Major League Soccer announced its plan to resume the regular-season in phases, including six regional games for each team to be played by Sept. 14.
FC Cincinnati will open at home Aug. 21 against D.C. United — without fans at Nippert Stadium — but future games could be played in front of an audience of 20-25 percent capacity. MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a video news conference Saturday that no plans have been approved for any teams to play in front of fans but the league will consider proposals that meet local and CDC guidelines.
I wrote about the league’s plan in an article for WCPO.com, and I’ll have more here in the coming days on the expectations for FC Cincinnati and how players feel about a chance to finish the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, I wanted to open up a space for discussion if my followers wanted to engage in conversation.
What do you think about the plan to return to play in home markets? What did you think of the MLS is Back Tournament and what are your hopes for the Orange and Blue over the final 18 games of the regular-season, assuming they go forward with the full plan to finish the season?
Here’s a few comments I received on Twitter, to get things started…
And, lastly, remember I’m taking mailbag questions for publication early this next week, so please feel free to message me with any questions you’ve got, or drop them here!