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Sunday morning's match between Toronto FC and DC United has been postponed due to a positive Covid-19 result on the DC United squad. An inconclusive test came from a Toronto player as well.
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MLS deputy commissioner Mark Abbott made the announcement just minutes before the scheduled 9 a.m. ET kickoff at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex.
The match will be rescheduled once results of the new tests come back, Abbott said.
The game had already been pushed back from Friday due to the Toronto squad arriving late in Orlando.
According to The Washington Post's Steven Goff, MLS deputy commissioner Mark Abbott told reporters on a conference call that the positive test came from a sample of a D.C. United player. Rookie forward Erik Sorga was originally supposed to play but was removed from the roster, leading to speculation that he was the individual who tested positive. No official confirmation however.
The league issued the following statement:
Major League Soccer announced that today’s D.C. United vs. Toronto FC match has been postponed and will be rescheduled. MLS will announce details later today for the rescheduled match.
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.
Major League Soccer will continue to prioritize the health and safety of all participants of the MLS is Back Tournament in making these decisions.
Sporting Kansas City on Friday announced one player had tested positive. They are set to play Sunday evening versus Minnesota.
“We believe the tournament can still be conducted,” deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said. “At the point we determine we can’t, obviously we would make a decision then. ... We view this as the process working in terms of identifying" players who have tested positive.
The tournament has already lost FC Dallas and Nashville SC due to a rash of positive COVID-19 tests.
United is scheduled to play Thursday against the Montreal Impact.
So far, worldwide soccer leagues have been able to restart their seasons with few if any issues. However, coronavirus cases have been surging in the United States whereas much of Europe and Asia have seen relatively low numbers.
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