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MLS officially announced on Thursday the 2020 regular season postponement due to coronavirus has been extended another month, effectively, in line with CDC recommendations at this time to limit gatherings for eight weeks.
Here is the full statement:
In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to postpone events involving more than 50 people over the next eight weeks, Major League Soccer has extended the postponement of its matches during this period of time. MLS remains focused on playing the entire 2020 season and is evaluating all options, including pushing back the end of the season and playing MLS Cup in December, as the league did prior to the 2019 season. The league is also identifying other available dates. Throughout this process, MLS will continue to prioritize the safety of our fans, players, employees and partners and to coordinate with federal and local public health authorities as well as other sporting organizations.
While the statement does not specify May 10, various sources, including MLSsoccer.com, have reported that date as a potential target date to resume games. It should be noted that is not a hard-and-fast date, but a possible one at this stage.
What does that mean for the San Jose Earthquakes’ season? At this point, this impacts 10 games between last week’s initial shutdown and May 10:
- Last Saturday’s game at Philadelphia Union
- Saturday’s game vs. Sporting Kansas City
- April 4 at Minnesota United
- April 11 vs. D.C. United
- April 15 at Colorado Rapids
- April 18 at Inter Miami
- April 26 at FC Cincinnati
- April 29 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
- May 3 at Houston Dynamo
- May 9 vs. LAFC
With 32 games left in the regular-season schedule, it’s unclear if the league will be able to complete that schedule, and the playoffs by the end of the year, or if they will need to shorten the season to fit it in. We’ll see what happens, it’s still a time of real uncertainty and we’ll keep you posted on developments as we learn them.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!