Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz
Philadelphia Union
MLS’ Matt Doyle had some nice things to say about the Union and Jim Curtin in this Twitter thread.
Former forward Carlos Ruiz made USA Today‘s MLS All-Time Greats.
ICYMI: in the latest episode of It’s Always Soccer in Philadelphia, Kevin Kinkead interviewed The Philly Soccer Page’s own Peter Andrews.
MLS
Montreal Impact lost to C.D. Olimpia, 2-1, in the CCL quarterfinal first leg.
Inter Miami‘s zero points in two games isn’t discouraging the team.
The Earthquakes are set to comply with Santa Clara’s ban in the wake of the coronavirus.
NWSL
Sky Blue FC announced their preseason roster. All nine clubs are here.
Washington Spirit forward Cheyna Matthews is taking a paid leave of absence to spend more time with her family.
U.S. Soccer
U.S. Soccer could still win the equal pay lawsuit in court, but public opinion has long been lost.
Coach Jason Kreis is excited about the USMNT U-23’s depth and experience ahead of its first Olympic-qualifying match.
Around the globe
Fears grow for soccer season and Olympics as coronavirus disruption increases.
UEFA called reports of federations asking to move the European Championship back a year “completely untrue.”
The Football Association intends to sell Women’s Super League television rights for the first time.
San Jose should probably avoid flying and should take the train across the country for the game this weekend.
Have you ever taken a 3,000 mile train trip?
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I have not. My longest is 1,100 or so, overnight on the Auto Train from N VA to central FL.
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There’s a reason the Dodgers and the Giants did not move west until there was reliable air travel.
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Google says it would take 3 days and 9 hours from San Francisco to Philadelphia. You have to go by Chicago, Cincinnati, and D. C. Lot of connections and layovers.
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The drive time by car is 42 hours or so if you drive it straight through.
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Chartering a plane that has been sanitized carefully would make the best sense.
Imagine the old soccer coach standing on the ground saying this, while a bird named Joke, that was tattooed with Andy’s comment flew in a circle over his head. “\_(°~°)_/”
To be fair it flew over my head as well. I would love if all of San Jose’s squad drove individually Friday night into Saturday.
Point taken, John! 😉
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My Bad, as the boys used to say on the pitch.
I was looking for an extra advantage for the Union…
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While I haven’t done that trip by train, I did once drive from Boston to Palo Alto in 72 hours including an 8 hour layover where we searched for a ride when our engine caught fire.
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The return trip was a 72 hour bus ride back which I’m thinking is somewhat worse than spending the equivalent time on a train.
Following up.
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The quote is from the Athletic article referenced in the link that follows.
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“All teams will now be required to take charter flights to and from all road games until further notice.”
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https://theathletic.com/1670651/2020/03/11/covid-19-coronavirus-soccer-mls-nwsl-usl-concacaf-conmebol-usmnt-uswnt-usynt/?source=roster
Would someone kindly explain to me HOW the USSF is supposed to pay out $30 million-plus of non-existent FIFA bonuses to the USWNT? Are they just supposed to put surcharge on every ticket sold for the next ten years?
Getafe refuse to travel to Inter Milan to play in Europa league…
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How in the world sport is still even going on in Europe and to be honest, America is baffling to me.
The voracious maw of TV demand for programing.
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Empty stadia can still produce televised games and sell advertising.
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And who knows whether the contracts have escape classes for pandemics? One would hope, but any network that is heavily leveraged would be in serious trouble.
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And many of them are behemoths too huge to be allowed to fail.
Also, remember why FDR insisted that Major League Baseball continue play during WW2, even if it was with only 4F physical specimens.
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In a word, morale.
don’t think I’ll go to the match on Saturday
MLS should shutdown until they figure out this virus. Without pro/rel all the fans in the stadium who are the only ones who that care about MLS will be gone forever. Of course if they play in empty stadiums maybe the ratings will go up a little. Quite the dilemma.
It seems like sporting events in the US have been continuing to go on for the past few weeks since the virus came to the US and we haven’t seen huge increases in its spread. I’m guessing (and I’ll admit it is just a guess) that everyday interactions with people are a lot more responsible for disease spread than large gatherings at sporting events with little direct interpersonal contact.
Don’t think you understand the severity. One issue is that they have only tested 7,000 here in the US. If they had the capability to test more the number would be a lot higher. They just can not let the situation get out of hand like it did in Italy. NCAA just made a statement that they will play the March Madness tournament only with families of players present….
I’ll be slamming Coronas in lot B prior to kickoff. I’ve dealt with worse than a bad cold.
As a scientist and currently a researcher at a Medical Center:
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I’m compelled to remind that this is a public health issue, not just a personal one. You may be healthy and infection would only result in minor, inconvenient symptoms for you. However, as a carrier of the virus, your decisions and actions can led to further infection of others, including those of a higher risk population such as those with other health issues (the death rate for pre-existing conditions ranges from 5-10%) and the elderly (death rates are <1% for those under 50yrs old however rise quickly in each age bracket to almost 15% for those over 80yrs old). I'll also note that while young children seem to be doing the best, no one knows if and what effect this virus has on a pregnant mother and unborn child. Additionally, a massive number of patients seeking care, including those with only mild conditions, can overwhelm the health systems, over time can lead to a delay or lack of resources (ie tests, personal protective equipment) and cause issues in the care for those that need it most.
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While it is not practical to completely lock ourselves away for a month, it is prudent to take preventative actions and to take symptoms seriously.
Thanks! Information is good!