March 12, 2020
Can confirm @GrantWahl report that #MLS is suspending its season due to #COVID19.
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) March 12, 2020
The MLS is following the lead of the NBA, who postponed its season Wednesday night following news that one of its players, Utah's Rudy Gobert, had tested positive for coronavirus. On Thursday, it was revealed that Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell, had also tested positive.
The U.S. Soccer Federation has also canceled all international friendlies, both men's and women's, for the next two months, according to Yahoo! Sports.
While the NCAA Tournament, at least for now, is expected to go on without fans in attendance, the Big Ten has reportedly canceled their 2020 conference tournament, following the example set by the Ivy League earlier in the week.
The Big Ten tournament has been canceled
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) March 12, 2020
The SEC, ACC, Pac-12, Big 12 and AAC have reportedly also joined the Big Ten in canceling their conference tournaments.
Other pro leagues like the NHL and MLB are still weighing their options, but at this rate it would be surprising if they didn't follow suit. The PGA Tour, meanwhile, is expected to ban fans from attending events.
Tour update at noon: Sources say no fans for the rest of the week at The Players, next week at Valspar and mostly likely weeks beyond.
— Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405) March 12, 2020
Stay tuned for more...
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