A USL training moratorium has been pushed back to April 5, the earliest the teams of USL Championship and USL League One can gather to prep for a season impacted by coronavirus.
Division II USL Championship and Division III USL League One had earlier announced a hiatus into at least mid-May, as the circuits extend their periods without play amid the coronavirus pandemic. The USL training moratorium is a logical extension of that delay.
“USL is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other local, state and national health authorities, the USL Players Association, and professional sports organizations from across the country to ensure the health and wellness of players, staff and supporters remains our top priority,” said a press release issued by the leagues. “We will provide additional updates as soon as they become available.”
The issue going forward is how the regular season is structured if and when the 2020 season returns. USL Championship and MLS had already launched play. The USL Championship 2020 regular season runs through Oct. 17, and the USL League One 2020 reason runs through Oct. 3. Pushing the season end back means bumping into winter weather and the holidays. That wouldn’t bother one USL League One team, Forward Madison, per Madison.com:
The team is willing to extend regular-season games into November or December to make it happen, coach and technical director Daryl Shore said.
Uncertainty about how long games will be shut down while the pro soccer league follows guidance to avoid promoting large gatherings has left United Soccer League administration looking at a few ways of rescheduling a season that originally was due to run from late March to the first days of October….
For Forward Madison, the hiatus period through May 10 wiped out the first seven game dates, three of which were scheduled for Breese Stevens Field.
The team wants the full season to be played because “we promised our fans 14 regular-season (home) matches, and we want to do everything we can to fulfill that commitment,” chief operating officer Conor Caloia said.
Image courtesy Memphis 901.
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