FC Dallas drops out of MLS tournament after 14 members tested positive for COVID-19
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FC Dallas is dropping out of the MLS is Back tournament after 11 members tested positive for COVID-19.
Three members of FC Dallas tested positive before the team traveled to Orlando for the tournament and 11 members have tested positive since, leaving the team to quarantine in its hotel room.
FC Dallas' withdrawal comes after the Orlando Pride dropped out of the NWSL's tournament due to COVID-19 cases and as sports attempt come back amid a surge of cases in the U.S.
FC Dallas is withdrawing from the MLS is Back tournament due to several members of the team testing positive for COVID-19, according to multiple reports.
FC Dallas initially had three players test positive for COVID-19 before flying to Orlando, where the league was staging the tournament at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex in Disney. Since landing, 10 players and one coach have tested positive, bringing the total to 14 cases.
According to ESPN, the team has been quarantined in their hotel since and have not been able to train. They were scheduled to play their first game Wednesday, but it was postponed.
"Given the impact of the number of positive tests on the club's ability to train and play competitive matches, we have made the decision to withdraw FC Dallas from the MLS is Back Tournament," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "The health of everyone involved in our return to play has always been our top priority, and we will continue to make decisions consistent with that priority."
FCD's manager Luchi Gonzalez had told ESPN's Stefano Fusaro that players and coaches were connecting through Zoom calls. He said that in order to train, they had to submit negative COVID-19 tests.
FCD's withdrawal comes as several American sports leagues attempt to come back while the coronavirus pandemic worsens in the United States. In the NWSL, the top women's soccer league, the Orlando Pride dropped out of a tournament after six players and four coaches tested positive for COVID-19.
As the NBA and MLB gear up to resume their seasons, several players have tested positive for COVID-19. In the NBA, six teams have shut down their practice facilities due to positive cases.
The MLS is Back tournament is scheduled to run from July 8 - August 11.
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